WilltheThrill
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The way I personally look at it is this:
Every system has a very small number of “can’t miss” studs with elite ceilings. These guys usually, but not always, pan out. You hold on to those guys at all costs, unless you are receiving an already established elite All-Star (like an Acuna type). The Rangers have 2 of those (Langford and Carter). That’s a future Mike Trout and outfield-playing Corey Seager.
Then you have the small step down to your “likely won’t miss” guys, players who have elite ceilings but might still be a little raw or maybe have a small red flag or two. For the Rangers, that’s Walcott (a beast, but still raw), White (hasn’t been able to take the final step yet), Leiter (worrisome results), and Porter (still a bit raw). All 4 of those guys have bona fide All-Star ceilings if everything were to go right. You try not to trade those guys as well, but you’ll listen if another team offers up a current All-Star.
Then there’s the next group down, which is comprised of guys who are almost certainly going to be Major League regulars, with some even becoming above average-borderline star players. They just have lower ceilings. That’s where guys like Acuna, Saggese, and Foscue fit. Acuna doesn’t have elite power, he chases too much, and he isn’t blazing fast. But he has the tools to be a 15 HR/20 SB middle infielder. Saggese and Foscue can both flat-out hit. Neither one has big power or a great glove, but their bats will find them a Major League role somewhere. To me, this is the tier you try to build up as much as possible and then trade from because other teams see these guys as valuable (which they are), but you will never be super upset about trading in the future. Kyle Hendricks is a great example of this tier. Do we regret trading him? Well, sure, he could have been a useful rotation piece. But he never turned into a true elite All-Star. So the loss wasn’t all that great. You can ALWAYS trade for another team’s Kyle Hendricks type guy. But you can’t easily trade for Gerrit Cole or Ronald Acuna.
TL/DR version- you need both quality (elite) from which you almost certainly don’t trade, and quantity (from which you freely trade) to run a successful farm system.
