Smart teams do not trade prospects with high ceilings for veterans.
I asked this yesterday when everyone was hemming and hawing that we'd trade Bread, Lindgren, Trocheck, Kreider, Smith and Vesey and receive all picks in the first 3 rounds for the next 4 years:
Which high end or elite-ceiling prospect (at time of trade) in the past 3 years has been moved for a veteran?
It is correct that the bold is a rule.
There can be ISOLATED exceptions, based on specific circumstances.
A team that screwed itself and is too old to retool and wants more shot before tearing it all down is a more obvious one [think of CHI late after cup runs].
There may be others
But another is the price paid vs what is obtained.
We got Vats for a 4th, should have extended
We pissed away picks on several rentals which was bad biz
Here I am asking one primo prospect and a flip on 2 picks [not the surrender of 2 picks w/nothing going the other way] for a retained Panarin for 2 runs
bread is not just a generic "veteran" he is elite
that justifies a higher price.