The Winner's Guide to Fantasy Baseball

Trading with unique owner types      

            Most of the battle of trading, of course, is persuading another owner that a particular deal is right for them.  Owners come in all shapes and sizes, and each with their own set of peculiarities.  Consummating a deal often takes much more than just a fair proposal when dealing with various human personalities.  Some classes of owners present particular challenges -- here’s how you should deal with these unique classes of potential trading partners:

The Rookie

            The Rookie is often insecure with his knowledge of the game and often fears that potential trading partners are trying to rip him off.  In most leagues, a few owners will make ridiculous trade proposals to The Rookie within the first weeks to take advantage of his naiveté.  This may make him paranoid that every owner is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

            Dealing with the rookie may take some time.  Do not insult him with your first trade proposal because he may tune you out for good.  When you’re offering him a trade, take the time to explain how your offer meets his needs and why it’s fair, and be patient if he doesn’t bite the first few times.  Once he’s been in the league and learned what constitutes a fair deal, he’ll be more likely to deal with you than with the guys who took advantage of him.

The Snake-Oil Salesman

            There are owners in most leagues who rarely offer a fair trade.  The Snake-Oil Salesman is often not a bad guy, but is a hyper-competitive person with an obsession for winning.    In his quest for the path of least-resistance, he makes one trade offer after another to weaker owners, who eventually fall prey to his persistent pestering.  The best way to deal with the Snake-Oil Salesman is to counteroffer his ridiculously-absurd proposals with an equally-insane one of your own.  That shows him he’s wasting his time with you until he can come up with a reasonable offer.

            There is a point in time when you’ll probably have to strike a deal out of necessity with a Snake-Oil Salesman.  But no matter how desperate you become, never strike a lopsided deal with him.  He’s eventually going to alienate the fellow owners in your league, and once he’s exhausted all his other options, he may come back to you with a fair offer.  In some cases, he even may panic and offer a deal that’s very much in your favor.  Do not allow yourself to be trampled by him, and you may eventually gain a quality trading partner.

Mr. Status Quo

            Some owners just don’t like to deal.  My brother Jon, owner of the Lee Press-On Nails, is this way -- he always feels that he’s drafted a good team and sees no reason to make anything more than minimal roster moves.  This has worked for him in most years but I think Jon is largely the exception to the rule.  Have patience with Mr. Status Quo and don’t expect your conversations to be very productive.  Unless he needs to deal out of absolute necessity, it’s generally a waste of your time to deal with him. 

Navin R. Johnson

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