If it is an exercised option rather than an FA, does the no trade rule apply?
This is about David Wright. Is it accurate? I had thought that an exercised option was treated like a FA deal when it came to trades, but it may have been Linty that told me that in another thread.
Wright's contract allows him to void the 2013 team option if he is traded during the season. So Wright could be just a two-month rental if he is dealt on or before July 31.
Also, under the new collective bargaining agreement, if a team acquires a player in-season via trade and then loses him as a free agent after the year, it no longer gets draft picks as compensation. That CBA change, at least modestly, could reduce the price commanded when trading a player in-season, unless the player is willing to commit to a long-term extension and the acquiring team does not risk losing him.
If the Mets held on to Wright at the trade deadline, they could pick up his 2013 option after the World Series and then deal him next winter. In that scenario, the acquiring team would get Wright for a full season instead of two months, plus the right to offer him arbitration after the 2013 season and get draft picks if Wright walks.
