It's a "Catch 22". The better Lidge pitches, the more fans will clamor to keep him, hoping he'll become again the dominant closer he was two years ago. The worse Lidge pitches, the lower his value sinks and the harder it will be to get anything of a fair trade for him.

So, I think, you have to trade him while he's hot *if* you think he's just going to implode again *or* you have faith he'll make it all the way back and don't trade him no matter what. Either way, Purp can end up looking like an idiot if he guesses wrong.