Today is my dynasty baseball league’s trade deadline and the deals are… flying neither fast nor furious. Maybe it’ll pick up if and when people get into their cups in a bit as the afternoon develops, but a) way ahead of them and b) there are some players that aren’t going anywhere, regardless of what is offered.
I know this because I tried to trade for them. Specifically, in this league, I tried to trade for Corbin Carroll (top-20 prospect, out for the year) and Triston Casas (top-20 prospect, best player on the U.S. Olympic team) and was told that the owners “can’t” trade them. I like the owners and they tolerate me, so I don’t mind sideways outing them, not leastwise because 22 people read my last blog post and I’m not worried about this getting out to the general public. This is just between us.
And frankly, this is semantic issue, if you hadn’t figured it out. There are plenty of players that managers will not trade, and I understand it because I’m one of the managers who have players I would not trade. (Unless it was plainly for way too much, but I’m talking normal range here.) But when I hear I “can’t” trade a player I want to pull my hair out, and that’s very hard because I get it cut at No. 2 blade level and there’s almost nothing to grip, and so I spiral. Also because it makes no sense. Still.
Fortunately for me I have come up with a stock response that happens to be both clever and 100 percent true: Only you can trade your players. Literally no one else can. Unless you are physically disabled to the point you can’t operate your phone or a mouse, and need custodial care to assist your trading someone, you are able to trade a player. If you don’t want to, that’s your right. But you sure can! So don’t tell me you can’t. Unless it’s a negotiating tactic to wring more out of me before I get my man. Then do it. Exploit me, daddy.
End of blog. Enjoy the weekend.