Surely, the team that traded Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen, Joe Musgrove, and José Quintana in a four-year span between 2018 and 2022 is doing well now, right?
In what is quite possibly the best example of the importance of acquiring the right prospects in trades, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ recent stretch of losing seasons, which is now up to seven in a row, is a result of the team not capitalizing on the trades of their star players that they made in an effort to bolster their current roster. Additionally, as has become an infamous part of the Pirates' organization, the team didn't spend the necessary money to support the strong pieces that they did receive in said deals.