Rosternomics
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July 31, 2014

OAKBOS

OAK won this trade +$16.8M surplus OAK won this trade +0.4 WAR
OAKOAK Billy Beane net +$16.8M net +0.4
received +$28.8M+$28.8M ± $16M expected surplus · +$11.2M realized received 3.5 ± 2 expected · 1.3 realized WAR
Playoff odds: this deal moved OAK's 2014 odds 35% → 37% (+2 pts) — how trade timing is graded ↗
receives — most valuable first
Jon LesterP·30y·L/L
+$23.6M+$23.6M± $11M exp surplusrealized +$15.2M 2.3± 1 exp WARrealized 1.6
Prior
league baseline (track record outweighs draft pedigree) → 0.21/yr
Evidence
recent form 3.2/yr over 2.7 seasons
Talent
2.28/yr blended
Horizon
1.0 control yr
Jonny GomesDH/OF·33y·R/R
+$5.5M+$5.5M± $11M exp surplusrealized −$4.0M 1.2± 1 exp WARrealized -0.3
Prior
league baseline (track record outweighs draft pedigree) → 0.21/yr
Evidence
recent form 1.7/yr over 2.1 seasons
Talent
1.18/yr blended
Horizon
1.0 control yr
BOSBOS Ben Cherington net −$16.8M net -0.4
received +$60.8M+$60.8M ± $36M expected surplus · −$5.6M realized received 7.2 ± 4 expected · 0.9 realized WAR
Playoff odds: this deal moved BOS's 2014 odds 5% → 4% (-0.4 pts) — how trade timing is graded ↗
receives — most valuable first
Yoenis CéspedesOF·28y·R/R
+$61.0M+$61.0M± $36M exp surplusrealized −$5.6M 7.2± 4 exp WARrealized 0.9
Prior
league baseline (track record outweighs draft pedigree) → 0.27/yr
Evidence
recent form 3.1/yr over 1.5 season
Talent
1.82/yr blended
Horizon
4.0 control yrs × 0.99 age decline

Each player is valued on what he was expected to produce at the time of the trade, versus what he actually produced for his new team.

Expected WAR blends a player's pedigree (composite top-100 rank / draft slot, or a baseline) with his recent track record, projected over the years of team control acquired. The ± figure is a historically calibrated predictive standard deviation, measuring how widely comparable forecasts have missed around their expected value. Surplus values that production at the FA market price of a win (~$8M/WAR) minus salary — so cost-controlled players carry large surplus and expensive ones little, even at the same WAR. Who won is descriptive, not a skill claim: ~99% of a trade's outcome is unforeseeable at the time.