What would it take to unload a heavy contract such as Jeff Samardzija, Mark Melancon or even Brandon Belt? Will the Giants have to attach a decent prospect to get teams to bite like they did with the Cory Gearrin/Austin Jackson trade to the Rangers?
-- Mo L., Sunnyvale, Calif.
Even a lukewarm prospect tends to sweeten any deal. Every team values "controllable" assets -- that is, players who are years away from becoming eligible for free agency.
But the bigger issue you're asking about involves trading a player with a perceived "bad" contract, in which the value of the deal exceeds the player's value to the ballclub.