Why do teams trade people in the last yr of there contract?

Question

like every yr. be4 the deadline teams are trying to trade ppl in the last yr of there contracts. like off the top of my head sean casey to the tigers ( he then signd a one year deal after the seaosnwas over)

Answer 1

If a team has no shot at the playoffs, and they know they are going to loose the player to free-agency anyway, they would rather trade him away for a younger prospect who might contribute in future seasons.

On the other side of the trade, a team that has a good shot at a playoff run this year, is willing to take a proven veteran player (even though its just for the remainder of one season) and give up a young player who won't be a big contributor for several years to come.

The team receiving the veteran player is most concerned about trying to win this season. The team that gives up the veteran and gets minor leaguers or younger players, is trying to build their team for future seasons, because they are already out of the running for the current season.

Answer 2

Most teams, especially teams with low payrolls have players who are due for very lucrative contracts after their contracts expire, this is why teams like the Marlins, the Rays and most low payroll teams get rid of their best players, because they can't afford them. So the players get traded so the teams are able to salvage something for them. If Cabrera stayed with the Marlins, they would've had to pay him 15 million dollars a year, so they traded him for young talent. For high payroll teams, they are able to resign expensive players.

Answer 3

Teams do this if they know that their star player is not going to resign with the team.  This way, you can still get something for your star player.

Answer 4

Because they know the player is going to ask for too much money. They trade him now to get something in return because they know they are not going to pay that player that much money.

Answer 5

To Increase Revenue for other Future Superstars to come in.

Answer 6

so that they dont have to pay their entire contract...also if the player isnt what they expected he becomes a free agent and if he's what they wanted they resign him

Answer 7

(mostly for losing teams who arent in contention) because at the end of the year the player will mostly opt out or his contract is up and he wont sign back with the team because they are on a losing team so the teams trades and tries to get something for him instead of just losing him to free agency at the end of the year

Answer 8

so they can get some prospects for a player they will not have the next season.

Answer 9

"this is why i hate the yankeess, being an A's fan."

I dont remember the A's trading many players to the Yankees recently. In fact until recently Beane seemed to prefer the picks.

Answer 10

The majority of the reason why players are traded in the final season of their contracts is for the GM or team to get as much value for them while they are still contracted to fill positions the team is lacking or will be lacking pending the trade. This will happen when the team sees the player as a salary cap issue or their production as a player begins to deminish.

Typically this will work between the close of the previous season and the trade deadline of the last contracted year. If the team believes the player to be of value to the team and their production will continue they will typically offer an extension to the player prior to their contract being over. What this will do is extend the player's contractual obligations either beginning the following season or after their current contract is up.

The bulk of this boils down to a chess game with GM's and Mgrs trying to get the most value for their dollar. Highly paid players who do not put up the numbers they are expected to (hence the big contracts) are typically the ones who get dropped. The other players are typically added in to sweeten the deal for the other team to take on the player and high salary.

Hope this helps,

-G

Answer 11

Many times, contracts are back end loaded, meaning that the bulk of the whole contract gets paid towards the end than in the beginning of the contract.  For instance, somebody who gets a $100M 10 year contract will not get 10 million a year, but will start out smaller, like 3 or 4 for the first year, with the amount paid increasing over time.  By dumping them towards the end of the contract the teams end up saving a larger share of the payroll money.

Answer 12

because they can get younger players with longer contracts and because they cant afford to resign their players to large contracts.

this is why i hate the yankeess, being an A's fan.

Answer 13

typically teams do that b/c they know that they wont be able to resign that player so they try to salvage something for him.

Answer 14

Teams who don't think they'll be able to keep a player past the end of the year will trade him for a younger player they can keep for longer for less money.

Teams who think they have a shot at the post-season will trade for a player on the last year of his contract because it won't lead to any long term obligations and can help them win that year. They also sometimes want to trade for these players so they can sign them right away and not bid on the open market, if they feel its worth the expense of signing that player.