I imagine nearly every league has one. That person that every other one in the league dreads dealing with because they wear their emotions on their sleeve and spouts every thought that comes into their head. Our league has one and I vowed never to trade with him again. He worships Darth Vader, is a Yankee fan and his nickname truly is Lucifer. Shudders!
Last season he approached me wanting to know what I wanted Buster Posey after he was injured. I made an offer and he said he only wanted serious offers and would be trading Posey to my main competition. While I like Posey I wasn't about to pay premium prices for possibly damaged goods even in today's age of medical wonders. It turns out the owner of the other team had a similar view and didn't trade for Posey either. Eventually I saw that the league cellar dweller made the deal.
He tried sending another deal toward the trade deadline last year and I declined. He tried to make another trade with another team and publicly berated him for not taking the offer. The season ended and I planned on carrying my team fairly intact into the next draft in our keeper league.
Last month the offers started coming again. The first email I dismissed without much thought. Then came an offer that caught my attention. He offered James Shields and Ben Zobrist in exchange for Luke Hochevar. I had traded for Hochevar at the deadline last season because he was only one dollar and not yet under contract. I knew the Dark Side wanted him for that reason plus he wanted to unload Shields and Zobrist who were only under contract through 2012. I bristled initially because of the economics and accounting involved because it would cut into my available funds for the next draft while deepening his pockets. But I couldn't over look the fact that Shields is a definite upgrade over Hochevar and Zobrist is an upgrade over my second basemen unless Jemile Weeks or Gordan Beckham really breaks out. I decided to agree to the trade while gambling that the extra $23 hit to my payroll would pay off for 2012. Little did I know that this was just a gateway trade.
Then came another offer where he tried for Julio Teheran. I also have Teheran for one dollar and he is not yet under contract. Plus I think he has a bright future coupled by his performance and a scouting report I'd seen that claimed Teheran is the best Latin pitcher since Felix Hernandez. If he approaches that then he is worth more than a few beans. I was also put off by the fact Juan Pierre was part of his package and we know I don't have a high opinion of him and his declining skills. Trade offer declined.
The next offer had him requesting Jaime Garcia in exchange for Jeff Niemann and Wilson Ramos. Garcia is not yet under contract and currently at $4. I planned on putting him until contract for the next couple seasons. Niemann is another 2012 contract he wanted to unload although Ramos is not currently under contract. Again there were other factors involved rather than just the players themselves. Normally getting two players for one is nice but I didn't want to lose the extra roster spot going into the draft plus there would be an additional hit to my budget. Wilson really intrigued me because I have a soft spot for catchers and many consider him to be one of the stars of the future. I countered that I would accept Wilson alone in exchange for Garcia and he quickly agreed. Wilson will be an upgrade over Hank Conger who I will drop so I actually picked up an open roster spot with the deal.
It wasn't long before another offer came in and I wondered if the rest of the league had boycotted the Dark Side. He offered Scott Baker and Niemann in exchange for Allen Craig and Teheran. Baker is yet another 2012 contract he wanted to unload. While I like Baker his $11 tag for 2012 weighed heavy against Craig's $5. Plus this was truly an example of deciding between the present and the future. I believe Craig has a very bright future which he gave glimpses of last season and during the playoffs. I get to see how he performs this season before deciding on putting him under contract next year. Plus we already established Teheran isn't going. I clicked decline and wondered if another would come.
Of course only four days passed when a new email came. He was pitching Niemann again and was willing to take any one of four prospects: Craig, Teheran, Lucas Duda or Brad Peacock. Four players I think have very bright futures. Although I think that batters generally carry more value than pitchers I decided that I was willing to part with Duda. It is true that Niemann does not have a spot currently in the rotation but should get plenty of chances if any of the others falter. There is also the possibility he gets traded out of Tampa. The Niemann for Duda trade was made.
Our draft is less than three weeks away. These deals have changed my original draft strategy somewhat so we'll see how it goes. Plus it will be interesting to watch what the Dark Side does with the extra funds as the draft progresses.
No comments:
Post a Comment