Today, I propose that both the Cubs and Braves organizations have been conspiring together. No, not to make a trade. That is the subterfuge. What these two organizations are doing is creating value that was not previously seen in such an advantageous light.

So what do we have here? An aging veteran with an expiring deal in a career year. A struggling rookie that's not quite living up to his billing.

By pitting them against one another, their respective statistical strengths can be magnified. One is an ML-best, but thoughts of regression and of rust can hamper his value. The other has peripherals to match the elder, several cost-friendly seasons left in front of him, but he may be just a little green.

Making Randall Delgado worth Ryan Dempster, on one side of the coin, shows the belief that one organization values an untapped potential more than their proven veteran, who has shown little weakness in his 2012 campaign. Alternately, Dempster has been thought of as a piece that can provide a profound effect upon one lucky team's (and perhaps not the Braves'??) playoff chances by another crowd.

Are either pitchers really as valuable as the acquiring organization claims?? Probably not. Delgado has plenty of kinks to work out. Dempster may be on top of his game, but his window is fading fast.

So what's the end result? Well, Dempster's no Greinke or Hamels, but his stock is probably higher than it was 10 days ago, thanks to the legitimate prospect associated with this trade. Likewise, Delgado's no Beachy, but he represents a wealth of talent that is incredibly difficult to trade away for a limited time offer.

There's some dueling banjos being played, and everyone's wondering what might happen next. Whatever may come, both teams have successfully showcased their assets in such a fashion that makes them more valuable than they were prior to the trade talks. Now they'll move to strike while the iron's hot, cashing in on better prospects or better talent at a lower cost.

So who got the best of the Dempster-Delgado trade?? Both teams.

-C