The Reds traded for KGJ based on past performance. I hope they always make that trade. What happened after, happened.
In the Rolen trade, we knew his best days were long past. We knew he'd likely never play 100 games in a season, and did so just once. I'm not sure the benefit was worth the cost in terms of his production. Who is to say that Votto wouldn't have morphed into the player he is without Rolen? Or Phillips for that matter. The only thing about this trade that cannot be quantified is the intangibles. From a production standpoint, EE alone has outproduced Rolen and it isn't all that close.