Trades

[evilC]

I need to ask a really naive question now:

Why are (player) trades de rigeur in some sports/leagues (the North American pro leagues, mostly) and yet are rare - plus, I presume, frowned upon - in other sports/leagues? In particular, I'm thinking of the English and European football leagues, of course

Now, I know you'll mention specific trades that have happened in English/European football, and that's fine. However, the question really is why the fundamental difference in viewpoints regarding them?

I think trades are fun, personally. There's risk involved. Sometimes clubs shoot themselves in the foot in epic fashion; other times clubs come out of trades looking like geniuses in the mid-long run.

So... why the European aversion to them?

[ursus arctos]

Trades

Very interesting question.

I think the root cause of the difference is the absence of promotion and relegation in North American leagues, but will expand on that later today.

[Incandenza]

Trades

The lack of trades in most soccer leagues is something that I think Americans find strange. Buying a player just seemed kind of bizarre to me at first.

All American leagues have drafts, so that's one thing that soccer leagues wouldn't be able to use in drafts--trading a future draft pick for a player now, which is done often.

I wonder what a transfer market in American sports would look like. I wonder just how much Cliff Lee would have gone for, for example.

[caja-dglh]

Trades

Well, he probably wouldn't have gone for anything at all Inca.

The Phillies would never have traded him out because his free-agency would have been less of an issue. In fact, he may simply have stayed and signed. Alternatively, he would almost certainly have gone to the Yankees, as the Phillies would want the most coin for him. Especially as it would be from across the league, such that he would not be competition, as such, until the World Series.