Why are prospect trades so rare?

[Frobby]

It seems as though it's highly unusual for teams to make trades that only involve prospects, no major league players.     Why is that?    It must be fairly common for teams to be stacked at one or two positions while being weak at others.    You'd think it would be in teams' interests to balance out their farm systems through trades, but it doesn't seem to happen much.   

[Can_of_corn]

My guess is that they don't want to be on the bad end of one.

It is one thing to give up an all-star for a ML player, even one that ends up not performing, but to give one up for a guy that never makes it out of AA?  Would be embarrassing from a professional viewpoint.

[Luke-OH]

20 minutes ago, Frobby said:

It seems as though it's highly unusual for teams to make trades that only involve prospects, no major league players.     Why is that?    It must be fairly common for teams to be stacked at one or two positions while being weak at others.    You'd think it would be in teams' interests to balance out their farm systems through trades, but it doesn't seem to happen much.   

To put it simply, comfort level. A team has a much better read on its own players than even a highly scouted opposition player.  So if someone offers to trade their prospect for yours, you automatically think, "ok what do they know that makes them willing to give this guy up". Now sometimes you see it happen with two guys who've fallen out of favor with there respective teams, and both teams don't really like there guy.

Here is an example: would you trade Austin Hays for Nick Neidert straight up? If so, do you think the Mariners would? They are similarly ranked by in biased publications.

I wouldn't do that trade and I think if you asked Mariners fans they might not be on board either.

 

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, phillyOs119 said:

To put it simply, comfort level. A team has a much better read on its own players than even a highly scouted opposition player.  So if someone offers to trade their prospect for yours, you automatically think, "ok what do they know that makes them willing to give this guy up". Now sometimes you see it happen with two guys who've fallen out of favor with there respective teams, and both teams don't really like there guy.

Here is an example: would you trade Austin Hays for Nick Neidert straight up? If so, do you think the Mariners would? They are similarly ranked by in biased publications.

I wouldn't do that trade and I think if you asked Mariners fans they might not be on board either.

 

Why is he on the DL?

[Luke-OH]

5 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Why is he on the DL?

I don't know, I just threw out a similarly ranked pitcher from BA midseason list. Although with them saying he'd be 50 spots higher now, I'd need to choose a different pitcher. My point is you you like the guy so you see a lot and even if you really like the opposing player, you wonder what they know that you don't that made them willing to let him go.

[Chavez Ravine]

Also, I suspect there is little value in balancing out the farm system....at least from the standpoint of providing talent to the MLB club. Seems like there is a lot of volatility at the minor league level; what one year  looks like a surplus of talent at a position can not look so great a year later. If you do happen to end up with too much MLB ready players at a position it is easy enough to trade them then.

[Cumberbundy]

Pride.