Player to be named later

[Guest iramets]

Can someone explain this to me?

I understand the concept, broadly. At least, I think I do. Team A acquires a player from Team B with the understanding that at a later date Team B will send a player whose identity hasn't been agreed on yet.

But how do they agree on that player? Do they both "understand" who it is, but don't want to reveal it because then that player will feel conflicted playing for Team A while his future is slotted for Team B? Do they agree on a pool of possible players, and are merely postponing the haggling process for later? Is it a strategic move, in which Team A, being out of the running, agrees to give a player to Team B in its pennant race, so that Team B will surrender a more valuable player than it received the use of for free for a few months? Do teams offer a sort of set-aside deal, saying, "You can have Bobo, but in November I want to choose any player except those in your starting lineup and rotation?" and Team B says "How about you can choose from the 40-man roster and we get to protect any 20 players we like?" and Team A responds "15,' and B says "18" and A says "17" and B says "Done!"?

I also don't really get the joke about Harry Chiti. If the bargain goes as I just projected, and Chiti is on the non-protected list, why would it be especially funny that the Indians decided he was the best player on that list, and took him back?

[Frayed Knot]

It can be any of the scenarios you list plus others.

- Usually it's that the team trading Smith doesn't have a specific player in mind so they get a list of several who it can be or a longer one of who it [u:5092289baf]can't be[/u:5092289baf] and get a period of time to scout and choose.

- Sometimes it's a timing deal where the trading team dealt the player so as to create room on their roster for a minor leaguer and don't really want a replacement until they can re-finagle their roster after the season

- And occasionally it's a procedural move where they agree on a player who can't be traded at that point due to being on the DL or maybe because he's still within in first year of being drafted or something along those lines.

[Gwreck]

From Neyer's Transactions Primer

Player To Be Named Later
Quite often, you'll read that a player has been traded to another team for "a player to be named later."

There are two restrictions at work here. First, the transaction must be completed within six months. And second, the player named later can't have played in the same league as the team he's being traded to. That's why the player named later is almost always a minor leaguer.

And what if the teams can't agree on who that player will be? This happens rarely, but if no names are agreed upon initially, the clubs will agree on a price to paid in lieu of a player.

Sometimes, at the time of the deal the team receiving the player will provide the other club a list of minor leaguers, and later the club will have their pick of the players on that list. This list is negotiated at the time of the trade. In recent years, the Minnesota Twins lost Enrique Wilson this way. When it came time for Cleveland to make their choice, the Twins did what they could to "hide" Wilson, but the Indians found him anyway.

Finally, sometimes "Player to be named later" is used to trade players on the Disabled List, since it can be embarrassing for a club to trade for a guy who's on the DL.