Trading: General Tips (Part Two)
This is article three in a seven-part series on fantasy trading. To read the introduction, click here. To read Part One of the General Tips article, click here.
5. Alter Your Plan
Are you confused yet? We left off part one by saying that you should stick to a plan, but that can only go so far. Don’t be afraid to re-evaluate your plan if talks stall. But, don’t alter your plans just to get a deal done. Make sure the trade still makes your team better. Most of the time, altering your plans is done out of necessity, not choice. If you don’t alter you plans, a deal may have no shot of getting done.
6. Don’t Be Afraid To Walk Away
It is frustrating to walk away from a deal, especially if you have been negotiating for awhile. Having a long discussion end in nothing makes owners feel bad because they spent a whole lot of time and effort and have nothing to show for it. Believe me, I know. I just walked away from two long weeks of negotiations, and it doesn’t feel good. If you can’t get a deal done, use it as fuel to get the next one done. You’ve learned something about how other owners may view the pieces you are offering, so you can apply your new found knowledge to the next deal. The key to walking away from a failed deal is the ability to not take it personally. Segue!
7. Don’t Take It Personally
These deals aren’t personal attacks…usually. Once and awhile owners will try to pick on one another if they think they can fool an owner into taking a deal easier than they can fool another. Even then, it isn’t a personal attack, but an insight into how others value your baseball acumen.
Zach is the creator and co-author of RotoGraphs' Roto Riteup series, and RotoGraphs' second-longest tenured writer. You can follow him on twitter.
I disagree with the last line of this piece. Whenever someone offers another owner a lopsided trade – it most certainly is a personal attack. You are announcing to the other owner that you think he is a moron, that he knows nothing about fantasy baseball. What could possibly be more personal in a fantasy league than that?
And after someone tells me he thinks I’m a moron, I’m really not inclined to make any type of deal with that person. So, it’s not the jumping off point for a trade – it’s a dead end to a trade.
Here’s the bigger question, and maybe this needs addressing: Can we separate Fantasy Baseball and Real Life?
Like I said, just because I may try to take advantage of you in Fantasy, doesn’t mean I think you’re an idiot when it comes to real life. After all, it’s a game, and the goal is to win. I certainly don’t condone trying to rip people off, but it happens, because people have selfish interests.
I know people who are smarter than I, yet in a Fantasy Baseball league, I’d be tempted to take them to the cleaners. I never take it as personal, because I separate Fantasy and Real Life. Maybe I’m the only one who does?
Right, but Brian, what if you were a moron? Then the other guy would look like a smart owner.