Is rooting against Reds who were traded wrong?

[JFLegal]

Not even joking here. Is rooting against former Reds who were traded to other teams wrong in your opinion? I hate when the Reds lose on a trade, so I have to admit I root against dudes I used to love, just so "we" don't look like fools.

For example: I'm oddly pleased that Jesse Winker has turned into a terrible player. And I'm not sad at all that after a strong 2022 season, Geno is struggling in Seattle.

Tyler Mahle getting hurt? I'm a Richard for saying this and I know it (and all of you already knew it) ... but my first reaction was "We got CES and Spencer Steeeeer It Up for Mahle's broken arm!"

It's wrong, isn't it? Skewer me. I'm ready for it.

[camisadelgolf]

There's nothing wrong with rooting for your favorite team to win games. Ideally every team wins their trades, but the teams that win trades will win more games. However I would definitely draw a line at rooting for anyone to get injured.

[kaldaniels]

Not even joking here. Is rooting against former Reds who were traded to other teams wrong in your opinion? I hate when the Reds lose on a trade, so I have to admit I root against dudes I used to love, just so "we" don't look like fools.

For example: I'm oddly pleased that Jesse Winker has turned into a terrible player. And I'm not sad at all that after a strong 2022 season, Geno is struggling in Seattle.

Tyler Mahle getting hurt? I'm a Richard for saying this and I know it (and all of you already knew it) ... but my first reaction was "We got CES and Spencer Steeeeer It Up for Mahle's broken arm!"

It's wrong, isn't it? Skewer me. I'm ready for it.

I don’t root for it “to happen” but if it does, in retrospect I do think “whew, bullet dodged.”

As far as how players we trade perform after a deal…you are right to an extent…I want the Reds to win their trades. However I want them to win moreso because the players they got in return are good.

[Big Klu]

It seems to me that this idea of "winning trades" started with the sleazy used-car salesman mentality of Jim Bowden. He turned trading into a zero-sum game -- not only do you want to significantly improve your club, but you want to torpedo the other guy at the same time so that it stings every time he thinks about it.

Prior to Bowden, it seemed to me that the mentality behind making trades was to improve your own club. You didn't worry about what the guys you traded away did -- wish them well, and hopefully they find success, too. But they didn't really matter anymore. You focused on the guys you acquired, and how they were going to help the club.

[KronoRed]

Nobody gives out an award for winning trades so who cares, I also don't buy into the idea that "this guy started to suck for such and such team, so he would have also sucked here".

[OldFashionedRed]

Not wrong at all, IMO. Once they're gone, I couldn't care less what happens to them. Now, for the ones who stay for years and then are traded because their career is winding down, I have a soft spot for them.

[klw]

I will usually continue to root for the players to do well once they leave out of the belief that it will reflect well on the Reds as a potential trade partner- esp for hitters. For instance, I wanted for Drury to continue to hit well after leaving GABP in the hope that his success here would not be written off as small-park wonder so that in the future other Reds hitters might be more attractive as a trade component. I think that serves the Reds better in the long term than "winning" each trade. (I would hope major league scouting is more sophisticated than that and that my belief is wrong but in the end of the day GMs and scouts are human and have bias and emotions) Plus I get in the habit of rooting for these guys (or at least most of them) so of course I wanted Castillo, Gray, and Mahle to do well

Always best if both teams do well in the trade.

[fondfoat]

I tend to hope players do well. It is their livelihood after all. If a guy does well elsewhere, well good for them. Anyway things like form are not predetermined normally though certain injuries can be.

[JFLegal]

It seems to me that this idea of "winning trades" started with the sleazy used-car salesman mentality of Jim Bowden. He turned trading into a zero-sum game -- not only do you want to significantly improve your club, but you want to torpedo the other guy at the same time so that it stings every time he thinks about it.

Prior to Bowden, it seemed to me that the mentality behind making trades was to improve your own club. You didn't worry about what the guys you traded away did -- wish them well, and hopefully they find success, too. But they didn't really matter anymore. You focused on the guys you acquired, and how they were going to help the club.

But didn't Reds fans fret for years about the Frank Robinson trade?

[0-2 Count]

I don't root against them, but I do root for some to do well, while ignoring the others. For example, I will always root for Luis Castillo (unless he ends up on the Cardinals). Tyler Mahle, on the other hand, out of sight, out of mind.

[MoneyInTheBank]

Not even joking here. Is rooting against former Reds who were traded to other teams wrong in your opinion? I hate when the Reds lose on a trade, so I have to admit I root against dudes I used to love, just so "we" don't look like fools.

For example: I'm oddly pleased that Jesse Winker has turned into a terrible player. And I'm not sad at all that after a strong 2022 season, Geno is struggling in Seattle.

Tyler Mahle getting hurt? I'm a Richard for saying this and I know it (and all of you already knew it) ... but my first reaction was "We got CES and Spencer Steeeeer It Up for Mahle's broken arm!"

It's wrong, isn't it? Skewer me. I'm ready for it.

There's no right and wrong here, for me. I will say though, it sounds like you feel a little gross about it, so maybe try rooting for former Reds and see how it feels?

[Bob Sheed]

I tend to go the other way and root for former players, and even the new teams they are on.

The Mariners were Reds West to me for a while there.

[jedwards]

Idk, I'm still miss Miley, Castillo and Sonny! I am glad those traded guys got hurt on the other teams dime, not ours.

[Ron Madden]

I always root for former Reds to do well vs every team except the Reds.

[RedTeamGo!]

The Mahle trade is so strange from the Twins perspective. Mahle had multiple arm injuries the months leading up to the trade and this was public knowledge. I cannot believe they traded both Steer and CES for him.