Hello, I am the newest LWOS writer; I go by the handle Captain Fantasy. I am joining the MLB section to give you my perspective on fantasy baseball. I have written at different sites, but mostly at my own blog CaptainFantasy.mlblogs.com. I have been involved in fantasy leagues for about 25 years. I am employed full time as a shift captain in the fire service. I have worked as a firefighter for 19 years. I am married to a wonderful woman that is very good at putting up with my crazy interest in fantasy sports. She cannot understand why in the dead of winter I would need to be preparing for fantasy baseball. It is not that I need to be, but that I love looking at the numbers trying to find any advantage I can. My oldest son started playing fantasy football last year and even, with maybe a little guidance from dad, won his league. As you can see I am all in on fantasy sports. If you have any fantasy questions find me on twitter @Captain_LWOS. I will try to answer any questions you have.
This year has been an interesting one so far. Now that we are one month in the “how do I fix my team mode” has started. This task of fixing weaknesses in your team can be very tricky. Trades are a great way to improve your team if done right. You will want to first decide what areas you need help in. Are you at the bottom of the league in SBs? Is your starting staff a little thin? Have you been riding a roller coaster with your closers? Or, did you not acquire enough power hitters in your draft? Whatever the problem you will want to look at the standings and see who currently has a surplus in the area you are weak in.
Fantasy Baseball Trading Tips
There is nothing worse then getting a trade proposal for a power hitter when you are in the middle of the road in HRs and with just a few more or less HRs you could add or lose points quickly. Don’t be that owner. Then take time to look at the rosters of the team you are going to propose a trade to. Make sure that your offer is not going to take away their only 3rd Baseman in return for a Catcher when they already have two. Your trade offers will turn into negotiations or even accepted trades if you do some homework.
You also want to take a look at teams to see if they have a player that is not playing for them, maybe they lost trust in them, or just have too many of one position. These are teams that may part with a player and, in their mind, not even affect their lineup. These are often times where you can benefit from an owner willing to sell low on a player he feels he does not need. Another idea is to remember the owner that got stuck with a player that they were price enforcing. He may be willing to offload him at a bargain. Finding owners willing to part with players for these reasons can be a great way to get trades done.
One of the best things to do during your auction is to remember the guys who were bidding against you on players you won. In a draft remember who was upset when you stole their target for the 8th round. This information can be very valuable when looking for a trading partner. Let’s say that you have plenty of SBs while Joe’s Pizza Boys is dead last in SBs. If you know that Joe’s Pizza Boys owner was upset that you outbid him on Billy Hamilton you are halfway to getting a trade done. All you need to do now is find out who Joe is willing to give up for Billy “speed Kills” Hamilton. It takes some effort to track this during a draft/auction, but the rewards can be great.
I hope that this information will help you when working those email lines for trades to improve your team. Just remember that you want to think long term. Your team may seem to need HRs, but be sure there is not a reason to believe that your team could improve in this area. Such as, you had Adrian Beltre on the DL (as I did in my oldest league). Do you have J.J. Hardy and Jed Gyorko on your team? They have a combined 2 HRs. I think they will turn it around and give you plenty of pop in the coming months. Make sure you have a need then go and find the right teams to make your trade offer to. Good luck trading.
If you have any trade questions give me a shout, I will do my best to help you.
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