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0 Subject: Where do all these "sources" come from?

Posted by: The Left Wings
- [51031919] Sat, Jan 19, 2008, 21:05

All these so-called "insiders" and "sources" who report rumors about trades, especially those that center around Johan Santana and Erik Bedard, where do their information come from?

Wouldn't the trade talks between the GMs be confidential? Who would be eavesdropping and leak out what they talked about?

I do understand that sometimes they intentionally leak out things to the media to put pressure on other parties in the negotiations, like they do with the Santana trade when sometimes they tell the media what packages the Red Sox, Yankees and Mets are offerring so that those teams might increase their offers. But doesn't that just mean that it's not believable that those are the final offers?

The GMs and players don't seem to have a problem with this. It seems more like a crime to me to leak out confidential information from negotiations.

I don't understand this at all.
1blue hen
      Leader
      ID: 710321114
      Sat, Jan 19, 2008, 21:47
Most of the writers and other sources actually talk to GMs and other involved people. And a lot of times they'll give them good info, and in return the writer will write good things. Imagine if you're in the Brewers' front office and you know that Chris Capuano is about to be traded. You call up some writer and tell him you'll do him a favor and give him info as long as he keeps your identity a secret. So it goes out. Then, two weeks later, you are mysteriously listed in that writer's "executives to watch" list. Everybody wins, right?

Sometimes, teams can use these to pump up a player's value. If the Twins would consider Santana for Fernando Martinez, then the Yankees only need to provide a player better than Martinez. A false rumor leads to a lopsided trade.
2The Left Wings
      ID: 51031919
      Wed, Jan 23, 2008, 00:06
What's so good to be on the "exexcutive to watch" list?
3blue hen
      ID: 16322314
      Wed, Jan 23, 2008, 10:39
Are you kidding me? If you appear on enough of those, you're almost guaranteed to have a job in a high profile spot.
4The Left Wings
      ID: 51031919
      Thu, Jan 24, 2008, 07:30
So you're saying that one of the many reasons that GMs intentionally leak out information and start rumors is that if (or when) they get fired, they get to be hired to become a high-profile writer on news journals or a high-profile commentator on TV because they were nice to other writers by giving them stories?

That doesn't seem very professional...... In fact, it almost seems like a conflict of interest to me, where they are using their power as a GM to ensure a career after their current jobs ended.

If it's the GMs' assistants who leak out information in return for future favours, then they are almost like spies. That can't be a good thing for the clubs they work for, can it?

I dunno... It seems to me that most of the times, the players involved in trade rumors are distracted by their unknown future, thus lowering their performance. By starting rumors, it might be detrimental to the teams' performance. Then again, we're in the off-season, so this probably doesn't matter as much as the trade deadline rumors.
5Khahan
      ID: 561119313
      Thu, Jan 24, 2008, 08:53
I have a feeling that the rumors which are leaked out are very carefully controlled and monitored.
6blue hen
      ID: 16322314
      Thu, Jan 24, 2008, 09:54
Show me some analysis on the stats of tradeable players...

Also, I agree with you. It IS a bad thing.
7The Left Wings
      ID: 51031919
      Tue, Jan 29, 2008, 03:36
Funny thing happens now with Adam Jones telling people ahead of time that the Erik Bedard deal is done. And now everybody is trying to hide it.

What's up with that? On one hand, you have all these rumors about who are involved in the deal, on the other hand, you have everybody in both organizations denying that anything is going to happen. So do they want us to know or not?

This media thing is not making any sense to me at all. =\
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