Ottoneu Scrub Dumping

Last week, I wrote about ottoneu trinkets and gobbledygooks. Specifically, I wondered what you, the reader, do with them? I also hinted that I had a plan, it’s not a great plan, but “great” isn’t really on the table when we’re talking about a $3 Alex Rodriguez. We’ll talk about said plan today. First, the comments.

There were a few schools of thought from the commenters. The best advice (in my opinion) was to trade my mediocre depth for other mediocre depth at positions of need. I’ve written about third base as a problem area for my roster, which is why I traded powerful but whifftastic utility man Zach Walters for Conor Gillaspie earlier in the month.

Other advice included using these trinkets to sweeten the pot on other offers (I do), just cutting the damn players when the day comes (I may), or patiently digging deep for that one owner who likes a player more than the rest of the league (I am). All good advice.

I combined a couple user ideas in an offer for $6 Drew Smyly. The linchpin of my offer was a $3 Justin Morneau, whose role on my team had reduced to 15 game spot starter. I expect Paul Goldschmidt, Edwin Encarnacion, Steve Pearce, Jonathan Lucroy, and Adam Lind to be sufficiently sufficient first base depth. I appended $3 ARod and $2 Ben Lively to sweeten the pot. Neither had a role with my team. In return, I bump Nick Tropeano out of the starting lineup with a potential growth asset in Smyly.

As for what I’m doing to trade more of these marginal keepers, I’m attempting to sell rebuilding owners on my novel approach to, uh, rebuilding. If developing prospects is the organic method to rebuilding, I prefer the inorganic approach. Step one: acquire some full priced stars. Step two: acquire cheap upside plays to fill around the stars. Step three: trade everybody after the draft.

I fit in during step two. After my less competitive rivals acquire a top player, they’ll need low cost veterans to produce some numbers. Just because they’re rebuilding doesn’t mean they should punt the season. It’s a 12 team league, not some 30 club monster. Moreover, these Shane Victorino types tend to work out as an asset class, so long as you diversify. It doesn’t look like it today, but there’s a pretty good chance a healthy Victorino will play frequently. And if he doesn’t? Then he’s an easy cut. Perhaps you’ll pick up Tanner Roark for $1 like I did last season.

The lesson in this isn’t my specific strategy or tactics to solving this teeny-tiny problem. It’s that I’m attempting to innovate a solution outside of the normal fantasy playbook. We fantasy players can get trapped in an echo chamber, which is damned boring if I might add. My goal is to shock at least a few of you into doing something totally unexpected – and in a good way. Go  innovate a solution to your problem. And if you don’t have a problem, then innovate one for your solution.