Trading prospects for star players is always a risk. It can pay off immediately with a championship-caliber player, but it can also deplete a team's future talent pool. The key is balancing the immediate needs with long-term development. The 1997 trade that brought Alex Rodriguez to the Texas Rangers, for instance, was high risk but didn't yield a championship, while the Houston Astros’ focus on rebuilding through prospects, leading to their 2017 title, proved the value of patience.