I think there are varying degrees of that theory. I would certainly never say MLB team X won’t trade with team Y, and I can’t think of any circumstances which would lead to that type of firm stance. I do think it is plausible that a front office would feel some pressure to “win the trade” if they are going to do repeat business with the team they just shipped away the league MVP to a year earlier, especially if it involves more high profile players. Maybe that thought is indeed a little out there and all of the executives now are able to robotically value players with zero consideration towards past results (not trying to be snide, this very well could be the case), but I also don’t think it shouldn’t be completely dismissed that the human element could seep into the back of their minds while evaluating offers from multiple teams. Ultimately are they most likely going to take what they deem is the best offer regardless of this history? I would assume yes. It is also probably a little premature to make any definitive conclusions regarding any of the players involved in the trade, including Yamamoto after two (very impressive) MLB starts. I genuinely hope Yamamoto continues his success, and would be perfectly fine with it being a trade which works out well for both sides over the long run.