Trading Etiquette Tips

Jean Segura could be a real steal.

Fantasy baseball traders just don’t have manners like they used.

Trader X at Fantasy Trade 411 knows that if you aren’t part of the solution, then you are part of the problem. As a result, he shared some etiquette tips for fantasy baseball trading:

Trade deadlines are approaching in a lot of leagues, meaning that the wheeling and dealing is at an all-time high. Given that I’ve seen dozens of sketchy trade offers over the years, I thought I’d pile on with Trader X and offer a few more trade etiquette tips.

1. Don’t package your junk: Leagues everywhere have the guy that tries to package together a group of scrubs to get your best player. If a fifth outfielder, fourth starter and a closer who is in danger of losing his job were worth Mike Trout, that owner wouldn’t have to explain so hard why it’s a fair deal. No owner is going to deal Miguel Cabrera in exchange for role players and you shouldn’t expect them to. Factor in that these types of offers require dropping some existing bench players in order to process and the deal becomes even more lop-sided. Adding a spare part to a deal as a sweetener is welcome, but to offer nothing but junk is poor trade etiquette.
2. You have to feel the pain: The best way to get value is to offer value in return. If including a player in an offer doesn’t give you even a second’s pause, chances are your opponents will find it easy to decline that offer. But if including a player in an offer feels hurts you here [points to heart], then you’ve probably offered something fair.
3. It’s not about winning: Time after time on Twitter I’m asked who “wins” a particular trade. Effective trading isn’t necessarily about winning a particular deal. It’s about improving your team. If you believe that Domonic Brown or Jean Segura is going to cool off and that 10 saves from Glen Perkins will give you the roto points you need to make a run, then a Paula Abdul straight-up Brown for Perkins swap may be the right move for you.I’ll say it again, effective trading isn’t about winning a particular deal. It’s about improving your team in an effort to win a championship. Through trading you can still finish like a champ when you started like a chump, but it’s not by “winning” a trade, it’s by making strategic moves to give you the best chance of gaining roto points.
4. Throw out the numbers: I’ve seen owner after owner become fixated on the dollar value paid at an the auction. Here’s reality for you: a player is only as valuable to you as he is likely to improve your overall team performance. Nash has said this well before, so I’ll send you there.
5. Practice the Golden Rule: Trade with others as you’d have them trade with you. Why make an offer to someone else that you wouldn’t consider yourself? I am not suggesting that you make your best offer right away, but even initial offers should be respectful of the other owner’s intelligence. And you certainly shouldn’t enter negotiations looking to rip the other guy off. Would you want that done to you?

Now before you run back to your league mates accusing them of having the etiquette of Paula Deen (Oh, like I wouldn’t try to work that in!), first extend to them the benefit of the doubt. Let’s assume that most guys have good intentions, only to get a little carried away with themselves.

A good friend of mine has been been on the receiving end of what has to be a dozen complaints that his deals are lopsided or sketchy. The truth is, though, that he just loves to trade. He’s not going into it to be an a-hole, he’s just trying everything and the kitchen sink to make a deal, any deal, because he loves wheeling and dealing so much. So practice good trade etiquette yourselves and give the benefit of the doubt that others are trying the best they can as well.