How to Predict MLB Trades

Following Major League Baseball involves more than watching games and keeping up with the standings. Games and standings are often heavily influenced by what happens off the field. Most teams make a least a few trades each season and the success of these trades is vital to the team's present and their future. Instead of just reacting to baseball trades, you can try to predict what is about to happen.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Look for rumors of baseball trades. Often the first reports of a possible trade come from rumors which spread either through sports reporters, websites or word of mouth. Browse the Pro Sports Daily and the MLB Trade Rumors websites to stay informed on the latest rumors.

2. Follow news articles. If the rumor is a serious possibility, it will often be discussed in reputable publications, such as newspapers. This does not mean the trade will happen, it just means the speculation is widespread and newsworthy.

3. Determine if the rumor makes sense for both teams. Some rumors are just wishes by anxious fans hoping for a good move by their team. Think logically and determine if the potential trade would be beneficial to both sides.

4. Consider the money factor involved in baseball trades. These trades in the modern era have as much to do with how much money the players make as how well they can play. A team with a small budget is unlikely to trade for a highly paid player, especially if the player is no longer playing at a level worthy of his salary. Teams with large budgets are far more likely to trade for such players.

5. Look carefully at the players rumored to be involved. Teams with a chance to win tend to hold on to productive veteran players and try to trade young prospects away for more veteran players. Teams who do not have a chance to win in the current season tend to look toward the future and are likely to trade away older players, especially if those players are in the last years of their contracts.

6. Figure out what other players could be involved. Often a rumored baseball trade will involve only one player being traded to a certain team. Look at the players on the team and look for players who might be expendable. For example, if the team has a star shortstop and a good young shortstop, expect the young shortstop to be traded.

Resources

• Pro Sports Daily
• MLB Trade Rumors

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