The Package DealDefinition: When one owner offers a group of players for one or more players from another owner.
An owner that has multiple reserves/prospects available for trade usually employs the “Package Deal” trade. This deal may include one or more active players on the offering owner’s team. The goal of this trade is to improve performance of one or more players on both teams. At times the mix of the available reserves/prospects/free agents of any one particular owner do not meet his/her needs.
An example of a trade of this type would be;
Owner A offers an active number three starter, that he has an adequate replacement for, a reserve middle infielder that he has no need for, one or two coveted farm players and a fourth outfielder getting only pinch hitting or running opportunities but is on his active team. Owner B has an injured pitcher on his staff, an opening at mid because of an inter league trade or a move to the minors, a weak farm team and an everyday outfielder that is producing average to above average numbers on a regular basis. Owner B may even have a replacement OF on his reserve but no mid, pitching or farm prospects to pick up. In this scenario Owner A gets to upgrade his part time fourth OF with an everyday player and Owner B addresses multiple weaknesses on his team with the offered package.
Package deals are also an appropriate means of preventing charges of “Dumping” when it involves a higher caliber of player. The fact that the owner receiving the package needs multiple players to stay or become competitive, out weighs the fact that the owner offering the package is receiving one big name to help him. The receiving owner may also be interested in the salaries of the players he is getting as a way of preparing for the future. Package deals can be pretty complicated at times and the receiving owner must be aware of all the ramifications of the multiple players Deal. Your league rules concerning positional qualification requirements must be taken into consideration. Finally the owner receiving the smaller end of the package must know as much about these players as he possibly can. Getting a Sid Bream to upgrade your 1B slot three days before he goes on the DL is a fact that must be anticipated not overlooked.
Trade Commandment #2, repeat after me “THOU SHALL PACKAGE WISELY!”
Dirty Deal
Definition: When one owner makes a trade involving a player that has suffered a recent Injury or major disruption in their lives.
I’ve been describing different types of trades as really being an exercise in understanding human relations. The “Under Handed” deal or “Dirty Deal” done dirt cheap, is usually a one shot attempt by a desperate owner that does not have a problem with knowingly dealing an Injured/suspended/traded player to an owner that has no knowledge of it. It is the worst possible way to try to maintain some sense of respect from the fellow owners in the league. If an owner even does this one time, odds are he won’t be in the league much longer. He will be shunned by the other owners to the point where he is on his own. No situation is worth a move of this type. Still there are owners out there that do it. The key to avoiding this type of trade is the building of trust between owners. This trust becomes a sacred bond of understanding between owners. The understanding includes the dictate of trading commandment #3, repeat after me, “THOU SHALL NOT DO THE DIRTY DEAL!”
Unfortunately the perception of the “Under Handed” or “Dirty Deal” by fellow owners even if unintentional, can be very damaging to even an honorable owner. Let’s say the day after you get John Rocker in a trade he opens mouth and inserts foot. (This actually happened to me and of course I’m the one that got Rocker). In this case no one could have anticipated what was to occur. It was a random act of stupid and no one would for a second assume that a Dirty Deal had been done dirt-cheap. Conversely let’s say you are one of the few owners in the league that is computer literate enough to cruise the electronic media on a regular basis. You propose a trade, the other owner accepts it and the next morning the guy you trade away hits the DL. In this case questions may arise. I have found that the very best way to avoid even this unintentional perception is to offer a trade back policy. Lets say you offer the receiving owner a player warranty if he’s hurt, traded etc… the deal is undone, backed out, reversed or whatever you would like to call it. I have a standard policy that this applies to all trades I make. When the other owners see your willingness to do this, it again strengthens the bond of trust that must be maintained between owners. An honorable owner, that would offer this, would be someone every other owner knows can and will be trusted to not do them wrong. End result, you get to make more and better trades!
The Throw away Trade
Definition: When an owner makes a trade just to get rid of someone.
Similar to the “Thank You very much Trade” this type of trade can be used to get rid of a player that you do not want on your team. Perhaps to open up a roster spot for a free agent you do want or a reserve you already own. Most leagues offer the ability to waive players back into the free agent pool. There are drawbacks to the waiver option though. If for example, you’re battling it out with another owner that has an open position on his active team and you waive a guy qualified at that position, you may actually be helping out your competition by allowing them the opportunity to pick up the guy up you just waived.
The “Throw away Trade” is defensive in its very nature. If you can identify an owner that’s willing to accept the player you were planning on waiving anyway, wouldn’t it be better to trade him to a team that you are not directly competing with in a particular category, than to make him available to one your are competing with?, even if it means you get nothing of value in return and you help the team you traded with?
An additional benefit to this type of trade, that the offering owner could make clear to the receiving owner is, if it helps out the other owner at all, it should be remembered as the time you were willing to help out at no charge to them. Even though the motive for the trade may not be clear to the receiving owner, the fact that another successful trade between the owners was made again strengthens the bond of trust between them and builds bridges for future profitable trade.
The Defensive Trade
Definition: An owner makes a trade in order to improve the receiving owner to where they are taking points away from a third owner.
The trade reminds one of the saying that “The best offense is a good defense”. If you are locked in mortal battle with another owner in certain categories then your only hope is not that your players will do better than his. A study of the current standings by category may reveal that the other owner like you, is fighting multiple battles in each of the categories against all the other owners. If you can identify a third owner that is within striking distance of your direct competition, in one or more categories, you need to study your team hard. If you have a strength to deal from or are in a position that a trade away of a particular category will not cost you points, it could mean that your direct competitor may lose points and you must consider this option. It may mean you have to add a throw in or package more than one player to make it happen but as long as you can achieve taking your competition down a notch, the purpose of the Defensive Trade has been accomplished.
This trade doesn’t necessarily have to be proposed by one of the owners locked in a battle. A sharp third party owner may actually be looking for just this type of situation so that they can swoop in and pick up someone that would not normally be available to them.
Trade commandment #4, repeat after me “THOU SHALL TRADE DEFENSIVELY WHEN REQUIRED TO WIN!”
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