Rosternomics
← Trade Database
February 6, 1998

MINNYY

MIN won this trade +$159.2M surplus MIN won this trade +11.0 WAR
MINMIN Terry Ryan net +$159.2M net +11.0
received +$40.0M+$40.0M ± $55M expected surplus · +$125.6M realized received 9.2 ± 7 expected · 18.0 realized WAR
Playoff odds: this deal moved MIN's 1998 odds 0% → 0% (-0 pts) — how trade timing is graded ↗
receives — most valuable first
Eric MiltonP·22y·L/L
+$27.4M+$27.4M± $36M exp surplusrealized +$125.6M 4.1± 4 exp WARrealized 13.4
Prior
Composite #25.0 prospect (Baseball America #25 (1998)) → 0.75/yr
Evidence
no MLB track record — leans on pedigree
Talent
0.75/yr blended
Horizon
5.5 control yrs
Brian BuchananOF·24y·R/R
+$9.1M+$9.1M± $24M exp surplusrealized −$3.2M 2.7± 3 exp WARrealized -0.2
Prior
#24 overall draft pick → 0.50/yr
Evidence
no MLB track record — leans on pedigree
Talent
0.50/yr blended
Horizon
5.5 control yrs
Cristian GuzmánSS·20y·B/R
+$1.8M+$1.8M± $24M exp surplusrealized +$4.0M 1.2± 3 exp WARrealized 4.8
Prior
no pedigree — league baseline → 0.21/yr
Evidence
no MLB track record — leans on pedigree
Talent
0.21/yr blended
Horizon
5.5 control yrs
Danny MotaP·22y·R/R
+$1.8M+$1.8M± $24M exp surplusrealized −$0.8M 1.2± 3 exp WARrealized -0.0
Prior
no pedigree — league baseline → 0.21/yr
Evidence
no MLB track record — leans on pedigree
Talent
0.21/yr blended
Horizon
5.5 control yrs
NYYNYY Bob Watson net −$159.2M net -11.0
received +$18.4M+$18.4M ± $22M expected surplus · −$33.6M realized received 6.5 ± 3 expected · 7.0 realized WAR
Playoff odds: this deal moved NYY's 1998 odds 97% → 98% (+0.9 pts) — how trade timing is graded ↗
receives — most valuable first
Chuck Knoblauch2B·29y·R/R
+$18.4M+$18.4M± $22M exp surplusrealized −$33.6M 6.5± 3 exp WARrealized 7.0
Prior
league baseline (track record outweighs draft pedigree) → 0.23/yr
Evidence
recent form 6.3/yr over 2.6 seasons
Talent
4.36/yr blended
Horizon
1.5 control yr

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.