By Gabriel Lundeen
Cappo, League 10
We’re all chasing saves on some level. If you’re leading the league, you’re hoarding and building a surplus. If you’re down and out, you’re looking to make up ground by any means necessary. Closers are always a hot commodity, especially as the trade deadline looms over the 2008 fantasy baseball season.
How much should you pay for a few extra saves? What’s a good deal, and how much is too much in the pursuit of a single category? This deal comes out of League 8, so let’s check it out and see who got the best of the trade.
By Gabriel Lundeen
Cappo, League 10
THE BEST PLAYER IN THE DEAL
You often hear the phrase “best player in the deal” tossed around when we discuss trades, but what does that actually mean? What if you don’t get the best player in the deal? What does “best” even mean, and how do you figure out who’s the best? More »
By Gabriel Lundeen
Cappo, League 10
It’s mid-June, and your team is either flying high, gun-shy, or ready to cry. Wherever you are in the standings, it’s time to think about deals to win now, deals to win later, or deals to shake up your stagnant roster. Let’s take a look at this trade from the Fantasy Baseball Mafia Writer’s League, which went down a few weeks ago, and see which team came out ahead.
By Gabriel Lundeen
Cappo, League 10
Buying Low and Selling High: A Primer
Buying low and selling high is a basic working principle of any business, and your fantasy team is no different. We talk a lot about buying low and selling high when trading, but what does that actually mean, and how can one be more successful at it? It’s easier said than done, that’s for certain. You can think you bought low or sold high, only to have the exact opposite results.
There are a lot of factors that can determine whether you’re buying or selling, low or high. Your place in the standings, your league’s construction and tendencies, team health, team depth and needs are just a few factors to consider. Here are some words of advice to ponder when considering a “buy low” or “sell high” situation.
By Gabriel Lundeen
Cappo, League 10
Let’s face it, fantasy baseball owners are a fickle bunch. Sometimes it’s by necessity, sometimes it’s misguided, but most of the time we’re just adapting to an ever-changing landscape, trying to gain an edge in a world of volatility.
We tend to either overhype a young player and create unrealistic expectations he cannot possibly meet or completely write an established star off the moment he has a bad year.
Let’s take a look at this trade, coming out of League 4, involving three players who know what it’s like to be on the bad end of our fickle nature.
By Gabriel Lundeen
Cappo, League 10
Does Ryan Braun have you screaming “sophomore slump?” Is it possible that 2007’s Big Thing will be a 2008 dud who won’t earn his late 1st/early 2nd round value? Does Vladimir Guerrero scare you a little every time he swings out of his shoes, every time he lumbers out to right field with only a shadow of his former speed? Every trade comes with questions, so let’s go ahead and ask a few of this week’s deal which came out of League 10.
By Gabriel Lundeen
Cappo, League 10
The ‘Traderrheia Epidemic’
Fantasy baseball is all about positivity, and we always try to spread the love here at Fantasy Baseball Mafia. Today, however, I’d like to discuss a serious topic – a true medical danger to fantasy owners everywhere. I’m here to administer some tough love, as I diagnose a reader with one of the most fearsome, crippling diseases known to fantasy baseball: Traderrheia.
By Gabriel Lundeen
Cappo, League 10
What’s more valuable, an elite outfielder or an ace? In which position would a downgrade hurt you the least? This week’s trade aims to answer that question as we take a look at a recent swap that HJB, of League 28, pulled off in a non-Mafia league.
By Gabriel Lundeen
Cappo, League 10
It’s too early to make big moves, and some would argue that you shouldn’t make any trades the first month of the season. I subscribe to that philosophy to a certain degree. I’m not going to go crazy and deal Johan away for spare parts because I’m in 9th place or something, but I’ve always been a bit of a Type A personality, and I love to make moves with my team. This little trade whetted my appetite, so let’s see if I improved my team at all.
By Gabriel Lundeen
Cappo, League 10
EARLY SEASON TRADING ADVICE
Drafts are over, and the 2008 Major League Baseball season is finally underway. In some leagues, the trade offers are already starting to fly. We’re already getting early reports of deals going down in smoky Mafia back rooms across the world.
Don’t you people ever rest? The paint on the new Rays’ logo isn’t even dry! The Nationals haven’t broken in their new park yet! Rich Harden and Ben Sheets have yet to spend time at their vacation homes in DL-Ville!
Seriously, it’s never too early to think about ways to improve your team. Don’t be afraid to get started early. There’s no such thing as too early of a trade.