If the outlook is always five years ahead, the team will never reach its potential.
Just look at the numbers. We have more good looking prospects, esp MIFs and SPs, that can possibly be put on one MLB roster. Perhaps our selection of raw material has improved. (Since the org is doing exactly what I've been preaching for nearly a decade with its position selections...contact and skills over power and tools...I think it is.) Maybe the development has improved. It surely looks like it on the pitching side, and maybe on the hitting.
But none of that means squat if we have more than we can use, and are forced to give them away when the clock hits midnight.
The org KNEW it had more MIFs than it could ever use. At one time Chang had value, but had no place to play. Its not hindsight to say he should have been traded. The same will happen to several of Freeman, Arias, Rocchio, Martinez, Brito, and Tena...no matter how good they may be...if the FO doesn't trade a bunch of them. With Gimenez cemented into one spot, there's room for only one of them as a full time MLB player on this team.
The FO KNEW it had too many LH corner outfielders, and gave away Zimmer, Johnson, and Jones, because it waited until they had exhausted their value. The same will happen to somebody out of Brennan, Benson, Valera.
The FO knows it has more young SPs than it can ever put on the MLB roster. It gave away. It has already given away Vargas. The same is gonna happen to many of Espino, Williams, Allen, Bibee, Battenfield, Pilkington, Morris, Morgan, Cantillo, Curry, Gaddis, and Burns...all scheduled to be MLB ready at some point this year. Thats seventeen nominal SPs, including the present rotation. Even if we traded the entire MLB pitching staff, there isn't room for all of them.
It doesnt make a difference if every single one of our near MLB ready prospects ends up being a productive player. Most of them won't be playing for Cleveland. So, we either get value out of them in trade, or we get zilch.
I can guarantee that some of the posters who wouldn't have traded Jones last year for anything, but are okay now with him being dumped, will be the first to complain if Jones hits 15 homers in Colorado.
It's a consistent pattern. Its not okay to trade prospects, because they might develop in five years...like Jones, Zimmer, et al...but its fine to drop them, because they weren't that good anyway.
This isn't a new conversation, BTW. Last year at this time there was strong sentiment that no way should we trade Palacios for Ian Happ. Now, Palacios is on the short list of those who may be DFAd.
Nobody, esp me, wants to trade the farm. But I am perfectly willing to trade the 60 acres of swampland in the back that might become valuable some day, if it ever gets drained and cultivated. 60 acres out of 1200...esp if I can get 40 acres of profitable black dirt in return.
