Rosternomics
← Trade Database
July 23, 1986

MILCHW

MIL won this trade +$4.0M surplus MIL won this trade +0.0 WAR
MILMIL Harry Dalton net +$4.0M net +0.0
received +$0.8M+$0.8M ± $42M expected surplus · +$0.0M realized received 1.2 ± 5 expected · 0.0 realized WAR
Playoff odds: this deal moved MIL's 1986 odds 2% → 2% (-0.2 pts) — how trade timing is graded ↗
receives — most valuable first
Al JonesP·27y·R/R
+$0.7M+$0.7M± $40M exp surplusrealized +$0.0M 1.0± 5 exp WARrealized 0.0
Prior
no pedigree — league baseline → 0.21/yr
Evidence
recent form 0.3/yr over 0.2 season
Talent
0.23/yr blended
Horizon
5.5 control yrs × 0.80 age decline
Tom Hartley
+$0.3M+$0.3M± $15M exp surplusrealized +$0.0M 0.2± 2 exp WARrealized 0.0
Unidentified minor-league throw-in — valued at the ~0.2 WAR base rate (most produce nothing)
CHWCHW Ken Harrelson net −$4.0M net +0.0
received +$0.0M+$0.0M ± $14M expected surplus · −$4.0M realized received 0.5 ± 2 expected · 0.0 realized WAR
Playoff odds: this deal moved CHW's 1986 odds 2% → 3% (+0.2 pts) — how trade timing is graded ↗
receives — most valuable first
Ray SearageP·31y·L/L
−$0.3M−$0.3M± $14M exp surplusrealized −$4.0M 0.5± 2 exp WARrealized -0.0
Prior
no pedigree — league baseline → 0.21/yr
Evidence
recent form 0.4/yr over 1.0 season
Talent
0.31/yr blended
Horizon
3.9 control yrs × 0.39 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.