Article: The Stress of the Trade Deadline

[diehardtwinsfan]

very rarely do teams get "blown up" at the deadline... it just doesn't happen... Dealing both Span and Liriano will take quite a bit of front office resources to accomplish, so I doubt the team will be completely blown up.

[greengoblinrulz]

There is a balance in this situation. You need to rest players so they will be good and able to perform over the long haul of a season and the years they are part of the team. If they pitch Burton, a guy who has been injured most of the past couple of seasons, too much and too frequently he will break down again. Slightly increasing the odds of one victory is not worth the risk of the player breaking down for the second half of the year, or being able to contribute next year. These are the tradeoffs managers need to make every year.

 

I often thought that this was a hidden strength of Gardy in the past decade. They would rest players in a manner that seemed excessive, but they were always a team that finished the regular season strong (and then get smoked in the playoffs). Obviously the last two seasons have rendered this moot.

How many times have we won back to back games rendering Burton unusable??? Im not saying he should be in 3 straight games, but NEVER?? Its cost em wins...which I thought were the goal. Burton & Perk have been unable to pitch due to overuse in a year when we are one of the worst teams in baseball. He's using these guys when behind & then rendering them out in a possible win. But again, when Gardy does it & wins...he's awesome, when he does & loses, its the players. He cant do any wrong with some.

[mnfireman]

Trading Span and Liriano for starting pitching does what? Right now Liriano is pitching as good as any starting pitcher being made available so that would be a wash and Span is currently better better than Mastroianni, Tosoni, Benson, Hicks, Thomas, Parmalee, etc... so that would be a step backwards. Same with Willingham, none of the righthanded mashers, Sano, ????, ????, etc... are major league ready. Starting pitching is the teams biggest concern right now, so keep running bodies out there and hope for 6 innings so the BP can settle into their roles. All hands on deck!

[greengoblinrulz]

Trading Span and Liriano for starting pitching does what? Right now Liriano is pitching as good as any starting pitcher being made available so that would be a wash and Span is currently better better than Mastroianni, Tosoni, Benson, Hicks, Thomas, Parmalee, etc... so that would be a step backwards. Same with Willingham, none of the righthanded mashers, Sano, ????, ????, etc... are major league ready. Starting pitching is the teams biggest concern right now, so keep running bodies out there and hope for 6 innings so the BP can settle into their roles. All hands on deck!

So trade nobody & stay status quo/lose Liriano after the season for nothing???

I could be talked into taking the draft pick for Frankie if they prospects offerred arent high enough.

Benson, Arcia, Hicks......DONT LIST THOMAS PLEASE....are very very close. Right now, maybe not...but nxt yr, sure.

Denard is an ok player, dime a dozen type tho. Decent average, OBP, poor base stealer/baserunner...good CF but not better than Revere who's a better clone of Denard.....alwasys run into possibility of hurting Spans feelings also.

Does all depend on who's offerred tho

[gil4]

Stress isn't the possibility that you'll have to move from one highly paid, pampered job to another, all expenses paid.

 

 

Chief, you work with people who move all the time. The shorter the notice, the more stress. More money doesn't necessarily reduce the stress, although they obviously have more resources to throw at the stressors. It's still difficult to pick up and move, whether you're an A1C with a wife and kid, a Major married to a Captain with no kids, or a ballplayer making $1M+.

 

The military member is going to have a few days to take care of business; the ballplayer is going to be expected to be in uniform in Toronto (or wherever) the next night.

[mnfireman]

I do not think Span is a great CF, but he is better than the alternatives at this point. If the team wants FA's to come here in the future they can't trade Willingham after a little more than half a season. Liriano brings the best return, but right now he is better than what the team has and they aren't getting another starting pitcher in return for him. If they are willing to offer him $12M and are currently paying Pavano and Baker upwards of $8M, I think they could offer $10-14M to 1 or 2 of the upcoming free agents and bridge the gap until the current prospects or draft choices are ready.

[YourHouseIsMyHouse]

Frankie wants to play for the Twins and I want him to play for the Twins. What is coming between us?

[Nick Nelson]

I don't believe for a second that Span can't handle trade talk.

For what it's worth, I heard from people I trust that Span did not react well at all to his name being floated in rumors around this time last year.

[DaveW]

Sometimes things in life don't go perfectly. If one of those things is being traded to another team (who has a better chance of winning now) while they still pay you multi millions a year, yeah I just don't see how that is really just that stressful.

 

If you don't want to handle the "stress" that comes with being traded or speculated that you might be traded, then negotiate into your contract a no trade clause, I'm sure at the time the Twins would have been more than happy to grant Span a no trade clause if he would have accepted a couple million dollars less per season. I mean I imagine it would suck to be traded suddenly and would be an inconvenience to find a new place to live etc, but the nice thing is you would have plenty of money/help in order to get you situated quickly.

 

I feel a lot worse for the throw in minor league guy who gets traded and is only making 50k a year.

[Riverbrian]

For what it's worth, I heard from people I trust that Span did not react well at all to his name being floated in rumors around this time last year.

I don't doubt that. 2nd year of a 5 year deal and then the club falls apart around him while he sits out with a concussion.

 

All of sudden he becomes the focus of a trade to the Nationals. He wasn't expecting a collapse of that nature when he signed that contract and his name is the one being tossed around in a trade.

 

Time has gone by now... He's had enough time to come to grips with the business.

 

When I say can't handle the trade talk... I say that he can still go out and function as a ballplayer. He might not like the trade talk but I don't believe that it lessens him as a player.

 

If trade talk does diminish Denard on the field... Trade him tomorrow and don't look back cuz trades can become a shadow at any time. I give him the benefit of the doubt.

 

My boss will throw his stapler in fits of rage. Shake it off and do his job.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Frankie wants to play for the Twins and I want him to play for the Twins. What is coming between us?

I'd guess money...

[Vervehound]

Understood, but 99% of the non-players would not mind if their employer traded them to a team in Antarctica, if they were making a few million a year or even half a million minimum wage to play a kid's sport. Trenton is not too bad actually if you are in the right place during day time. And the ball park is pretty nice.

most kids aren't striking out in front of 30k people and having to answer for it in the court of public opinion. not to mention that ballplayers have shown that they're in the elite 0.01% of humanity in terms of hand-eye coordination. i get that being a ballplayer could be a really fun career but it's also super hard for all but a half dozen players so the argument of it being a "kid's sport" is lazy, imo.

[DaveW]

most kids aren't striking out in front of 30k people and having to answer for it in the court of public opinion. not to mention that ballplayers have shown that they're in the elite 0.01% of humanity in terms of hand-eye coordination. i get that being a ballplayer could be a really fun career but it's also super hard for all but a half dozen players so the argument of it being a "kid's sport" is lazy, imo.

Yeah, I agree that I think there is plenty of stress just playing the game for these players, i.e. each at bat, the press etc, the idea that you may be traded should be at the bottom of that list IMHO.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Having moved and changed jobs on a number of occasion, I think it is safe to say that it is a stressful experience. I realize that these guys aren't facing circumstances like what Jason Marquis faced earlier this season, but that doesn't take away from the stress of the situation. Add to it that these guys basically live out of a suitcase from April to October, which is hardly a cakewalk. The idea that this is simply a kids game and is unstressful is rather lazy if you ask me. These guys are people who have to deal with families, travel, and everything else just like the rest of us. Just because they make a lot of money doesn't somehow make these issues go away.

[JB_Iowa]

Going back to some of the earlier comments about stress, I actually think that stress is feeling like you don't have control of the situation.

 

So, to me, Span's situation would be more stressful than Liriano's because Span is locked into a contract through 2014 -- and has no ability to make his own choices until after that season. Liriano becomes a free agent after this season so regardless of what happens, he only has to live with it for a few months.

 

And, some people have a greater need for control than others -- usually these are also people who don't react well to change becaue it affects their control (that is control over their own circumstances not necessarily control over others).

 

I have a feeling from his tweets last year that Span may be someone who needs that control -- it may be part of why he wanted to sign a long-term contract (considered by many to be team-friendly even at the time) in the first place. It gave him some certainty over a period of time.

 

And that is also why all the talk of trades might be more stressful to him than it might be to others in the same situation.

[JB_Iowa]

Yeah, I agree that I think there is plenty of stress just playing the game for these players, i.e. each at bat, the press etc, the idea that you may be traded should be at the bottom of that list IMHO.

I disagree. Playing in front of crowds and handling the press is something that the players train for -- and it becomes routine. Since they know what to expect, the stress level is minimized.

 

Dealing with a family situation (as Marquis did) or being traded is a whole different thing. It is stressful because you have no way of knowing what will happen.

 

And each person's view on this question may well depend upon how much of a control freak you are personally. (Since I am one, that may well explain why I think not having a say in where you will be for the next few years would be incredibly stressful)

[Guest USAFChief]

Chief, you work with people who move all the time. The shorter the notice, the more stress. More money doesn't necessarily reduce the stress, although they obviously have more resources to throw at the stressors. It's still difficult to pick up and move, whether you're an A1C with a wife and kid, a Major married to a Captain with no kids, or a ballplayer making $1M+.

 

The military member is going to have a few days to take care of business; the ballplayer is going to be expected to be in uniform in Toronto (or wherever) the next night.

Fair points, and I understand being told today you're working in another city tomorrow can't be fun. I still think people are making way too much of this.

 

Is it too stressful for them when they're told theyre leaving Rochester on the next flight to Minneapolis? Perhaps all in season promotions should come with two weeks notice?

 

A major leaguer getting traded is going to have the team pick up the expenses, have a flunky waiting to help him find a place to live, have his personal effects packed up and shipped by others, etc etc.

 

Maybe I'm just a cynical old bastard, but I don't have a lot of sympathy for pampered millionaires getting "stressed" over something they signed up for.

[DaveW]

I disagree. Playing in front of crowds and handling the press is something that the players train for -- and it becomes routine. Since they know what to expect, the stress level is minimized.

 

Dealing with a family situation (as Marquis did) or being traded is a whole different thing. It is stressful because you have no way of knowing what will happen.

 

And each person's view on this question may well depend upon how much of a control freak you are personally. (Since I am one, that may well explain why I think not having a say in where you will be for the next few years would be incredibly stressful)

I'm sorry what is the purpose of bringing up what happened to Marquis? What does that have to do with a player being traded? Are you comparing the potential death of a child to being potentially having to move to another city?

[Paul]

Shouldn't've backed off Chief. If the coaches can't handle their agony in a few sentences they should just laminate your comment and hand it to them. Their stress is pretty much the same stress I feel when I get a piece of road tar on my motorcycle.

 

Makes me think of the old Martin Mull song "Rich Man's Blues"..."I felt so low down I threw my drink across the lawn."

[JB_Iowa]

No, I'm not comparing it. Someone else brought up Marquis earlier.

 

Of course the stress of dealing with an injured child (or spouse or parent or other loved one) is greater than the stress of moving to another city.

 

But changing jobs or moving to another location is a pretty high stress factor as I recall from all those cute little lists they publish from time to time on life's stressors. And, even when it is by choice, its not really routine.

 

My point was that most at bats for a player (even in front of 30,000 fans) are somewhat routine. Does that mean that he doesn't get stressed? Of course not. And SOME at bat situations are very stressful, I'm sure.

 

But overall, I think that the possibility of being traded -- and in having no say in where you go -- is probably more stressful than routine at bats for which the player has trained.

[greengoblinrulz]

Why its not correct to compare our jobs getting transferred to baseball is players only play 6/7month seasons....they still go home for 5months & dont work....do workout but its not work.

[DaveW]

 

But changing jobs or moving to another location is a pretty high stress factor as I recall from all those cute little lists they publish from time to time on life's stressors. And, even when it is by choice, its not really routine.

 

I have moved states like 5 or 6 times in my life, only once was due to choice. I'd say the majority of people in this country have had to as well. It's really not that stressful.

 

These guys are professionals, if they are concerned with outside issues (such as being the rumor of trades) they should keep it inside and continue to do their jobs. Just like everyone else is expected to do in their day to day lives.

 

I still think the stress of playing in front of 40k fans and millions on TV is much greater then "oh we might have to move soon"

[jimbo92107]

Pro sports is like musical chairs, the game show. Denard should realize that, along with every other player. Play hard, and then hope you get to sit with a good team for awhile, and make some money.

[gil4]

Is it too stressful for them when they're told theyre leaving Rochester on the next flight to Minneapolis?

I'm sure the flight in the other direction is much more stressful, especially since it usually comes with a major pay cut. (I'm sure the cut from the MLB minimum to the pittance most minor leaguers make is pretty painful.)

[John Bonnes]

I still think the stress of playing in front of 40k fans and millions on TV is much greater then "oh we might have to move soon"

That is something I think you can get used to, especially after years of being watched. In my experience, real stress sneaks up on you. Worrying that your kid needs to move from his friends ( or be raised by an absentee father). Worrying your wife is alone or that her support network is in jeapordy or that her parents are going to call her worrying about the latest rumors & whether that means the grand kids are moving away. Ths is the stuff that hits you when you aren't looking, that you can't control.

 

That doesnt mean they need our pity, and that's not what the story was saying. It just men's it's silly to think this stuff means NOTHING to them. It probably does, and they likely can't help but have it affect them.

[glunn]

I enjoyed the article and agree that the "cloud" of a trade rumor could be stressful. Just because someone makes a lot of money and has flunkies to do the grunt work does not mean that he won't be stressed by some of the consequences of being traded.

 

I also agree with those who believe that it is good business to treat your employees with respect and with concern for their personal lives. As fans, we expect players to give 110% for the team. If the team perceives that the GM is a coldblooded *******, I think that this could hurt team morale. But if the GM genuinely cares about every player as a human being, then this could build loyalty. My sense is that Terry Ryan seems to feel this way. Here is a quote from a recent article from the Twins website where Ryan talks about losing the opportunity to trade Capps and Pavano:

 

But Ryan refused to look at the injuries as a lost opportunity for the Twins, as he's more worried about them coming back healthy.

"I wouldn't be worried about trade chips when it comes to a guy's health," Ryan said.

Here is the link to the full article.

 

I understand that baseball is a business and that the GM sometimes has to make a tough decision. But I think that players will play harder when they think that the GM genuinely cares about them as human beings.