Few two-letter combos can be as devastating as the dreaded “DL” in fantasy baseball.
Anyone who has played the sport knows that dreams of championship sugarplums can quickly dissolve into nightmares of basement-dwelling dust bunnies thanks to a few badly timed injuries.
In one high-stakes 16-team roto league, my team is redder than Santa’s suit on Christmas Eve. Grady Sizemore, Scott Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera, Nate McLouth, Maicer Izturis, Jeremy Hermida, and Brandon Webb, among others, have given my squad more DLs than HRs or RBIs.
Too bad DL isn’t a roto category.
A slumping player has more trade value than one on the DL, and especially more so than a player on an extended DL stint, such as Asdrubal Cabrera. It doesn’t help that teams like this one are mired in last place, with less and less hope for contending as the season wears on.
Many people abandon such teams, especially as the dog days of summer turn into the dog days of fantasy baseball. People start shifting focus to fantasy football and grow tired of the 162-game MLB marathon.
But ditching a team goes against the very fiber of everything we have been told to believe in competition. It is unacceptable to give up.
So what to do?
Time to clean house. Time to shake things up, even if it seems unorthodox. It is time for some crafty trade offers and some work via the waiver wire. The following are some steps towards trying to revitalize a team that has seemingly flatlined.
1. Identify players with the best trade value. This means it is time to consider dealing a Prince Fielder or other early-round fantasy studs. Look closely at which players on your team are playing well. Those who are playing over their heads at the moment (likely not many if you are struggling to stay out of the cellar) are prime candidates for dealing.
2. Look to improve at multiple lesser positions. Trading Fielder straight up for another 1b won’t help you a ton. Dealing Fielder (who has shown signs of life lately) and some lesser players at other positions, in an attempt to improve yourself a little at several other spots, can yield quicker results.
Let’s say you have Fielder, for example. First, figure out which teams in your league have a glaring need at 1b and decent players at other positions that would give your team an overall boost. Check out buy-low posts here at chinstrapninjas.com and ep’s information-packed update posts (such as those from June 30 , June 28 , June 27 , and so on) for potential targets.
3. Scour your waiver wire. Don’t just look at players in terms of their overall 2010 stats, but also filter them based on their stats the past month and past week. This will give you a better idea of which players are streaking in the correct direction.
Also look at currently DL-bound players who are close to returning. Pitchers like Edinson Volquez and young players, with solid potential, who just earned a call to the bigs (see Madison Bumgarner, among others) are guys worth a long look.
This is espically true if you have plenty of fat to trim off your roster. Even if this young upstart player doesn’t figure to be a long-term option for you, he may become a solid piece of trade bait.
4. Float trade offers. Most teams in your league may assume that once you hit the standings basement, you’ll lose all interest in your team. They may neglect to consider you a trade partner as a result. E-mail your league, letting them know you are still in the ring and will be considering any and all reasonable offers as you attempt to rebound.
5. Let your mouse do the walking. No sense in re-iventing the wheel. Need some solid buy-low options? Need a few under-the-radar suggestions to help resuscitate your team? Plenty of fantasy websites offer regularly updated threads on this stuff.
Chinstrapninjas strive to provide regular updates. Ep’s posts on player news are priceless and we throw out buy-low, sell-high pieces as often as possible. Want news on a specific player? Rotoworld.com can be helpful. Also, don’t be afraid to ask us at chinstrapninjas for individual help. We’d love the opportunity to look over your squad and make suggestions.
For more suggestions on how to resuscitate your flatlining team, along with a place to let us know about your individual team and get some feedback, the original post can be found here .
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