If any of the young position player depth they had acquired in the past two years had any value, it would have been a pretty easy offer to top. They blew their trade chips on the likes of Drury, Fisher and McKinney and immediately after, it was clear that those guys had zero (or even negative) value.
As for the pitching prospect, how about one of the many depth starters Atkins has spent the last several years acquiring in droves? Too bad they’re all worthless as well.
This is another one of the negative side effects of being the smartest guys in the room. Nobody else is smart enough to take your players, no matter how much “intriguing depth”, “exciting versatility” or “handedness” they can offer.