Before diving in please consider that although each plausible trade is deemed to "make sense," it's highly unlikely any of them (or a trade similar to any them) will actually happen.
1. Cobras send Bison Connor Vermilyea in exchange for Zachary Warren, Tony Liepa and 2 future draft picks (JAL 19 & 20)
Why would this make sense: Yesterday the Cobras found out that Vermilyea has his sights set on becoming an owner or GM of a team whenever the opportunity next presents itself for him to pursuit. Naturally, the Cobras are now worried about his long-term future with the club because in a not-so-unrealistic world, whichever team gets the #1 draft pick next season could offer Vermilyea their GM job if he elected to forgo his contract with the Cobras and enter the draft... This is a REAL possibility. So, instead of risk losing him for nothing, the Cobras could cut ties now and send him to a team such as the Bison, who would almost certainly trade him for whatever the Cobras asked and probably be willing to give him GM responsibilities or an ownership share. The Cobras would most likely demand Warren and Liepa (the Bison's 2 best players) in return and probably 2 future draft picks. This would allow the Cobras to at least still be fairly competitive in JAL 19 without Vermilyea and set them up nicely to rebuild going forward.
Why it won't happen: Vermilyea and the Cobras have become too tight-knit with each other in his 3 season career so far for management to let that to be the way his tenure with the team ends. If that reason isn't good enough then there's of course also the fact that the Cobras were only 2 runs away from a championship last season and because of that would probably much rather try to get over the top this season with the current team and roll the dice on Vermilyea afterward vs scrap everything they've built now after coming that close just because they're worried about losing him. In the end, if this trade (or one like it) happens it's more likely to occur mid-season close to the trade deadline if the Cobras aren't looking like a championship contending team at that point.
2. Waves send Lane Traver to Lynx for JAL 19 & 20 draft picks
Why would this make sense: It's no secret that the Lynx intend to fill the spot that Ryan Fish has left, so why not upgrade? Aside from that, the Lynx are currently operating with little-to-no margin for error. If Morton were to miss some action in JAL 18, who would pitch to keep the defending champs afloat, Ethan Perdue? Lane Traver is a player who could provide the team with better batting then they had before and insurance at pitcher. As for the Waves, the team is currently projected to miss they playoffs again and Lane Traver's stock has never been at a higher value on the market than it is right now following what was probably the best season of his career. If they don't trade him and projections hold true, then the Waves will have wasted his trade value (assuming he doesn't have quite as good of a season in JAL 18) and still be a 3-5 win ball club anyway.
Why it won't happen: Waves owner Anthony Nusbaum believes the Waves will be better than projections indicate and will likely want to try and prove that by not making big changes to his roster. Also, Nusbaum would probably try and stretch the trade to include Ethan Perdue which would be a deal breaker for the Lynx. Although the trade might still make sense for the Lynx if Perdue was involved, it's simply unlikely that GM Matthew Morton would part ways with Perdue after having just won a championship alongside him.
3. Lawmen send Daniel Furman to Wrecking Crew for Wrecking Crew's JAL 19 draft pick
Why would this make sense: The Lawmen truly believe that at some point they're going to be able to lure Jeter Larson to the team (he has lots of friends on the Lawmen), however, the logistics of doing this anytime between now and the expiration of Jeter's contract in 3 seasons are stacked against them. The only way the Lawmen could actually get Jeter before then is if they were able to acquire the #1 pick in the draft and convince him to forgo his contract with the Rapids and declare for the draft. Currently the Wrecking Crew are projected to be the worst team in JAL 18 and get the JAL 19 #1 pick. The Wrecking Crew are planning to start Marcus Deyo as their ace next season but being that it'll be the first time Deyo has ever been an ace, the Crew could definitely use some pitching depth... And quite frankly, in the long run Furman might prove to be a better pitcher anyway (based on the talent he showed in limited innings last season as Shea Thomas' backup). In the end, the Lawmen would be losing a sub-par batter and backup pitcher for potentially the #1 pick next season, and keep in mind the they also already own the Waves pick next season too. Even if Jeter couldn't be convinced to declare for the draft, having 2 picks projected to each be in the top 5 would surely pay itself off.
Why it won't happen: Sure, the Lawmen have made plenty of trades before, but they simply refuse to trade any players. The roster is tight-knit and unlikely to be broken up via trades. The Lawmen also won the American Conference regular season with a 6-2 record last season and would probably rather not risk messing with their current chemistry and formula just yet. If JAL 18 ends up being a far less successful season for Lawmen, this trade (or one like it) would most likely become a lot more possible and justifiable in the eyes of GM Ryley Larson.
