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No-Trade Clauses Can Be A Big Part Of An Important Deal
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- No-Trade Clauses Can Be A Big Part Of An Important Deal
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
When it comes to players dealing with the vagaries of the trade deadline, a no-trade clause is a valuable asset. It gets used in all kinds of ways, and Andy McCullough and Dennis Lin of The Athletic did a revealing exploration of some of the scenarios that can occur and how they play out.
The San Diego Padres had this happen back when they wanted to acquire outfielder Juan Soto. It's easy to forget now, but the Padres needed help from a player involved in the landmark trade to make it happen.
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That player was Eric Hosmer , who had signed an eight-year, $144 million deal, courtesy of Padres owner Peter Seidler, who offered Hosmer addtional cash to void his no-trade clause and accept the deal even though the first baseman had no desire to go to the Washington Nationals .
"Peter, man, you've given me enough over the years," Hosmer replied as he turned down the offer.
The Padres traded Hosmer to the Boston Red Sox , where Hosmer became a footnote to the deal, but it illustrates the power of no-trade clauses as a negotiating tool.
"No-trade clauses do not mean no trade consideration," said super agent Scott Boras. "What they mean is there's just another step in executing the trade. And that is the consent of the player."
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Added one player with full no-trade protection, "Whatever it is, it has to come to you. Having the certainty, having the final say, it's just huge."
The clauses are now invoked by the likes of Francisco Lindor , Bo Bichette , Mike Trout and others. They complicate potential deals, and in some cases they even prevent phone calls from being made.
"It's definitely steered me away from making some phone calls," one general manager said. "There are guys where I just assume that they put us on for a reason."
For all of those reasons, teams are more reluctant to include these kinds of clauses at all, and the Atlanta Braves are an example of a team that has a blanket policy against them.
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"We feel more pushback than we used to," said one agent who's been involved in these negotiations. "It used to be a lot easier to get a no-trade clause than it is now."
Players value these clauses most of all, especially in a market where the buyers outnumber the sellers and the players don't want to move.
"They don't realize how valuable it is," one agent said, "until they use it."
