Trades in a Vacuum
One of the most popular questions I get on Twitter is something along the lines of “Was just offered player X for player Y. Should I take it?” And I always do my best to answer, but the reality is analyzing a trade without a ton of context is really tough.
Where are you in the standings? Are you building for this year or next? Who else is on your roster? Are there other offers out there? Without answers to these questions, and quite a few others, any answer I give requires an asterisk: warning – trade advice woefully short of information. But, like I said, I still try to answer, so I thought I would provide some color on how I analyze ottoneu trades when presented without context.
1) If you aren’t getting the best player or the best value, you are probably doing it wrong. In any deal you make, you are trying to do at least one of two things – you are building for now or you are building for the future. If it’s the former, you probably wan’t to make sure the best player in the deal is coming to you; if the latter, you want the best value. If you are getting neither, you probably don’t want the deal.
2) If a guy is injured, do not trade for him with the expectation that he will be back as scheduled or at full strength. In one of my leagues, someone recently traded for Ryan Madson, when other closer options were on the table. Yes, Madson is on a rehab assignment, but who knows how that will go, if he will suffer a set-back, etc. And I am not even getting into a question of whether or not he will be a closer when he finally does return. If you are trading for a player on the DL or even a player who is banged up and hasn’t played in a few days, assume things are worse than the reports suggest. Considering Jason Heyward? Don’t expect him before June. Thinking about Andrew Bailey? Factor in a DL stint. If they come back on time, all the better – you get a bonus. But if you EXPECT them to return quickly and they don’t, you have probably lost the deal already.
3)When in doubt, get the younger and cheaper players.ottoneu is a game of value as much as it is a game of production, and any time you can get younger and cheaper, you are likely making a good move. Obviously the production and talent have to figure into this, but almost any team can benefit from getting younger and cheaper. That said, do not mistake youth and low price for value. An established player at a good price with a track record of success can still be young enough and can still qualify as a great value. I was asked about a deal the other day involving Adam Jones and Dexter Fowler, and the first thing I noticed when comparing the players was their birth dates: 8/1/85 and 3/22/86. Jones established himself a couple years back, has a solid track record and seems like a veteran. Fowler seems like a guy with the promise to someday become Adam Jones (and maybe today is that some day, based on his start). But despite this disparity in perception, Jones is less than eight months older than Fowler. Trading the “older” player here to get “younger” is a waste.
Finally a couple tips if you are ask me (or any other fantasy writer) to review a trade you are considering: First, let us know your intention – trying to add power? Selling an abundance of speed? Building for next year? All of this matters. Second, let us know how this will impact your lineup (if you can). Trading Miguel Cabrera for Ryan Braun could be a great deal if you have David Wright on your bench and your fifth outfielder is barely rosterable. But if either guy would be your Util, and you are just swapping one for the other, a lot of other factors come into play.
A long-time fantasy baseball veteran and one of the creators of ottoneu, Chad Young's is the Managing Editor for RotoGraphs, and can be heard on the Keep or Kut Podcast. You can follow him on Bluesky @chadyoung.bsky.social.
I have a stacked outfield in a 12 team league, Trout, Cargo, A.Jones and Bruce. Some via trade. My pitching staff is decent but not great. A guy has Greinke and Weaver and he is in 11th place. If I trade an outfielder and a lesser pitcher, I’d have Ryan Howard in my utility spot. I sent Jones and Quintana, rejected and I sent Howard and Peavy, rejected. He countered for Cargo and Peavy, which I rejected. What would you send, if anything?
I wouldn’t trade for either Greinke or Weaver, both are question marks due to health or age this season. You sent a few fair offers and it looks like this guy doesn’t want to play ball. Don’t reach for those two pitchers.
My league is a 12 team head 2 head non-keeper. My offense is good all around except Perez at my catcher spot. Encarnacion, Kinsler, Beltre and Zobrist are my other position players.
I have to agree with James on this one. If you are trading for not one but two injured pitchers, your goal should be to buy them on the cheap. You’ve made reasonable offers (I wouldn’t have offered Cargo and Peavy, I don’t think) and he rejected them – it is time to move on.
What about trading for position of need? Would you sell for less than full value to make your team more well rounded? For instance, my pitching is well above average so I traded gio Gonzalez for Jose altuve. Not fair value in a vacuum but considering my 2b are walker and matt carpenter (who I like for his multi pos eligibility) I thought it worked out well.
Yeah, that definitely makes a difference. That is part of what I was talking about when saying that I am often evaluating trades in a vacuum – Altuve for Gio really makes much more sense when the need is high. But there is even more relevant context – being well rounded on offense doesn’t matter a ton and you can easily get by with Walker/Carpenter if the rest of your offense is stacked. It’s really hard to get down to the nitty gritty of a trade without knowing full rosters, where you are in the standings, etc.
i have hanrahan bailey and hallady on the dl with beachy in my dl slot. is harahan worth keeping and also doc?
Cliff
I’d drop Halladay yesterday. Shoulder injuries are the worst for pitchers.
Yeah, I am out on Doc for sure. Assuming you need saves, Bailey is worth holding. And I think Beachy>Doc once he gets back for sure.
When posting questions on fantasy forums like this, what’s the best way to do so? Is there a standard set of phrases to describe your league? Like, “12-team, head-to-head, no-keepers, standard 5-by-5” would be a clear and necessary preface to any question?
Thanks.
The most helpful info is:
scoring categories
basic keeper rules (and salaries if applicable)
any weird roster stuff (deep benches, extra Util, etc.)
potentially useful info on your roster (e.g., in a 4 OF league, I have Braun, Cargo, Trout, Harper, and Upton – so one is on the bench)
Number of teams I find to be less useful post-draft unless you are talking like 20 teams or something – trade values, in my mind, don’t differ a ton 12 vs 14 teams.
in a dynasty league, i trade Ryu for Kipnis. Was that an ultimate buy low sell high or my thinking too much?
not sure it was the ultimate buy-low/sell-high. Definitely think buying low on Kipnis right now makes sense. He is starting to heat up and I still expect a good year out of him. I kind of wish I had made offers on him in a couple leagues about a week ago, but I waited to long.
That said, I see no reason to think Ryu is not legit. Depending on needs, I have no problem with this deal, but I don’t think either owner will regret it. You’ll miss Ryu and he’ll miss Kipnis, but you both got value.
I’m in a a4 team standard points league and currently considering the following trade. My pitching is excellent IMO, but offense is struggling.
Give
Matt Moore
Paul Konerko
Get
Evan Longoria
Mark Reynolds
I would slot Longoria at my CI, moving Mark Trumbo to the OF and slot Reynolds at the 1B spot.
*14 team and by standard I mean the points set-up. And that’s just an assumption since this is the only one I’ve played in, but it seems fairly standard points set-up from what I’ve read.
I wouldn’t do it if your league counts -1 for hitter Ks. Reynolds will be a killer.
I like this deal. Moore is going to put up a lot of strike outs but I expect his overall line to fall off a bit (as in get worse, not get lower and better). And Konerko looks really bad so far.
The real question is who you would move to the bench. Longo vs. Kornerko is a big improvement, but the questions are: a) who’s ABs is Reynolds and b) who is taking over Moore’s innings.
Trumbo moves from CI to the OF to replace Ichiro or Chris Denorfia and Moore is replaced by matchups plays between Estrada, Millone, Tillman, Miguel Gonzalez, or Jason Marquis. Also Have Gio Gonzalez, CC, and Verlander. With Garza returning eventually.
And yes we have the -1 for K’s during ABs
I’d do this. I think you are improving overall.
I just dealt Max Scherzer for Matt Cain. The guy was obviously scared that Cain would not be back, and he loves Scherzer’s strikeouts. Did I just trade away one of the best K guys for a pitcher on the decline? Or did I just steal Matt Cain for a 7th round pick?
You picked Scherzer with a 7th round pick is more impressive than trading him straight up for Matt Cain. I think Cain will bounce back.
Good trade for you.
It’s an interesting deal. in a standard 5×5, I’d expect Cain to put up a better ERA and WHIP, and Scherzer should put up great Ks, and I think he will end up with more wins (although I expect it will be close). You are taking on a bit of risk in exchange for a better track record, but with some batted ball luck, Scherzer has a very high ceiling. All in all, I think the trade is okay for you and should make your team better. But if you need K’s, that could hurt.
14 team keeper, the best catcher on the wire is ryan doumit and I have Jesus Montero. Hitting categories are R, HR, RBI, SB, AVG, and OPS. I’m thinking of offering Jesus + Kyle Seager for Kipnis and McCann. 2B is so shallow that I’d even replace Seager with Alex Gordon if he wants. Any thoughts? I do need another 2B/SS so Kipnis also fills a need
How many keepers? Unless you can keep your whole team, Montero has very little value right now — he’s not looking like a top-100 player now or in the future. I can’t see the other guy making that trade.
I’m very deep in the outfield so I am getting Kipnis and McCann one way or another. We have 5 OF spots in our league and he has 2 holes every day because of injuries and stashing a prospect in one of the OF spot.
3 keepers.
Why on earth would the other owner do Seager+Montero? He is taking a down-grade at catcher and in exchange for that he gives up stolen bases and moves from a very good 2B to a 3B who will put up similar numbers at a deeper position? ZiPS Rest of Season projections for Seager and Kipnis:
Seager: 62 R, 60 RBI, 12 HR, 8 SB, .268 avg, .733 OPS
Kipnis: 63 R, 57 RBI, 12 HR, 16 SB, .253 avg, .723 OPS
Unless Seager qualifies at MI, this is a horrendous deal for the other owner. He should be laughing at you for offering it. And that is without considering the fact that Montero is practically worthless.
Gordon’s projected line:
74 R, 60 RBI, 14 HR, 9 SB, .273, .782
That is a real improvement, but there is no chance I am trading you Kipnis AND McCann for Gordon (and let’s be honest, that is the offer, cause Montero should be cut and replaced with a waiver wire catcher if there is one). If you can get it done, you should jump at it, but this feels like a serious overpay by the other owner to get out of OF trouble.
Seager qualifies just at 3B, lol McCann isn’t that great. It’s not a flat out steal like you’re making it out to be especially in a league with five outfielders. Also he might ask for Adam Jones, I’m not sure yet. And I already said that the best available catcher is Ryan Doumit and his .086 ISO
Thanks for the lengthy response Chad. Just wondering about Jesus Montero, any chance he turns it around? I’m looking at the numbers and I can’t figure it out. His .220 BABIP is interesting and he is also hitting less GB and hitting more flyballs compared to last year. The LD% is way down this year though compared to 2012 (24.6% vs 16.9%).
The low LD rate is really concerning and may be impacting the low BABIP, as well. I think Montero could still turn it around, but I don’t want him on my roster while I figure that out, especially if I am competing this year. If I am in full-on sell mode, I might take Montero as a throw-in to wait and see, but I don’t see running him out there as my starting C if I want to win a league.
McCann isn’t that great, but I’d much rather have him than Montero. If nothing else, his R and RBI numbers should be helped mightily by the Atlanta lineup, compared to Seattle’s.
Great article! In my H2H 5×5 each cat redraft league and am thinking about punting average. I do fine on R’s and SB’s. HR and RBI are current weakness. I have noticed there are many guys on WW who have either have HR/RB or SB/R. Is punting average a good strategy? If so, do you think a trade of my Mauer, Lee, Melky, Rios for his Napoli, Scherzer, Stanton, Bruce is fair or insulting? I could substitute Kershaw for Lee. Would that then be an over pay?
Serious underpay. You’re basically telling him, “give me all your power guys, and I’ll give you back a catcher from a bad offense who’s all batting average, a pitcher with a similar-to-worse strikeout rate for a worse offensive team so that you drop in wins, a borderline unplayable outfielder who’s hitting .260 with no power just like he was before his unexpected burst of power and subsequent PED bust, and one balanced worthwhile guy in Alexi Rios who’s not going to lead at any one category. For that, give me the expected top power hitting catcher from a dynamic offense and good park; a top 5 K pitcher backed by a strong offense; and 2 of the 5 or so legitimate threats for 40 HRs”. You’re offering him nothing with high ceiling, and taking nothing but ceiling guys in return. You gotta bring the expectations of your own guys down, or give more back.
I think Nevin is spot on. I would try something much smaller – like buying low on Bruce or Stanton.
Thanks for the comments. Does Kershaw instead of Lee make it fair?
Still lopsided but not as bad. You are just getting the better of every offensive pairing, I think. I’d rather have Napoli than Mauer, I’d rather have Stanton than Rios, I’d rather have Bruce than Melky. So are all those downgrades worth Kershaw? for me, no. But it’s better.
But how do they breathe?!?
In an Ottoneu league. Have David Wright at $33, and Nolan Arenado at $6. I am in 3rd place and will contend this year, but also want to build for the future. Deal Wright or keep Wright? I have no true weaknesses on my team, besides maybe my pitching staff (Gallardo, Latos, Fister, Miley, Jackson, Grimm, Tillman, Cueto).
Who are you playing at Util? Seems to me that you can use both of them for now and then make a move later in the season if you really need something. I wouldn’t trade Wright for future pieces at the expense of this year, though. I’d be more apt to find a team that needs a 3B and can give you a 2013 OF or SP or MI upgrade for Wright.
Thanks for the response, Chad. Before Arenado was called up I was using a mix of my bench in the UTIL spot, basically whoever had the best matchup/splits from: Melky Cabrera, Vernon Wells, Travis Hafner, Leonys Martin, and Vernon Wells.
Yeah, I may deal Wright + a SP for a better SP.
whenever i read trade q’s i always want to know “who would you be able to drop/pick up from waivers if you didn’t make this trade?” it’s one thing to say i need 2b help and salary room and want to trade Andrus at $17 for Kipnis at $11, but if i could drop Keppinger at $4 for Raburn off waivers, maybe that’s the better deal.
What info would fantasy experts prefer to have to make better trade recommendations– info that would fit neatly in a tweet, for instance.
tweets are hard cause they are so short. In a tweet, I only really expect “12 team, 3 keeper, no salary, my J Upton for their Kershaw. My OF is deep but my pitching is really weak” since you can’t really fit much more. Just know that the analysis of a tweet can only be as detailed as a tweet…
With more space, size of league helps understand what is likely available on the wire. Keeper rules, scoring categories, etc. all matter too. More context is better.
Got offered Salvador Perez for Patrick Corbin. I need a catcher and am very deep with pitching. Do you think its good to sell high on Corbin since he is on my bench anyway?
I like both of those guys, but Perez’s early struggles have me very worried. I have benched him in one league for Donaldson and in another league (with shallow benches) I am trying to decide if I have to cut bait. It’s a matchup league so I am leaning towards waiting out this slump if I can maintain a playoff spot, but it’s a tough call.
If you are not using Corbin, you should shop him. If you can’t get a better return, I have no problem buying low on Perez, but I wonder if you might be able to do a bit better.
Been offered Shields/Rivera for Craig/Beachy. My SP is so terrible that I felt the need to start Capuano last night. I also only have one no-doubt closer at the moment with Chapman since Frieri could lose the 9th in the near future. Based on Beachy and Rule #2, I’m assuming you’d accept?
I think it depends a) who would replace Craig, b) how good your offense is, and c) how important closers are. If you have room for 3+ RP and need to get saves (and holds don’t matter), this could be a good deal for you, if your offense can take the hit. I’d rather have 5 months of Shields than 4 months of Beachy, especially considering the sometimes slow starts guys have coming off surgery – building up velocity and regaining control can be a process.
It’s a 16-Team H2H, 25 man rosters + 4 DL. Craig is currently one of three OF in my everyday lineup. Votto is 1B. Would be a big hit on OF for the time being w/ Ross, Swisher, DeJesus and Werth remaining – but I am stashing both Taveras/Myers. And I find that OF is always the easiest thing to replace in this league – players like Jay, Rasmus, etc. currently available in FA. You can start 4 RP each day, Holds are a category. Current RP are Smyly, Chapman, Frieri, K. Jansen, Doolittle w/ Fujikawa on DL. Holds are strong but Saves could be real weak real quick if Madson returns. Right now my top pitcher is Samardzija followed by Slowey and then a horrid trio of CJ Wilson, Felix Doubront and Edwin Jackson. There are no better SP to pick up.
Not sure Madson is going to take the ninth all that quickly, although we will see. I think I’d do this, though. You’ll miss Craig, but Swisher is not a bad option.
Thank you! Very quick. Very helpful.
in my redraft roto league i’m currently leading in every pitching category but wins, so i had some pitching to spare. my rotation was kershaw/darvish/latos/smardzija/cahill/milone. my offense has been lagging due to an accumulation of injuries and suckitude, so i traded latos/headley (still have panda at 3b)/balfour for stanton/matt carpenter/pettitte. and then stanton immediately gets hurt. do i still win? when i made the trade it felt like i did and now a bit less so.
Was Headley your Util? Who replaced him? Assuming Stanton is back soon, you could still win, but it sounds like he is out another few weeks, right? Yeah, not looking good for you…
headley was my util, yes. carpenter is filling in until bourn comes back. since he got injured ive been hurting in stolen bases too…
In a 12-team league with limited (4 max) keepers. 6 cat (standard batting + OPS, standard pitching + QS). I’m pretty stacked at 1B (Pujols, Craig, Rizzo, Berkman, Belt in a league with one 1B and two UTIL spots) and my starting pitching is great but could use some depth to be more dominant in W/K/QS. Is it crazy to move Rizzo for Matt Moore, knowing I’ll be on the wrong side of the return to mean for both this season? Would give me a rotation of Verlander, Medlen, Brett Anderson, Moore, Shelby Miller, Minor, Fernandez, AJ Griffin, and eventually Beachy.
I don’t think it’s crazy. Seems to me that you have enough SP already, though. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t trade Rizzo (or another 1B) but is SP really your biggest need?
It’s a strange pitching league. Since there aren’t Holds and there are QS, about half the managers have punted RP to focus on the other pitching categories. It’s head to head, and I’ve been 3-2 in ERA/WHIP/Ks and 2-3 in W/QS so far. Other than RP (Rodney + Rosenthal), only glaring need is probably 3B depth behind Panda or OF (currently going with Holliday/Craig/Crawford/Werth with Taveras and Billy Hamilton stashed away).
As for OF, I wouldn’t hold my breath for Hamilton. He is not hitting in AAA and, to be honest, I have very low expectations for him. I’ve seen nothing at AA or AAA from him to suggest he will get on base enough to be a meaningful big league player. I am not a scout by any means, but that is just my take.
that said, I think your OF is ok, and if you think you need a SP, that is not a bad swap.
Yeah, definitely getting worried about Hamilton as well. Thinking his value might be highest now and could be worth dangling as trade bait.
I’m in 12 team standard 5×5 league with 5 OF and 3 Util spots. My 5 OF’s are Cargo, Ichiro, Hamilton, Reddick and Span and Util spots are Ozuma, Smoak, Duda and Hafner on the bench. Is now the time to try to trade Hamilton (sell low?) and get a Choo or Gordon or should I hold him and wait for him to get hot and then try trading him later on?
I don’t think anyone is trading you a Choo or a Gordon for Hamilton at this point. But if you can get it done, I would.
When trading prospects for prospects, do you give a premium to ETA? is quantity better than quality? For example, would you trade 2 prospects ranked in the 20’s for 1 in the teens? Also, I never know whether to trade a guy like K.Wong (closer but worse) for a guy like A. Russel (further away but better).
In valuing prospects, I always consider ETA, ceiling, and floor (and ceiling and floor include, for me, likeliness to stick at a position). In general, I prefer guys who are closer (anyone who has not faced AA/AAA hitting or pitching is a player we know far less about than a player who has). Wong for Russel? I would probably do that, but mostly because I am not a big fan of Wong.
What do you think about McClutchen for Longora? I have Headley in a utility slot and my fifth outfielder is Nick Markakis (small league). I want to add speed (sbs, runs) but obviously not sacrifice too much in the process.
I’d rather have Cutch than Longo. In this case it sounds like a straight swap (unless you have someone better than Markakis for Util), so I would do it.
12 team roto, standard categories, yahoo format. Had Arenado, Panda, and Headley in a league where there are no MI, just 2 utility spots. My catcher was Gattis with Doumit like players available on the waiver wire. Pitching mid pack. Traded Headley for McCann and Gallardo. Getting buyer’s remorse. Did I do ok or bad trade?
I’d have buyer’s remorse, too. I think the upside is really high for the guys you got back, but who knows if they will even approach it.
Dynasty points league where there is no cost to keep a player from year to year. I have McCann and Arencibia at catcher and would like to trade one for a quality arm. Whom would you keep?
I don’t see either as being a long-term solution, at this point, so I would trade whoever gets me the best return.
14 team dynasty mixed league. In a vacuum, Posey for McCann and Strasburg. Who wins that deal this year? Who wins that deal in the future?
I’ll take Strasburg and McCann for this year and next, but obviously the risk is much higher, as the value is 100% based on Strasburg’s health. Beyond next year, the health factor has too many question marks to really project.
In a mixed 12 team league, 4 Keepers, 6X6 with 5 OF spots 2UTIL spots and no bench. My OF; Trout, Cargo, CarGomez, BJ Upton, with Stanton, Eaton and Bourne (who should be activated thursday?) on the DL. Im in 6th place, need RBI help and am totally fed up with BJ Upton and Ike Davis. They’ve played their way off my squad and i want to package them for a different outfielder or MI combo. I was thinking something along the lines of Upton and Davis for Jay Bruce straight up sounds good, with Bourne and Eaton replacing Upton’s STL’s and Bruce replacing Davis’ power, but maybe something more ambitious, like a Hamilton, Gyorko package could work. Any thoughts? Thanks.
I’d shop them, but I am not sure who is buying Davis or BJ right now. Well, to be honest, I still like Ike, and I would still trade for him (in the one league where I don’t already own him) but I would not pay much for him at all. I think if you can get something even close to Bruce’s caliber, you take it.
16-team H2H standard 5×5, 5 keepers. Getting impatient with Kemp (who can’t be kept at end of season). Is it time to look around for a Choo at this point? Really worried about him. Other OF (play 2 of these) are Victorino, Gardner, Kubel, Seth Smith.
If you can get a good return for Kemp, I think that makes sense. Think his injury is really sapping his power and unless he turns it around fast, you will not get much value from him this year anyway.
I am picking up Josh Willingham; I need to drop ONE of three pitchers- Haren, Volgelsong, or McCarthy- to make the transaction. Which pitcher seems the least likely to return to their former levels? I just need a steady, Quality Start guy, not a super elite season saver (I have plenty of other pitching). Haren seems better but still not trustworthy; Voge has been terrible and so has McCarthy.
Not a huge issue (and be glad you added a legit OF bat for free!) as I think you can survive the loss of any of these three. I’d drop Vogelsong, given the choice, but I wouldn’t argue if you let one of the other two go instead.
Deep 12 team weekly H2H 5×5 categories league. My Cingrani for his Ortiz? I need hitting help, but don’t have a ton of pitching depth (strong up top, but don’t have any bench pitchers at this point).
So if you don’t have any bench pitchers, when you lose Cingrani, who are you adding in his place? I’m not making that deal if I am you. Sounds like you are not in a great position to trade an arm for a bat unless you can get an arm back in the deal. Maybe you can trade one of your aces for a big bat+a decent back of the rotation type?
Took over a team in a keeper league this year and the cupboard was left dry. I won’t contend this year and am looking to build for the future. I was offered Billy Hamilton (19th rouhd) for Howie Kendrick (16th round). My other 2B is Kipnis and, as previously stated, I’m not too worries about contending this year. Make the trade?
You would get Hamilton? Sure, why not. Kipnis>Kendrick anyway. I am not high on Hamilton, but the lotto ticket there has a huge, huge payoff.
Any thoughts on my Cingrani for his Ortiz in a deep keeper 5×5 weekly H2H league? A few points 1) Ortiz only qualifies at UTIL in my league, 2) I have strong pitching, but not much depth, and thus sometimes need help in Ks and Ws, 3) It’s unlikely I’d keep Cingrani given my other potential keepers.
Pretty sure I answered this above, right?
I’m looking to buy Ike Davis or BJ Upton low and sell Cuddyer high.
Is Cuddyer for Upton fair in a 5X5 head to head league?
What about Cuddyer for Ike Davis?
My other OF are Carlos Gonzalez, Alex Gordon, Angel Pagan, and Duda (I think he breaks out this summer)
At this point you might be able to get both of those guys for Cuddyer. For what it’s worth, I would not trade Cuddyer for either of those two right now, unless you needed Upton’s speed. I think you could do better, considering Cuddyer’s start and his home park.
I just traded Adrian Beltre and Vernon Wells for Manny Machado and Adam Jones. I also just picked Headley off waivers because someone thought Arenado would do better. My outfield used to be Alex Rios, Austin Jackson and Vernon Wells. Think I got the better end of the deal?
Even ignoring the Headley pick-up, yes, I think you did better.
18 team keeper (H2H points) 25 man roster no DL. Pitcher wins worth 10 points. Pitcher heavy emphasis. I am a second year team in the league. Started with nothing. Traded Goldschmidt, Archer, Cobb and Odorizzi for Bautista, Encarnacion, Lee and Santana. Flipped Bautista and Harrell for Shields and Harrell. I have Lee, Shields, Guthrie, Santana, Davis, Masterson, Cingrani, Cashner, Happ and Harrell. Other people in the league think I made a mistake flipping Bautista. I have a strong offense without him. Was trading Bautista a mistake? Thanks
Mcallister not Harrell was part of my Shields trade.
Forgot to add this . I am in win it now mode. 260 salary cap . I increased my salary by about 50 dollars.
All in all, you downgraded at 1B (I’d take Goldy over E5), improved your pitching (particularly in terms of having guys ready now), but your biggest add was SP depth and it does not look to me like that was your biggest need.
All in all, you moved Goldy, Cobb, Odorizi, McAllister, and Archer, for Shields, Harrell, Lee, Santana, and Encarnacion, right?
Yeah, I would have held Bautista.
I was offered Mat Latos and Taijuan Walker for David Price in a 16 team dynasty league and have pretty good pitching, C. Lee, Fister, and Cain. I accepted the deal in hopes that I gained a future ace and with Latos still being 25 he may not have hit his ceiling. Good deal for me or not?
Yes, I like that deal a lot for you.
What is Adrian Gonzalez’s trade value? I am in 10 team Mixer with 5 keepers per team. I am loaded at OF with Trout, McCuthen, Carlos Gomez, Bautista and Eaton on the DL. I also have Goldie at 1B.
I am looking to move Gonzalez for an upgrade in the IF (Rutledge, Segura, Carpenter, Gyorko and Porfar).
What can I get for Gonzalez?
I never have a good answer for this kind of question. The best answer I can give is probably a good but not great MI – probably not Tulo but a solid player. However, this is 100% dependent on finding an owner who WANTS Gonzo and who has a spare MI to deal. In a 10 teamer, I can’t imagine too many teams are struggling at 1B or OF, but MI is still thin – so you may have a hard time finding a deal.