I just completed a trade in the FantasyPros911.com Expert League where I did the opposite of what we usually preach. I traded for a player (Jason Bartlett) at the apex of his value, and traded away a player (Vladimir Guerrero) at a low point, if not his nadir.
First, to give context, this is a 12-team AL-only league, 5x5, redraft league - no keepers involved. It's about a six-team contest right now, and the standings have turned over on a nearly daily basis:
| Name | Avg | HR | R | RBI | SB | ERA | K | S | W | WHIP | Total |
| Erickson | 12.0 | 11.5 | 10.0 | 12.0 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 3.0 | 9.0 | 4.0 | 83.5 |
| FB.com - Van Hook | 4.0 | 10.0 | 6.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 9.0 | 11.0 | 5.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 83.0 |
| McCarthy | 7.0 | 11.5 | 7.0 | 10.0 | 3.0 | 12.0 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 11.0 | 11.0 | 82.5 |
| FantasyPros911.com | 11.0 | 6.0 | 12.0 | 7.0 | 12.0 | 4.0 | 10.0 | 11.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 | 79.0 |
| Mastrodonato | 10.0 | 8.0 | 11.0 | 6.0 | 10.0 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 8.0 | 4.5 | 8.0 | 75.5 |
| Zola | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 74.0 |
| rotomaniac | 6.0 | 2.0 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 12.0 | 6.0 | 12.0 | 5.0 | 57.0 |
| Collette | 2.0 | 3.0 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 | 11.0 | 5.0 | 9.0 | 6.0 | 12.0 | 57.0 |
| Halpin | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 9.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 11.5 | 4.5 | 10.0 | 54.0 |
| Carty | 5.0 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 10.0 | 1.0 | 10.0 | 1.0 | 6.0 | 49.0 |
| Ronis | 8.0 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 4.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 8.0 | 2.0 | 10.0 | 2.0 | 45.0 |
| Stein | 3.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 40.5 |
Looking within the standings, I can realistically hope to gain about 3-4 points in SB's; saves are going to be tougher - I'm about 8 behind the next level with no full-time closer currently. So when Patrick DiCaprio approached me about trading for some of his speed, looking for power, I thought it was a pretty good fit.
I have a pretty good feeling that Bartlett will drop off from his early season torrid pace, and that Vlad will improve. But I'm not entirely concerned with "winning" the deal - but rather addressing my needs. I believe in Bartlett's SB's - he won't get 7/month, but he might get 4-5, which should do just fine. He's not going to hurt my average that much either.
Meanwhile, we can be awfully quick to declare a player done - I did as much with Gary Sheffield earlier this year. I don't think that Vlad is done, though it's worth noting that for all the hand-wringing we've done for David Ortiz, we haven't done nearly as much for Vlad. Still, I wouldn't be surprised if he hits 15 homers the rest of the way. But even if he does, I don't think that kills me - I got where I got without Vlad's production, after all. Moreover, it's ok to "lose" a trade if it still addresses what you need - and obviously, that's more accurate the later we get.