The Commish Online www.thecommishonline.com
FANTASY FOCUS
It's Never Too Late
August 6, 2002
You may be in 7th place with less than 2 months left, but if your league awards prizes for 2nd and 3rd, you might still have a shot at some money. The time for passing up on a deal because the players' talents don't equal is gone. You have to dig a little deeper now to pull off a beneficial trade.
Time to swing for the fences...
First and foremost, honestly evaluate your squad and determine if you have a legitimate shot at getting "in the money." If you do, then stay put and don't make any silly deals out of boredom. If you have come to the realization that you are in 7th place because you have 7th place talent on your roster, then the time has come to do something about it.
Hopefully, you can find a couple categories where you can afford to lose a little talent without sacrificing too many fantasy points. What you need to do then is find the categories you can gain some points AND the categories where you can gain on the competition by having other owners pass up the leaders. For example, let's say you have a decent lead in BA and SBs but need some power for HRs and RBIs. Also, you notice that the 3rd place owner is dangerously close to dropping a few points in SBs with a couple bad weeks. Offer an owner right below the 3rd place owner in SBs some serious talent in the BA and SB categories while asking for some power in return. Make him a deal he can't refuse, and you'll see your competition drop a few points while you gain in your weaker categories, doubling the effect of the trade and sending you on your way to some payola.
Of course, it's always easier than it sounds, but at this stage, most owners are willing to deal and if you present them with a deal they think is lopsided in their favor, it will be hard to say no. Good luck and happy trading.
