Ridiculous trade offers, just tick me off!
The term ridiculous can be interpretive. But, we’re all likely too familiar with an infamous few who, on more than one occasion, have offered up deals seemingly more moronic than Matt Millen’s draft board!!!
PLEASE, I’m begging you—Don’t make the mistake of offering 2 or 3 borderline fantasy players for 1 stud player! You are wasting everyone’s collective souls, and insulting their intelligence at the same time!
I understand a smart owner has every right to begin the bargaining regiment by offering up a little less than he’s actually willing to part with. FINE. I get that. But if you are going to continuously bombard manager’s inboxes with countless asinine offers right out of left field, expect them to grow tired of your extreme low-ball tactics, and eventually in many cases…word will spread that you are an insane fantasy manager to deal with! (Well, golly shucks ya sayin’ that can actually happen sometimes on that thar intranet thang?) Yes.
Worse yet, sometimes a trickle effect can occur. Whereby if your offers are insultingly bad, some abolishing alliances can form against you, risking any future consideration by other managers to make deals with you all season, and perhaps in keeper leagues, for years to come! Sound familiar? I hope for your sake it doesn’t.
Also, don’t be the #’s guy. He’s the type that feels by tossing up several zany offers to each manager in the league, by sheer volume of trade offers, someone is bound to eventually bite. He even has the gall to get mad when no one does. “I offered all sorts of trades, and no one wants to make deals in this league!” If you’re in a relatively competitive league, all managers will see crap for what it is…CRAP!
Instead, concentrate on some well thought out, and fair trade offers. In my experience, I’ve found that before I make an offer, I have some inhibitions, and will even say to myself: “I’m not certain this is fair to ME?” Chances are, you’re getting a bit closer to a potential deal if this thought crosses your mind.
One common, but great tip is to try concentrating on dealing your strengths, while catering offers to managers whose team has weaknesses in the areas/positions you own a lot of.
Another ‘Duh’ guideline is that a manager is far more likely to close a deal with you if it HELPS him! Otherwise, why the heck’s he going to make the trade? By the way, don’t toss in an extra mediocre player if it actually forces the manager you’re trading with to drop a more valuable player than the one you’re ‘tossing in’! This is a surefire way to sour a potential exchange~!
Last ‘Duh’: Usually, trades are made when a WIN-WIN situation exists, whereas both parties view the trade as advantageous to their respective teams! The fantasy sports world has changed from years ago. With the advent of numerous fantasy websites created to assist you with knowledgeable decision making, the days of the fantasy ‘chump’ have all but disappeared!
So keep that in mind, the next time you conjure up your next ‘humdinger’. My final advice: Offer trades, not insults! And leave the Screwter to me!
