Check out this trade

[PSUColonel]

Arizona placed Brandon McCarthy on the trading block, meanwhile I had Carlos Ruiz listed there. here is the trade I was able to make:

Carlos Ruiz and Colorado, for McCarthy.

[PSUColonel]

This was on very hard trading difficulty...do you feel it was fair?

[Lockdog]

It does seem fair since you gave up a decent pitching prospect for a few months of McCarthy. That's great you were able to dump Ruiz.

[PSUColonel]

They are using him as a backup catcher...I will never be able to re-sign McCarthy, but it's worth it to rid myself of Ruiz, and give myself a better chance for the current year

[PSUColonel]

He wants around 17 million a year...for 3 years

[Lockdog]

In that case, would a qualifying offer be in order for him?

EDIT: Nevermind, he was traded mid-season.

[TomVeal]

If Arizona either is out of contention or has other decent starters, getting rid of an expensive player in the last year of his contract in exchange for a good prospect and a reliable backup catcher isn't obviously irrational. Despite his stars, McCarthy's performance in previous years hasn't been terrific.

You didn't mention Ruiz's contract status. If he, too, is in his last year, Arizona can let him go or perhaps re-sign him at a reduced salary, reflecting his disappointing numbers this year.

The AI may have made a less than optimal decision, but it's not obvious that it's being stupid.

[PSUColonel]

here is what Ruiz has left on his contract: ( I think you will feel the AI is pretty dumb now)

[PSUColonel]

Arizona is 8.5 games back in mid-June....hell I'm 12.5 out!

[PSUColonel]

To me this is one of the issues with the trading block (as I have said elsewhere...I'd love to see it revamped into a "trade hub"..changing some of the AI) which is once a team puts a player on the trading block, it will accept a bag of baseballs in return...which is obviously not realistic. Just because a team is looking to move a player, does NOT mean it doesn't want quality in return!

[PSUColonel]

And as I said earlier...Ruiz is the backup

[PSUColonel]

I was also able to get james Shields for Kyle Kendrick this way.

[Lockdog]

I noticed something on the contract page. It says the guaranteed value is $30 million. Add up the three contract years and the buyout, only $26 million is actually guaranteed money because of the team option. The wording there should be changed to be technical.

[PSUColonel]

the contract when it was signed was that much...

[PSUColonel]

signed prior to 2014

[TomVeal]

Well, then, the only rationale that I can see for the AI's decision is that McCarthy was such a malcontent or troublemaker that a bag of baseballs looked like a pretty good exchange for him.

[BIG17EASY]

I wouldn't say it's a ridiculously unfair trade. The AI got a good pitching prospect and gave up a pitcher (McCarthy) who's likely to regress based on his BABIP being ridiculously low and his ratings not suggesting he's turned into an elite pitcher. It's still odd that the AI took on Ruiz's salary and is using him as a backup, but if you have the AI set to favor prospects, that can explain some of the logic.

And, depending on your AI evaluation settings, that can explain some of the logic, too. If current year stats aren't rated heavily, then the mediocre season McCarthy had in 2013 coupled with his mid-rotation-type ratings will cause the AI to value him as a third or maybe even fourth starter depending on the strength of the rotation around him.

Trade AI certainly needs some work, but this trade is far from the worst we've seen.

[PSUColonel]

Yes it does favor prospects (which I am now questioning). AI evaluation: 30/40/20/10

[PSUColonel]

If Ruiz's contract were up after the season...I'd say it was a fair trial....but given his age coupled with the length and amount of the contract....well

[Padreman]

Ruiz was getting paid a lot for mediocre work