Victory Fantasy Baseball Winning is never easy.
The pre-draft preparation is grueling, the draft itself is stressful, and working the waiver wire early in the season is a constant grind while navigating numerous injuries and positional battles.
Now that we’re halfway through the season, the draft is a distant memory, waivers have been completely cleared and you’re still in the middle of the pack and desperately looking for a statistical upside, it’s time to make a trade call.
Don’t roll your eyes at me.
Trading is one of the most exciting aspects of fantasy sports, and the people who are good at trading are usually the ones celebrating championships at the end of the year. The people who are bad at trading spend most of their time complaining that no one in their league trades or that they’re just too lazy.
The key to successful fantasy trading is not only getting what you want, but also giving the person you are trading with what they want.
Stop with this “winning the trade” nonsense. It’s ridiculous and completely counterproductive.
People spend way too much time trying to trick the other person rather than understanding the fact that both parties will be satisfied and feel like they have strengthened their team.
It starts with the first offer: don’t be that person who makes a terrible offer and then claims it was only the first step in the negotiations.
Absolutely, of course, but would you rather start negotiations six inches apart or six miles apart?
Making a bad offer will put off a potential deal partner and immediately put you on the defensive.
They see the deal, they hate it, and they immediately feel that you don’t respect their gameplay or intelligence.
If you are such a person, it is no wonder that you cannot make successful trades, because the reputation of a bad trade spreads much faster than the reputation of a good trade.
You don’t want to overcomplicate things.
Evaluate your roster, look at your holes, and figure out what you need statistically to make your team better.
You also need to see where you have a surplus: power, speed, starting pitching, saves, etc. Then look at other teams in the league to find a suitable fit.
If you’re in the top three in saves but near the bottom in home runs, look for a guy in your league who needs a closer and has a batter you can trade for.
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And remember, the target of a trade or acquisition doesn’t always have to be a big name player — sometimes a minor change deal can work best.
The Grateful Dead said, “Men pick up what other people spill.”
Fantasy trading fits that description perfectly.
Find what you have in excess and trade it. There is bound to be someone in your league who has an extra bit of something you need, so find them and see if they need what you’re spilling. That’s it, really.
Howard Bender is Fantasy AlarmFollow him on .X translator He is featured on the award-winning “Fantasy Alarm Radio Show,” which can be heard weekdays from 6-8pm on the SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Channel. Fantasy Alarm We bring you all the fantasy baseball news and advice.
