Rosternomics
← Trade Database
December 11, 1986

OAKCHW

OAK won this trade +$0.8M surplus OAK won this trade +1.5 WAR
OAKOAK Sandy Alderson net +$0.8M net +1.5
received +$12.0M+$12.0M ± $54M expected surplus · −$4.0M realized received 3.7 ± 7 expected · 2.1 realized WAR
Playoff odds: this deal moved OAK's 1987 odds 22% → 26% (+3.4 pts) — how trade timing is graded ↗
receives — most valuable first
Gene NelsonP·26y·R/R
+$9.0M+$9.0M± $49M exp surplusrealized −$4.0M 2.4± 6 exp WARrealized 2.1
Prior
no pedigree — league baseline → 0.21/yr
Evidence
recent form 0.9/yr over 1.6 season
Talent
0.59/yr blended
Horizon
4.0 control yrs
Bruce TannerP·25y·L/R
+$3.0M+$3.0M± $22M exp surplusrealized +$0.0M 1.3± 3 exp WARrealized 0.0
Prior
no pedigree — league baseline → 0.21/yr
Evidence
recent form 0.6/yr over 0.2 season
Talent
0.26/yr blended
Horizon
5.0 control yrs
CHWCHW Ken Harrelson net −$0.8M net -1.5
received +$12.8M+$12.8M ± $51M expected surplus · −$4.8M realized received 4.2 ± 6 expected · 0.6 realized WAR
Playoff odds: this deal moved CHW's 1987 odds 13% → 11% (-2 pts) — how trade timing is graded ↗
receives — most valuable first
Donnie Hill2B·26y·B/R
+$13.1M+$13.1M± $51M exp surplusrealized −$4.8M 4.2± 6 exp WARrealized 0.6
Prior
no pedigree — league baseline → 0.21/yr
Evidence
recent form 1.9/yr over 1.3 season
Talent
1.05/yr blended
Horizon
4.0 control yrs

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.