Inside the Bourn Trade
Bloomberg Business Week has an article "anatomy of a baseball trade" that uses the Michael Bourn trade to give an insider's view of how a trade happens. The article shows texts of some of the emails between Wade and Wren. It's an interesting read related to the Astros.
7 months ago
clack
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At least we know now that Wade initially asked for Delgado and Minor, but the Braves made an internal decision not give up any of their big 4 pitching prospects. Then Wade told Wren that he should make an offer. It seems like Wren made an offer, and Wade just took it without any changes. Why not try to improve the Braves offer with a counter offer? I also found it interesting that Wren is telling Wade that the Braves only have a “little” interest in Bourne, but internally the Braves think that Bourne is the available player who can help them the most.
It’s interesting that another GM told Wade that he might be able to offer better players at the last minute. Wade turned him down. That probably indicates some integrity on Wade’s part, because he had already reached agreement with the Braves and was waiting for MLB approval. However, it makes you wonder if Wade had plumbed all the trade possibilities with other teams before he reached agreement with the Braves.
by clack on Oct 21, 2011 4:57 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
That last point is interesting
If you back out of a deal last minute, it could potentially hurt your reputation around the league and hurt your bargaining power, and, on top of that, the deal with the other club could’ve fallen through. I think this was a case of “a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” I have no problem with Wade not taking another offer, if the deal had fallen through altogether it would’ve been a disaster for the front office.
by Patrick Harrel on Oct 21, 2011 5:01 PM CDT up reply actions
A year or so ago, an analogous situation arose with a free agent signing by the Braves. (I’ve forgotten the player involved, and I’m not going to take the time to search for the name.) The Braves thought they had reached agreement with the player’s agent, and submitted a term sheet to MLB for approval. Meanwhile, the agent took that offer to another team (Dodgers, I think) who made a higher offer. The player’s agent notified the Braves that the player was accepting an offer from another team. The Braves went ballistic, with Wren going to the press and saying that he would never deal with that agent again. That gives you an idea as to how the Braves would have reacted if Wade had backed out of the trade after it was submitted to MLB.
by clack on Oct 21, 2011 5:15 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think the player was Rafael Furcal.
The bird is struggling out of the egg. The egg is the world. Whoever wants to be born, must first destroy a world.
by Stupendous Man on Oct 21, 2011 5:41 PM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Disclaimer for those without a sense of humor: That was a joke. This public service announcement is brought to you by the “Internet Sarcasm Enthusiasts.”
…seemed like the recs took a day off, and then came back last night.
by clack on Oct 22, 2011 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
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by Timothy De Block on Oct 22, 2011 4:33 PM CDT up reply actions
Really cool article.
Trades are my favorite part of the game. It was interesting to catch a glimpse of the behind the scenes process leading up to the trade.
On the subject of the Bourn trade, many pundits (and a lot of fans) considered the return for Bourn to be underwhelming. If you’re expecting a guy like Minor or Delgado in return, it probably is. But when you consider that Atlanta flatly refused to move those two, and assume that no other serious suitors came forth, I think Wade fared well enough. Oberholtzer and Clemens in particular have both been impressive so far, and both look like they have a reasonable chance of cracking the Astros rotation soon.
The bird is struggling out of the egg. The egg is the world. Whoever wants to be born, must first destroy a world.
by Stupendous Man on Oct 21, 2011 5:47 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
I agree with Clack above that Wade had nothing to lose by making a counter offer.
by conroestro on Oct 22, 2011 1:55 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
Sorry, wasn’t done yet, didn’t mean to hit post. Especially since Wade’s initial offer was for Minor and Delgado. He could have taken one of those out and packaged a deal around the other one and made it work. If Wren still wavered then Wade could say okay we will take your initial offer.
by conroestro on Oct 22, 2011 2:00 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions
Good article.
Relays just what I thought. That Wade played it desperate. He could’ve waited and got better players – but he went with the low ceiling “safe” guys. Not a fan. This doesn’t change my mind.
FIRE this idiot pronto when you take over Crane.
by YohannDookeyblue on Oct 22, 2011 7:26 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
This article makes Wade look inept!!!!
Wade should have been entertaining all offers and playing GM’s against each other. If someone came in the last minute you have to at least hear them out. Then you go back and give the Braves first chance to counter the offer and if they pull the offer off the table F*** EM. At the end of the day the trade looks OK but you never know what someone would have given you out of desperation. Also there was no desperation on the part of the Astros to trade Bourn right there one Pence, Beltran were off the table there wasnt much else. So Wade after reading this article you are not a shrewed business man you are the lamb sir and that is the reason you were fired from Philly and hopefully will be gone next year.
It’s embarrassing man. I really don’t like what we got back in that deal and to know there may have been something else is frustrating. We had to get one of their four elite prospects and then some one like Abreu or Schafer. Don’t like the quantity over quality. I’d rather get a single dollar over 3 dimes and a nickel.
My biggest deal is that I know that there is a fraternity and all that with the GM’s but you have to consider all offers that is your job. To not here the offer from the other team is a fireable offense to me. I want someone that has the killer instinct top to bottom. That has to be the mentality of the FO manager and then that will be carried down to the players.
I’m probably one of the bigger Ed Wade haters here, but damn if this doesn’t make me hate him a bit more.
That kills his credibility with every GM in the league if he backs out of that deal
If teams know you might back out of a deal at the last second, that makes them much less likely to want to do business with you. Remember the Rafael Furcal deal with Atlanta a few years ago? Imagine that, except with GM’s.
by Patrick Harrel on Oct 25, 2011 11:48 PM CDT up reply actions
I think his credibility with other GM's is that he is a SMUCK!!!!
Again you have to hear all offers before you make a deal first and formost. Second you have to do what is best for you by at least negotiating. Astros had nothing to lose and everything to gain from trading Bourn. So last thing Wren basically low balled Wade to see if he would take it and then by not hearing the other offer he basically wanted to keep his reputation so he can get another GM job when he gets fired here. YOU DONT HAVE TO DO ANYTHING ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO BUSINESS. I almost guarrantee you that Wren would have backed out if there was another option.
The term sheet had been sent to MLB for approval. The parties had an agreement. To back out at that point is dishonest. So, I agree with patrickharrell that it would be a serious enough breach of integrity to hurt the team in the long run. I do agree with you that Wade may not have investigated other teams’ interests/offers enough before he finalized the trade with the Braves. The fact that an offer came out of the woodwork at the end leads you to believe that he missed checking with all of the teams earlier.
by clack on Oct 26, 2011 2:27 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I guess my point is that it is irresponsible for him not to do some digging or wait till the last minute to see what else might be on the table. My take on it though is that you agree on a deal tenatively with Wren then make some phone calls to see if anyone wanted to beat the offer. I think that when you are going into the deal that you have to tell Wren that at anytime if someone offers a better offer that you will blow this deal up no matter what. Maybe you give Wren a little more desperate to give us one of there top pitching prospects
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