He asks:

How do you guys feel about owners trying to pull a fast one and dump guys right after they get hurt and when the ink announcing their imminent DL stint is still wet?

The jist of Ambrosino’s is this:  how ethical or acceptable is it for a manager to make a lopsided trade with the knowledge of inside information such as an injury that hasn’t gotten to the big news outlets yet.  In today’s world of news feeds, Twitter, smartphones etc., it’s hard not to stay up-to-date but it can happen. In those cases, is there such a thing as an unethical trade?  Or is it every man(ager) for himself?

In short, is ok for a guy to pull a fast one to help his team, bridges be damned?

I guess this issue rarely comes up in some APBA leagues and probably comes up more often in others.  Our league (the Illowa APBA League) has been together for over 35 years now but more to the point, we rarely have turnover.  We’ve had two new managers in the last ten years.  I think it’s accurate to say that our league in it as much for the social aspect as much (or more so) than the game itself.  While we all want to get the most out of our transactions, we’re not ready to swindle our buddies.

Now, that may be true in every  league.  Newer leagues, larger leagues, maybe leagues that are geographically are farther apart.  And frankly, leagues with more “win or die” dynamics.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not necessarily judging this different way of looking at the ethics of trading.  It’s not the league’s responsibility for looking out for your team.  If you lose out because the relief pitcher you got in a trade was about to go on the DL and you didn’t know about it, it’s your loss. 

But it’s not how I do business either.

Another issue to be considered, what is the role of the APBA league commissioner should a potential lopsided trade be made?  Do they have the power to veto trade if they deem it not in the best interests of the league?  Perhaps one good reason??  A newbie manager in the league who’s getting his feet wet. 

Finally, a quick anecdote: 

In the IAL, we’ve never had an incident of swindling that I know of but it’s come close.  One manager traded Jim Edmonds to another just before our season was going to start.  This was a blockbuster deal so you know it was back when Diamond Jim was GOOD.  After our our day was done, we went down to the hotel bar to down a few and watch sports on TV bar.  That was ESPN News told us that Edmonds had just been injured. 

BUT.. the trading manager had no idea of Edmonds’ injury and if I recall correctly, he recovered enoguh to give his new manager a few good years at the plate. 

Still a good story…

I’d love to hear your comments. 

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I just sent this email out to league members. 

I have the following available for a draft pick:

Mike Cameron
Scott Podsednik
Jonny Gomes (I hate to do this, I love the guy)

also Joe Crede

talk to me.. best deals in town!!

Is this a sign of desperation?

… I didn’t think so.

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Some managers make more trades more than others.  I’ve heard some say they prefer to draft their talent; others say they don’t trust themselves and prefer to trade.  So for those in APBA leagues, here are 10 tips to help in the process of trading with other managers.

1.  Know your strengths and weaknesses. 

Before the off-season, before you even think of making trade offers or consider anyone else’s offer, take stock of your APBA league team.  Get a good sense of your team’s strengths and be honest about your weaknesses.  If you’re serious, a depth chart would be nice. 

If your league imposes player limits, then definitely fill out a spreadsheet with your team’s limits so you know what you need to cover positions.  This is a must.  You don’t want to be scrambling post-draft trying to fill positions via trades.  When you are in a position of weakness, other managers know it.

2.  Understand your goal

Some teams are rebuilding.  Others are “going for it”, thinking they have what it takes to make the playoffs, championship, whatever their particular league structure allows. 

With each goal comes a totally different strategy of approaching your team drafting and trading.  That bum B starter isn’t going to be much worth to you if you’re rebuilding and next year, he’ll be a DW.  Consider trading him for high pick.  What about that position player that had a career year?  Same thing. 

And if you’re a top rung team, consider trading a player with loads of potential but little short term value to a rebuilding team for a low risk short term player (see above). 

3.  Know your opponents strengths and weaknesses

Just as important as knowing your own team is knowing the other teams in your league.  In the game of trading, it doesn’t help knowing your own team if you don’t know who you are trading for. 

At the very least, know the other teams’ weak points, strong points, areas of depth and areas of need.  If one team needs a shortstop and you have three, there might be a good match for a trade. 

4.  Make offers that help both teams

It might be tempting to contact a team manager and a say “What do you want for Nick Markakis?”.  If I got that, I might give it a thought or two but no more.  Be more specific.  Like I said in #3, learn your opponent’s team and find out what he needs.  When you come to him with a more concrete deal like “I have Nick Markakis.  Would you give me your #1 pick for him?”.  He’ll at least be more willing to come back to the table and talk.

5.  Leave room for negotiation

Despite what I said in #4, don’t give away the farm.  No one says you have to make an offer that your trading partner will accept right off the bat.  If I made a deal that a manager snapped up without thinking about it, it would certainly make me wonder if I offered too much. 

Leave some room for a little room for give and take.  Don’t be afraid to be flexible either.  If he wants that B* instead of that C* out of your pen don’t dismiss it out of hand.

6.  Don’t burn your bridges

Everyone has ideas of that one big trade that puts one over on the other guy.  But don’t go into trade discussions with that mindset.  If you get the reputation of a swindler, other managers aren’t going to want to trade with you in the future.  Be a fair trader and they’ll come back and more importantly, they’ll have a equally fair attitude toward you.

7.  Discretion is prudent

When you get into a protracted trade discussion over a blockbuster deal, keep the deal under wraps especially if the other manager requests that you do so.  Nobody likes a tell-all who replies-to-all over email.  Some managers have needs or wants that they would prefer to keep quiet. 

This is especially true when other managers confide their draft pick preferences.  For example, I wouldn’t want my buddy Brando to tell the other managers in the IAL that I’m interested in picking David Price with my first pick of the draft (oops!).

8.  Get advice

Ok I know, this goes counter to # 7.  If you’re in the middle of trade negotiations and ready to pull the trigger but just not quite sure, get a second opinion.  If there’s another manager who’s not affected by the deal and whose opinion you trust, run it by them.  Even if their opinion runs counter to your gut instinct, it’s good to get their feedback.

9.  Electronic is good, Talking is better.

In the old days, we in the IAL used to run up phone bills talking trade.  Thank goodness for email.  It makes thing a whole lot easier not to mention cheaper.  I think I even made a deal via texting last year.  That said, if it’s a complicated trade, the novel concept of TALKING doesn’t hurt either.  It removes some of the miscommunications that can occur with email. 

10.  Announce your completed trade. 

When you and your trading partner finally pull the trigger on your deal, announce it to your league.  Your commissioner will need to know, of course.  The other managers will too, if they are interested in any of the player involved in the deal.

Why not have some fun with the announcement?  Sometimes, IAL managers will format their email announcement like a press release MLB-style. 

***

These tips aren’t rocket science.  But they’re worth keeping in mind.  Sometimes I think I need to pay attention to some of them. 

If any of you have trading tips, experiences, even trading rules in your league, I’d love to hear about them.  Leave a comment and let us know.

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I believe I directed you their rankings last year.  When it comes to trading and drafting within our leagues, I find rankings helpful. and I think they do as good of a job as any.  As I said last year, these rankings are geared towards roto leagues but for the most part, we can glean some valuable info from them.

You can start with Rotoprofessor’s Who Should Be The Third Overall Pick In 2010?, an overall look at both leagues.  They are making a slightly glib assumption that Pujols and Hanley Ramirez would be going 1-2.  Personally, I’m glad have I have ONE of those players (and his initials are A.P.).

Here are the positional rankings by Rotoprofessor:

• Catchers
• First Baseman
• Second Baseman
• Third Baseman
• Shortstops
• Outfielders
• Starting Pitchers
• Closers

I chose Geovany Soto with the very first pick in our league’s rookie draft last year with the hope that he would solve our longstanding woes behind the plate.  Unfortunately, he let me down in 2009.  I’m glad I had a backup in Jason Varitek such that he is. 

I’m heartened to read in Rotoprofessor’s catcher rankings that despite his sub-par 2009, they haven’t quite given up on him yet.  They rank him #9 but don’t write him off either.

Despite his 2009 struggles, Geovany Soto still has to be viewed as a solid option in all formats.

Not exactly glowing words but I have hope.

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In the same vein as Teddy’s Draft Review, here is his 2009 Illowa APBA League Trade Analysis.  It’s something I started back in 90’s.  It was picked up for a few years by Rob Moore and now Teddy does it. 

There’s a saying. “Forget the sword of truth, wield the pen”.  That said, in both the Draft Review and Trade Analysis, Tedd is always sometimes willing to admit when he’s had a lapse of judgment. 

-tbz

CHAMPIONS get Felipe Lopez

UPPERDECKERS get Vernon Wells

ANALYSIS Need sometimes creates desperation, V-Dub is WAY better than F-Lo. Big advantage Upperdeckers!

GAMBLERS get Scott Rolen

BAMM-BEANOS get Juan Uribe

ANALYSIS Rolen gives the Gamblers a regular at 3B and Brooks Uribe gives the Bamm-Beanos some flexibility as a utility infielder. This was a trade to help teams with coverage, no advantage.

CHAMPIONS get Ryan Doumit, Ian Stewart, & Bobby Crosby

HITMEN get A.J. Burnett, Hiroki Kuroda, & Boof Bonser

ANALYSIS Pitching for hitting, as simple as that. Doumit fills in for the injured Victor Martinez and Burnett gives the Hitmen a solid #3 starter. Doumit for Burnett would’ve been a fair trade, advantage Hitmen.

UPPERDECKERS get Jeff Keppinger

MARAUDERS get Ken Griffey, Jr.

ANALYSIS Junior’s closer to becoming a draft choice, advantage Marauders.

BOMBERS get Adam Dunn

GAMBLERS get Troy Glaus

ANALYSIS Dunn will eventually become the starting firstbaseman for the Bombers. Glaus is an upgrade over Rolen at 3B, any way to get Uribe back for Rolen? Even Steven.

MARAUDERS get James Loney

BOMBERS get Yunel Escobar

ANALYSIS DonS must’ve convinced Papa Bunch you can never have too many shortstops. Another fair trade.

KERNELS get Robb Quinlan

HIGHLANDERS get Julian Tavarez

ANALYSIS Thinking about this swap makes my head hurt, no talent here.

MARAUDERS get Geovany Soto

HIGHLANDERS get Felix Hernandez

ANALYSIS A good young pitcher for a good young catcher, no advantage.

MARAUDERS get Evan Longoria & Ramon Hernandez

THUNDERCHICKENS get Geovany Soto & Mark Hendrickson

ANALYSIS DonS should’ve stopped here, IMHO. The Marauders need young blood at the hot corner, can’t top Longoria! Nelly gets the man he wanted, wouldn’t it have been easier just to lose more games down the stretch? Marauders get the nod in this one.

MARAUDERS get Nick Blackburn

HIGHLANDERS get Rickie Weeks

ANALYSIS A young pitcher for a young secondbaseman, talent’s still up in the air, slight advantage to Marauders.

BOMBERS get Evan Longoria & Glen Perkins

MARAUDERS get Edinson Volquez & Johnny Cueto

ANALYSIS Johnny Cueto is that much better than Glen Perkins to once again give the advantage to the Marauders, despite the fact that Longoria is clearly the best player in the trade.

BOMBERS get Mike Jacobs

THUNDERCHICKENS get Eric Hinske

ANALYSIS The Manasha Mauler fits into the T*Chix lineup as a leadoff man and Jake will be the starting firstbaseman this year in Green Rock. This deal helps both clubs.

GAMBLERS get Omar Vizquel

HITMEN get Scott Rolen

ANALYSIS Gamblers should’ve hung on to Uribe. The Hitmen should’ve kept Omar and drafted Blake DeWitt. This trade is a bad one for both teams. It’s another coverage deal.

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When I drafted Josh Barfield, Howie Kendrick had just been taken, I didn’t want to miss out on Barfield and get stuck with either Ian Kinsler or Dan Uggla.  I remember having a discussion with a writer for Baseball America, while at the Arizona Fall League.  He told me, “Kinsler’d be a utility infielder and Uggla couldn’t field well enough to handle the keystone spot in the majors”.  Then I ran into a bartender at Hi-Tops in Pittsburgh who showed me a picture of the guy she was sleeping with, passed out in her apartment, it was Dan Uggla.  So I drafted Josh, which is kind of how I ended up having to trade the now healthy outfielder Vernon Wells for the scrappy, at best, Felipe Lopez.  Did I tell you I’d traded Lance Berkman to get Wells?  Good thing we’ve got Justin Morneau at firstbase.

In fact the Chicago Champions are pretty much set every place, other than secondbase, with Morneau at 1B, SS Jimmy Rollins, ARod at third, Victor Martinez behind the plate, and an outfield of Carlos Lee, Grady Sizemore, & B.J. Upton.  Our rotation is so loaded with quality arms that we may trade a couple, Tim Lincecum, Mark Buehrle, Josh Beckett, Matt Cain, Greg Maddux, A.J. Burnett, & Brett Myers.  Burnett & Myers might be dealt along with backup catcher Miguel Olivo to the Northside Hitmen for catcher Ryan Doumit, who’ll fill in nicely for injured Martinez behind the plate, reliever Jon Rauch, and SS Edgar Renteria.  Rauch would join Matt Capps & Jose Valverde, along with a couple of rookies, in the pen.

Without any viable secondbase candidates in the rookie draft, the Champs were forced to trade for Lopez, while the Upperdeckers were more than eager to add Wells to a lineup that already features batting champs Chipper Jones & Joe Mauer, not to mention Carlos Quentin.

We are currently in first place, trying to reach the 100 win plateau for the first time in franchise history, along with our tenth championship (haven’t won in over 10 years).  These trades will not take place until after the season is over, as there is no in-season trading.

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Last year I traded Matt Kemp of the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for Nick Swisher.  Let me introduce myself, I’m Tedd Mallasch, aka Teddy Ballgame, and I’ve been managing the Chicago Champions of the Illowa APBA League, a diceball league, for nearly 35 years.  I’m also a White Sox fan, John Brandeberry, the manager of the Rising Bammbeanos, the proud new recipient of Kemp, is a Dodger fan, since the Dodger days of yesteryear when they played at the Polo Grounds in Brooklyn.  So the deal made sense as far as major league allegiance is concerned, but did it make sense APBAwise?

Brandeberry’s Rising Bammbeanos were rebuilding, so getting the younger Kemp for Swisher made sense.  But how about from a Chicago Champion perspective?  Nick brought his high onbase percentage to a Champion lineup that was ready to do some serious scoring and quickly found a home in the two slot.  Swisher is second in the league with a .413 onbase percentage and is second in the league with 84 bases on balls, through 125 games.  The Champions are currently in first place, on a 100 win pace (for the first time in team history), and hoping to win their 11th Championship (haven’t won in over ten years).  So it seems as though the trade worked pretty well for both sides, at least for this year.

With the Yankees Nick looks like he’ll be moving over to firstbase, but the Champs have Justin Morneau at first.  The outfield also looks pretty good, with Carlos Lee, B.J. Upton, & Grady Sizemore, from left to right.  Swisher will not be of much use next year, after a truly disappointing season on the Southside of Chicago, but should provide a Gene Tenace like presence off the bench.  While Matt Kemp just keeps on getting better & better.  Still if I had it to do over again I’d probably still trade for Buckeye Nick.

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