Probably means it's a fair deal A more likely explanation is that it's a really bad deal but many fans are being impatient and impulsive. 50% is about the percentage of fans you'd expect to be strongly in favor of a short-sighted trade that appears on the surface to have tremendous immediate benefits. A lot more people should be in favor if it's a smart risk. A lot more than 50% of us were in favor of a Brinson-for-Yelich deal, for example, so it's not like we're just refusing to trade prospects across the board. I think that the split comes down mostly to just how good you think Archer is. A lot of people feel that Archer is an ace-in-waiting, are in love with the K's, the contract and the presumed improvement to come from getting out of the AL (all of which are good things) and the feeling that Phillips and Burnes are overrated , while the other half view him as a very good pitcher, whose "improvement" by moving out of the AL East is balanced by pitching most of his games in "hitters' parks", for whom the amount being given up should be reserved for a true ace (which that half don't believe Archer is). The thing is, there's no bridging that gap. One side, in a few years time, will look back at this and say "I told you so" but the truth is that we're not scouts - we're just fans - and our opinions are just that and nothing more. I respect the opinion of those who differ with me on whether or not this is a trade the Brewers should make, even if I disagree with them. As I frequently say - it's probably a very good thing that I'm not in the scouting business...