Viva Murillo!
If your league's trade deadline hasn't passed, it's coming up very soon. So if you want to pick up some talent outside that withering vine you call a waiver wire, you have to make some offers quickly. I don't mean the dance-around-and-pretend-you're-a-real-GM banter where you exchange e-mails but never actually trade. You need to look at your roster and determine whether those guys can get you a playoff berth, much less a title. If the answer is unclear, you need to start scouring rosters and determine who might be in a position to deal.
I'm not going to insult your intelligence and review how most people trade--which is usually to insult another owner's intelligence with some ridiculous offer. If you don't know how to actually get something done in your league...you're probably going to miss out. Unfortunately, every league is different-- each with its own set of quirky owners who each have their own set of quirky preferences. In some leagues, players race from team to team like shoppers on Black Friday (coming up in just a couple of weeks, folks). In others it's easier to get owners to help you move to a third-floor apartment than to part with their backup receiver. Hopefully you're in a position to at least get people to read your e-mails or take your phone calls and work something out before the deadline passes.
Assuming you can do that, you still have to decide if a potential trade actually works in your favor. On one hand, if you're struggling to make the playoffs and considering a deal...I think you should make the trade. Go ahead and pull the trigger. Don't worry about whether your friends will think you "won" or "lost" on the deal. It doesn't matter if you had to give up a little more than you wanted, or didn't nab that extra player who would have looked great on your bench. No, forget all that. I'm not telling you to make a trade that actually hurts your team, but I am telling you to do something. If your team isn't putting together enough wins (not due to facing the league's high scorer each week, but due to just plain old mediocrity) and you need a very strong finish, why would you expect that things will all of a sudden change after 10 weeks?
Of course, there's the other hand: What if not making a trade is the best move you can make? We all have stories of the trade we wanted to happen that fell through...and saved our season because we didn't get what we wanted. Suppose doing nothing is better than trading?
I guess the decision comes down to your personality. But for my money, the worst thing isn't losing and missing the playoffs. The worst thing is doing nothing while you watch your team lose and miss the playoffs. What is your job if it isn't to improve your team and give it the best chance to win? Is it to fret over roster decisions all the way until Sunday? Is it to blame an injury or bad luck for a losing streak? Is it to hope that all your players somehow start playing well and bail out your mistakes at the draft and on the waiver wire?
My advice is to make one or more reasonable trades*. I think you have to try something--anything--to jump-start your franchise while there's still time. If it doesn't work out, at least you were an active owner who tried. Win or lose, that's better than banging your head against the wall praying for extra goal-line carries or red-zone fade routes when they haven't been coming your way for a couple of months now. Good luck this week.
* Advice does not necessarily apply to keepers or dynasty leagues. Not valid when acquiring players from your favorite team just so you can watch them play in the stadium on Sundays. Advice void when trading for Lions not named Calvin Johnson. Advice-giver not responsible for lost points due to Wildcat package. Other limitations and restrictions apply. See individual league for details.
Youtube Clip of the Week: Need painfully-obvious trading advice? Here's a minute of your life you'll never get back: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP93Tzf7c5c
You can reach Michael Murillo at vivamurillo@gmail.com.
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