Tough position for Hosmer. He has every right to enforce his no-trade clause and he has to look out for his best interests.
He made his money, but he can't be in a good mental space. Three years left, they yank him for better defense, they've been trying to trade him for years, and there will be some frustration with office/teammates/fans that he wouldn't negotiate and then go to DC. Now he's there, waiting to get the call that someone on his ok-to-trade list has agreed to take him for a couple of cracked bats and salary relief. Sure, he's cashing his checks, but it's a big comedown from KC World Series hero.
This must be about as close as MLB gets to the trades in the NBA where someone is valuable only because their contract is expiring and it creates future cap space.