Post by nathanoake on Feb 10, 2014 8:44:34 GMT -5
We have all been involved in leagues where eye-rolling trades are offered and sometimes accepted. While trading can be a great thing if done with a win-win spirit in mind- it can also be one of the most controversial parts of any competitive league. I stumbled on this while reading a draft guide this week and thought it would be a great share for these leagues. They have some very good points that would likely help all of us accomplish our mission without upsetting the balance of the league....enjoy- and please comment if you have more to add. Long read- and definitely skim-able if you want. But good stuff....hope it helps.
The Art of the Deal- M. Picahn
I’ll trade you “John Buck and Vernon Wells for Andrew
McCutchen,” or “Scott Feldman and Joe Blanton for Cole
Hamels.” Just seeing these offers likely makes your blood
boil a bit. Unfortunately, we have all probably received
a ludicrous offer similar to those, at one time or another,
in our fantasy baseball playing days. As the song and
dance goes, you usually respond with some choice words
to the owner making the insulting offer, which in turn is
followed by “Well I was just letting you know I’m interested
in McCutchen.” Or, they may respond say something
like “I just wanted to open up a line of communication to
talk trades.” This may not be a newsflash to many of you,
but the only line of communication that these types of insulting
offers open up are usually profanity laced retorts.
Low ball offers usually result in an owner becoming irate
that you would actually think they were dumb enough to
fall for such an obvious attempt to bend one over a barrel.
Insulting trade offers make me think of those “Get Rid of
Cable” commercials, you know the ones where at the end
they say, “Don’t let this lead to...your grandpa getting hit
in the face with a soup can.” To help avoid this, and more
importantly help you actually get what you want, here are
some trade tips and strategies to employ this season.
Skip the Fleece Jobs
Although the possibility may exist that you could land a
star who is struggling for a couple of replacement level
players who are peaking, it is best not to send any offer
that may be insulting. Rather, instead of starting off with
a trade offer, shoot the owner an email with some small
talk to open a productive line of communications, which
will eventually lead to some trade discussions. Some leading
questions to consider, which could help you get a feel
for what type of informed owner you are dealing with include:
How did your draft go? How’s your team shaping
up? Any of your players already getting your goat? Pretty
much anything but a trade offer of a bag of turds for gold
that could result in antagonizing another owner rather
than opening a true line of communication.
Take the High Road
Although you may not be someone to make low ball offers,
you will surely get insulting offers like the ones above.
As tempting as it will be to lay into the person “who was
just trying to start trade talks,” take the high road. Skip
cursing them out and kill them with kindness, maybe even
guilt them into feeling bad for thinking you were naive
enough to accept such an obvious low ball offer. In the
end, avoiding overreacting to low ball offers will usually
be more productive.
Buy Low, But Don’t Low Ball
There is a huge difference between trying to buy low on a
player and making a ridiculous low ball offer.
If you take the time to identify the weaknesses of your
trading partner’s team, and open up a friendly line of communication,
it will become easier to justify your attempt
to buy low. Consider your offer as if you were the owner
receiving it, which should help you avoid making an insulting
offer.
Do Your Homework
As important as it is for you to know what or who you
want, it is just as important to identify what your intended
trade partner needs.
Offering the other team a catcher when they already have
two solid ones, or a closer when they have five, will not
get you anywhere. Evaluate your potential trading partners
teams as if it were your own. Figure out what you
would be looking for if it were your team. What position(s)
could use an upgrade? What categories need the most improvement?
From there you should be able to create a fair
and advantageous trade offer.
Keep Your Eyes Open
While the “Do Your Homework” strategy may not be anything
new to you, you should consider taking it a step further
starting on draft day. Draft day is arguably the best
time for you to gain information on your opponents. So
often owners will reveal valuable things about themselves
and/or their team in the chat room on draft day, which is
why I keep a notebook next to me to jot down any information
that appears in the chat room that could be useful
in future dealings. For example, knowing who Bob’s favorite
team is, who Matt missed on that he really wanted
or who had a pick or more auto-drafted for them are all
angles of opportunity that you can use to your advantage
when you are building a trade proposal.
Use your time wisely on draft day and try to pick up any
possible tells/information from opposing players that
could be used to your advantage in the future.
In the end trading, or attempting to trade can be fun, productive
an enjoyable if you take the time to interact with
your league mates. Do a little homework. Try and figure
out what
the other team needs. Look at other team’s roster
and find a fit for
your team and theirs. Avoid making low
balls offers that will annoy
others and try not to overreact
when the inevitable lowball offer comes
your way.
The Art of the Deal- M. Picahn
I’ll trade you “John Buck and Vernon Wells for Andrew
McCutchen,” or “Scott Feldman and Joe Blanton for Cole
Hamels.” Just seeing these offers likely makes your blood
boil a bit. Unfortunately, we have all probably received
a ludicrous offer similar to those, at one time or another,
in our fantasy baseball playing days. As the song and
dance goes, you usually respond with some choice words
to the owner making the insulting offer, which in turn is
followed by “Well I was just letting you know I’m interested
in McCutchen.” Or, they may respond say something
like “I just wanted to open up a line of communication to
talk trades.” This may not be a newsflash to many of you,
but the only line of communication that these types of insulting
offers open up are usually profanity laced retorts.
Low ball offers usually result in an owner becoming irate
that you would actually think they were dumb enough to
fall for such an obvious attempt to bend one over a barrel.
Insulting trade offers make me think of those “Get Rid of
Cable” commercials, you know the ones where at the end
they say, “Don’t let this lead to...your grandpa getting hit
in the face with a soup can.” To help avoid this, and more
importantly help you actually get what you want, here are
some trade tips and strategies to employ this season.
Skip the Fleece Jobs
Although the possibility may exist that you could land a
star who is struggling for a couple of replacement level
players who are peaking, it is best not to send any offer
that may be insulting. Rather, instead of starting off with
a trade offer, shoot the owner an email with some small
talk to open a productive line of communications, which
will eventually lead to some trade discussions. Some leading
questions to consider, which could help you get a feel
for what type of informed owner you are dealing with include:
How did your draft go? How’s your team shaping
up? Any of your players already getting your goat? Pretty
much anything but a trade offer of a bag of turds for gold
that could result in antagonizing another owner rather
than opening a true line of communication.
Take the High Road
Although you may not be someone to make low ball offers,
you will surely get insulting offers like the ones above.
As tempting as it will be to lay into the person “who was
just trying to start trade talks,” take the high road. Skip
cursing them out and kill them with kindness, maybe even
guilt them into feeling bad for thinking you were naive
enough to accept such an obvious low ball offer. In the
end, avoiding overreacting to low ball offers will usually
be more productive.
Buy Low, But Don’t Low Ball
There is a huge difference between trying to buy low on a
player and making a ridiculous low ball offer.
If you take the time to identify the weaknesses of your
trading partner’s team, and open up a friendly line of communication,
it will become easier to justify your attempt
to buy low. Consider your offer as if you were the owner
receiving it, which should help you avoid making an insulting
offer.
Do Your Homework
As important as it is for you to know what or who you
want, it is just as important to identify what your intended
trade partner needs.
Offering the other team a catcher when they already have
two solid ones, or a closer when they have five, will not
get you anywhere. Evaluate your potential trading partners
teams as if it were your own. Figure out what you
would be looking for if it were your team. What position(s)
could use an upgrade? What categories need the most improvement?
From there you should be able to create a fair
and advantageous trade offer.
Keep Your Eyes Open
While the “Do Your Homework” strategy may not be anything
new to you, you should consider taking it a step further
starting on draft day. Draft day is arguably the best
time for you to gain information on your opponents. So
often owners will reveal valuable things about themselves
and/or their team in the chat room on draft day, which is
why I keep a notebook next to me to jot down any information
that appears in the chat room that could be useful
in future dealings. For example, knowing who Bob’s favorite
team is, who Matt missed on that he really wanted
or who had a pick or more auto-drafted for them are all
angles of opportunity that you can use to your advantage
when you are building a trade proposal.
Use your time wisely on draft day and try to pick up any
possible tells/information from opposing players that
could be used to your advantage in the future.
In the end trading, or attempting to trade can be fun, productive
an enjoyable if you take the time to interact with
your league mates. Do a little homework. Try and figure
out what
the other team needs. Look at other team’s roster
and find a fit for
your team and theirs. Avoid making low
balls offers that will annoy
others and try not to overreact
when the inevitable lowball offer comes
your way.