I loved hating him for years. And I really wanted to root against him this year while he chased Hank's record. But instead, on draft day, I passed up on 50 other outfielders and left myself with little choice. I drafted Barry Bonds and had to root for him. I really did try. Until, that is, I did what any trade happy fantasy exec would do — I traded him.
I offered him in at least a dozen deals — no takers. So, I tried to package him with some good players, just to get him off the squad — no takers. Finally, I found a willing trading partner. I swapped Matt Cain and Barry Bonds for Jason Bay.
My team isn't playing too well so far, so at the halfway point I decided to try to acquire players like Bay that have had rough first halves. Hopefully, they can turn it around and I'll make a monumental comeback.
But back to Bonds. Now we're inching closer to him breaking the record. And I'm thrilled. Because I know I'll be able to look back on it and despise what will be an unforgettable moment in baseball history.
STILL TRADE-HAPPY
I have lived up to my name this season. I've by far been the most active trader in my league. It hasn't gotten me very far though. Mostly, I think, because I haven't played in a rotisserie style league in years. I was totally unprepared for this format and the fact is I'm getting spanked. Still, I've had fun making some deals.
I've traded Oswalt for Vlad. Kazmir for Ichiro. Peavy and Furcal for ManRam, Wang and Jared Weaver. (I picked up Jhonny Peralta off waivers to replace Furcal). I immediately dealt Manny with Youkilis for Grady Sizemore and Roger Clemens. (I desparately needed stolen bases). And probably my favorite deal was getting Miguel Cabrera for Mike Lowell and Nick Markakis.
ROSTER GRID ADDICT
I've spent far too many hours staring at my league's roster grid. I think I should change the background to a softer color so that I don't burn my retinas. I'm always looking to find a weakness on someone else's team. Once I uncover that weakness it makes it easier to make a decent trade offer.
If you make a real effort to learn the needs of your opponents, you obviously have a better shot at making a deal. So, scan rosters and check out how everyone is doing in each rotisserie category. Don't just throw out blind trade offers. You won't get very far.
DEADLINE LOOMING
The real MLB deadline is right around the corner, which probably means your fantasy league deadline is coming near as well. Check your league guidelines and make your last minute offers before it is too late.
Since the inception of the wildcard, the trade deadline has been a lot less spectacular than it used to be. So many teams are still in it, and the big spenders are no longer willing to give up young cheap players for aged expensive veterans.
This year probably won't be much different. Everyone is talking about trading for bullpen pitchers. For the most part, it seems like mostly middle relief will get dealt — hardly a position that will make a huge impact on your fantasy team.
As the deadline draws closer, listen closely for rumors of American league starting pitchers getting traded to the National league. That pitcher's value will increase the moment the deal is made — try to sneak it in before the real life deal goes down.
WHO TO TRADE FOR
Mark Teixeira: He could be traded from Texas and might be the spark a contender is looking for. He was really good down the stretch last year too.
Derek Lee: The power numbers were down in the first half and his profile is low now while serving a suspension. I think he could be huge the whole second half.
Chien-Ming Wang: I think people are starting to realize how good this guy really is. He reminds me of Kevin Brown in his prime — only he's supposedly a nice guy. He's got at least eight more wins left in him this year.
Carlos Beltran: He's been too quiet this year for such an all-around, every category, fantasy stud. He might not be completely healthy this year, but the Mets will probably make a big run and I figure him to be in the center of it.
FINALLY
I can't believe there are so many internet websites dedicated to sports trade rumors. As you can possibly imagine, I'm addicted to them too. This is my most pathetic admission in days.
