For many folks out there the two most important aspects of a fantasy sports campaign are the draft and working the trade market. The majority of this Guide speaks to how to handle player evaluation and the draft. This article deals with the other piece -- the trade market. Here are some simple, perhaps even basic, ways to handle the Art of the Deal.
You can win without trading.
Some folks feel like if they aren’t doing something, they aren’t doing anything. This is patently false. You can roster a good team on Draft Day, be diligent with the way you use the waiver wire and win your league. I swear you can. You don’t have to deal to be doing something positive. Often times folks seem to be spinning their wheels and make deals just for the sake of doing something. Don’t be that guy/gal. If you make a trade, make it for the right reason, not because you haven’t made one in three weeks.
Remember the draft room.
Did you grab a guy only to hear Frank say, “Man, I totally had my site set on that guy”? Always remember who was high on whom on Draft Day. Maybe you can exploit that in a trade.
Don’t be afraid to deal your star players if the deal is right.
We all want to do the buy low/sell high thing. Regardless of which side of the deal you are on, the goals are the same for both sides. Therefore, you need to be cognizant of the fact that it’s not as easy as you might think to merely turn a “C+” player into a “B+” player. Realize that you might have to deal a star to get another star. You might also want to visit doing a deal where you sent out an “A” level player and get back two solid “B” style players. If the trade works, it works.
Any player can be dealt if the return is right.
Understand everyone evaluates players differently.
I would argue most folks value players completely incorrectly (this doesn’t speak to you, of course, because you have the advantage of having the Fantasy Alarm Draft Guide which helps you to understand the correct way to break down players). An example to illustrate how differences of opinions matter, a great deal follows.
Let’s say I own Christian Yelich and, to me, he is a top-10 outfielder. Maybe you think he’s top-20. Maybe someone else thinks he’s top-30. How am I going to deal Yelich to you if you’re paying me a top-20 price? How the hell could I work out a deal with the other fella who is only willing to pay for a top-30 outfielder? Truth is, it ain’t gonna happen under this scenario; not unless one person in the process completely changes how the value Yelich.
Understand that it never hurts to check on the availability/price-tag of any player because you never know what the current owner thinks/feels about him. Also, understand that there may not be a deal to be had as well. Some players cannot reasonably be added in a deal and that’s just how it is.
Determine what you need.
Do you need speed or power? Strikeouts or saves? You have to determine what you need which is something many folks seem to forget since their only goal is to “win” the trade, regardless of whether or not they are receiving what they need.
If you’re in a points league, it’s fine to pile up “similar” players because you’re interested in points, not categories. However, if you’re in a roto league, you need to rack up numbers in categories. Let’s say you’re in a 12-team league that plays the 5x5 categories. It does you no good to win the homer category by 23 homers since you still get the same 12 points you would if you won the category by two. Make sense? In this scenario you don’t need to make a trade for Khris Davis, do you? Not really. You would be better off adding a speedster since you’re only nine steals away from gaining four points in the steals category. Add what you need to improve in the standings.
Email offers are fine, but there might be better ways to work on a deal.
Some services are better than others when it comes to facilitating trades. Sometimes it’s simple to click on the trade tab and start firing away. At other times, providers make it difficult as all get out. We’ve all been there. At a minimum, I would suggest you try email to work through trade offers with other owners. If you can take things to the level of a Skype or phone call, hit that up (cell phones can still make calls and are not just to surf the web or send poop emojis via text). That’s a great way to work something much quicker than the day-long back and forth the other options bring.
Also, be personable. It takes all of 10 seconds to add, “hope your day is going well, Jane” or “how was your kid’s hoops game last week?” Add that personal touch, it always helps.
Find a willing partner.
Some folks hate trading for fear of being taken advantage of in a deal.
Some folks don’t like trading early in the year.
Some folks don’t like trading until mid-season.
Some folks will overpay for rookies.
It might take some doing, but it shouldn’t take too long to find someone who likes to wheel-and-deal.
Realize that a trade can be a win/win.
Both folks can “win” in a deal. You don’t have to trade-rape someone every time you agree to something. It’s ok if you get the strikeouts you need while your opponent gets the saves he/she needs. In fact, working out a trade that works well for both sides should be the goal of nearly every deal. Plus, if you offer the other person what they need, they are going to be way more likely to accept the offer you submitted. #duh
Understand that any deal has two sides, not just yours.
This seems so simple, yet experience tells me it’s not.
You own Trevor Story and Troy Tulowitzki. You don’t need a shortstop. Regardless, you check your message box and you’ve got an offer where you give up Jose Quintana to get back Francisco Lindor. Why is someone offering you a shortstop when you already have two top-10 options at the position? Because they aren’t paying any attention, that’s why.
Folks, deals have two sides – yours and the other. You need a first baseman, fine. Find the team that has a first baseman to deal. Note I didn’t say ‘find the first baseman you want.’ I wrote “find the team that has a first baseman to deal.” You might need a first sacker, but if you’re trying to get one from a team that only has one, what are the odds you can pry that player away without overpaying? You have to find the team that matches what you need. Furthermore, you have to find the team whose needs match the resources you can send out. It’s a two-way deal folks.
Be mindful that you may not “win” the deal but you might still win the deal.
This is something that not enough people seem to understand.
People are obsessed with winning everything in life, including the trade. How many times have you heard, “My guy is ranked 83rd and your guy is 119th. How do you think that makes any sense for me?” We’ve all been there. The fact is, rankings like that can be misleading. Is your 83rd-ranked player that good? Is my 119th-ranked player that bad? Regardless, a deal of players with different “rankings” can still work for both sides. Here’s how.
Let’s say No. 83 is Wil Myers and No. 119 is Billy Hamilton.
If you need power then you want Myers. If you need speed, you want Hamilton.
Does it stand to reason that you could deal Myers for Hamilton, based on need? My answer would be yes. Both teams get what they need to improve as a team in the rankings. It doesn’t matter that one team “gains” 36 rankings points, not one bit. What if Hamilton’s steals boost earns your team nine spots in the category’s standings while the HR/RBI add of Myers only brings you four points? What if, flip-side, the other club is 45 steals ahead of everyone and needs some pop?
If dealing Myers you might be “losing” the “better” player, but that doesn’t mean you didn’t win the deal if you would gain more in the standings from the speedy Hamilton. Remember that.