The posts below about the MLESS trades and the A-Rod for anyone possibilities I think points out why trade talk on this board is divided, and the ultimate problem with MLESS deals - lack of context.

Trades are never just about "talent", they are about the needs and goals for a team both short term and long term. The exact same swap of players might make sense for the two teams in one league, but for two other teams would be a disaster. Trying to judge them out of context of what a team needs, and where that team is in a cycle of success, is pointless.

How many medicore or worse teams out there have bad distribution of talent - 1200 quality PAs at one spot where they can only use 700, 0 quality at another. A trade offer that might not be perfectly even in terms of raw talent player by player could still improve that team...

My concern with the MLESS deals is that the same general paradigm of "younger players and draft picks are the goal" is assigned to all clubs. In the month I was away from my teams, there was one MLESS trade made (and my realization that upon seeing the trade I was annoyed made me realize I was still invetsed in the team) that I though was terrible.

My team traded away John Vander Wal and Doug Mirabelli for a high 2nd round rookie pick and Mark Bellhorn.

Out of context, you have an older, part time OF who might be out for the PB season after this, and a backup C both with bad numbers against LH pitching so they'd need to be platooned, for a chance at a decent young player and a guy in Bellhorn who could come back. So for a rebuilding team it might make sense.

In context, my team won 106 games last year and still had Bonds, Giles, Bagwell, Piazza, Boone, Mueller, Palmiero and Eckstein in the lineup but needed pitching and only had low picks in the draft left. Mirabelli was my only other C besides Piazza, who will miss half the season, and Vander Wal was to platoon if RF with Jason Michaels. I could have played Palmiero in LF but wanted to move him for pitching. Bellhorn will see almost no time with Boone, Mueller and Eckstein in the infield.

So basically that deal left the team needing to fill 500 PAs in RF and 200 PAs at C with a 2nd round rookie pick and Bellhorn. For a team in contention without many other picks to use or excess talent to trade. So in context, I thought it was a terrible deal. Out of context, who knows?

So its hard to know if MLESS trades are working because no matter how diligent Mike is, I think even if the talent increases the ability of the team to win may not. And that's true for any trade discussed on this board.