An ottoneu Trade Deadline For the Ages

Fantasy trade deadlines have a tendency to come and go unnoticed, but I refused to let that happen in my ottoneu FanGraphs Points league. After mostly letting my team do it’s own thing this year without many roster moves, I opted to make some aggressive offers at the deadline in an attempt to shape my roster heading into the offseason period. I ended up completing three deals, each of them interesting and a little unique in their own right.

Team Sanders trades:
Mike Stanton ($35)
Stephen Drew ($22)

OKCSH2 trades:
Matt Moore ($1)
Jarrod Parker ($3)
Johnny Giavotella ($2)

Stanton is a great young player, but I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to pay for his services next year. I fear he may not hit for a high enough average to boost his point totals, so I decided to sell him and get great pieces in return. Moore is the best pitching prospect in all of baseball, so adding him on a cheap contract was a huge plus. Parker has had a down year, but he has some upside left and could use another offseason to get healthy. I’m hoping Giavotella can be a cheap MI option for me next year, but if not, it won’t be costing me much to take a chance. All in all, I hated to see Stanton go, but getting Moore back was just too tempting.

Team Sanders trades:
Mike Moustakas ($6)

Fairway Frank trades:
Cory Luebke ($3)
Brett Jackson ($1)

Trading Moose away after dealing for prospect in the previous trade may look silly, but my roster composition made Moose expandable. I already have Mark Reynolds and Brett Lawrie set up for next year, and both are locked up for more than reasonable prices. Luebke gives me more young starting pitching, and he could not be in a better situation in San Diego. Jackson was essentially a throw in I asked for because of his upside, just in case he figures out how to lower his strikeout rate and define his skills. I traded from a surplus to acquire talent in other areas, so it’s hard to argue with the results.

Team Sanders trades:
Tommy Hanson ($31)
Christopher Archer ($1)

Gin and Eschatonic trades:
Jarred Cosart ($1)
Jurickson Profar ($2)

Giving up Hanson was bittersweet, but I decided his price tag was high for a pitcher with shoulder problems, and my pitching depth allowed me to feel okay about sending him on his way. Cosart and Profar are both a couple years away, but they both have tremendous upside and should still be cheap when they are ready for their major league debuts. Had I not had the starting pitching that I do, Hanson would not have been expendable in a deal like this.

All in all, these deals may make it seem like I’m rebuilding, but that is not the case. By clearing out some big salaries and getting young players in return, I will be able to keep any player I so desire heading into next season, and I should still have some money to upgrade positions that could use another player or two. Think of these deadline deals as retooling rather than a full on rebuild.

If you so desire, my entire roster is listed below. And yes, I have a ton of starting pitching, even if you exclude my minor leagues.

Current Roster
C: Ryan Hanigan, Nick Hundley, Hank Conger, Josh Thole, Robinson Chirinos
1B: Billy Butler, Ike Davis
2B: Dan Uggla, Johnny Giavotella, Omar Infante
3B: Mark Reynolds, Brett Lawrie
SS: Starlin Castro, Jurickson Profar
OF: Nick Markakis, Drew Stubbs, Brett Gardner, Alex Gordon, Lucas Duda, Luke Scott, Brett Jackson
SP: Mat Latos, Jaime Garcia, Daniel Hudson, Shaun Marcum, Gio Gonzalez, Clay Buchholz, Cory Luebke, Jeff Niemann, Luke Hochevar, James McDonald, Alex White, Matt Moore, James Paxton, Jarrod Parker, Jarred Cosart, Kyle Drabek
RP: Joe Nathan, Jordan Walden, Aroldis Chapman, Chris Perez, J.J. Putz