How do you stop the "Fire Sale" Trades late in season? (1 Viewer)

[kbleck]

So i am in a 12 team league where you keep 2 players each year.

Our trade deadline is week 10 (standard for most leagues)

in week 9 we had a bunch of teams that were 3-6 or 2-7 that were out of the playoff hunt and started offering players they were going to drop for future draft picks in 08.

Right now the rule states that you can trade players and picks up to two years in advance up to Week 10 of the regular season.

The problem we have is that with only 2 keepers being kept now people had "Fire Sales" for future picks and made some teams headed for the playoffs better than those teams that were solid all year round.

So what do we do for next year. Here are the options I came up with

1. Increase keepers next year to 4 instead of 2

Pros - stops fire sales because people need to think of their team

Cons - makes the draft crappy because all the decent players are gone

I dont like this option as the draft was really boring with 4 keepers. round 1 was all rookies and QB's and a couple WR's.

2. remove the ability to trade for future draft picks until after the season is over.

Pros- all trades during season have to have equal value. This is subject to opinion

Cons - cant really improve your team through a trade when you are fighting for a playoff spot.

Player values are subject to interpretation. I am personally against vetoing trades based on what I think is a bad deal for one team. The downside to this is what if that other team doesnt return the next year, hard to find an owner.

3. If future round picks are traded both teams involved must pay the next season league fees before trade is approved

Pros - makes sure that a team is coming back next year

Cons - Some people cant afford to pay $100 in advance. But if you cant then you cant trade.

This doesnt really stop the fire sales, it just makes sure people come back the following year. I think the major issue was the stacking of a team that was mediocre.

4. Move trade deadline to week 7 instead of week 10

Cons/Pros - you really dont know if you need to make a trade by this point. If you make a trade it could definately put you out of the playoffs you really dont know at this point in the season.

 

[turnit643]

If you want to stop firesales, use option #2.

If you want to make it tougher, but leave the door open, use options #3 & #4 together.

 

[Paddy O'Seanessy]

It reads to me that you have more reasons to allow the fire sales than to stop them. I've only ever been in one dynasty league, but it appears fire sales are part of the game.

 

[noneother]

there are a few things. 2 suggestions, weekly pay outs go up in the last few weeks after the trade deadline. As well as a playoff consolation bracket that pays.

 

[kbleck]

It reads to me that you have more reasons to allow the fire sales than to stop them. I've only ever been in one dynasty league, but it appears fire sales are part of the game.

For a dynasty league ya that is part of the game but for a limited (2 player) keeper league it has devalued the teams that drafted well at the beginning by allowing teams with holes in their lineups to gobble up players that would be dropped at the end of the year for 3,4,5th round picks.Here is an example of what happened in our leagueTeam A Roster Big Ben - drafted 7th round ADP - drafted 4th round Parker - drafted 1st round Wayne - drafted 2nd round Housh - drafted 3rd round Megatron - drafted 6th round Gonzalez - drafted 8th roundTeam B Roster Clemens Addai M Barber Holt Ward CooleyTeam B tradesClemensWardCooley+3rd Round pick+6th Round Pickfor BreesCotcheryGates+5th round pick+8th round pickThe result of this trade made team B better and won the superbowl. Team A came in 2nd by 6pts

 

[Road Warriors]

In most keeper/dynasty, firesales ( within reason, and this is VERY subjective ) are part of the game. As an owner, it's not a one year view you have for your franchise. If you have little chance of doing anything this year, improving for next year is a viable strategy.

It also depends on your keeper rules and how much advantage a draft pick next year gives an owner. One keeper system I have gives a big advantage for top talent that was found late the draft. An example of that was Gore in 2005 draft was taken in the 8th round. He busted out, and is a 1st/2nd round talent now. However, the owner keeping him gets to slot him in the 6th round ( 2 rounds earlier than where he was drafted ). Gore was traded this year for LT in a firesale of sorts. Not an even trade on talent for this year, but next year the Gore team gets a RB1 for a 6th round price. So the value sort of evens out over the 2 seasons. This system does end up with some firesale type of deals.

Now, if your league uses keep anyone, no restrictions, then future draft picks are discounted in value some. For example, if you can keep 2, and the talent is nominally spread across the league, a next year 1st round pick is the ( assuming a 12 team league ) 25th player taken. In a system like that, it would take alot for me to dump top talent, that I could keep, for effectively a 3rd round pick in the following draft. This system has seen very few end of year trades that could be viewed as firesales, because the top talent you trade away for draft picks could be kept in the following year.

In the end, you should figure out how much you want this league to value the year to year planning versus playing out the current season ( often in futility ) to try to maximize wins this year.

 

[B Maverick]

firesales are part of keeper leagues and dynasty leagues. The top teams better be prepared to make deals, esp if the not so strong playoff teams are ggoing to make a move.

If I have nothing to play for this year and 3 or 4 valuable players, why not trade them to help with a quick rebuild next year. On the other side, do i sacrifice next year in an attempt to win it this year? What if I trade my 1st rd pick and dont win? What if I dont trade and dont win?

Part of the fun of keeper leagues is the fire sales! Embrace it? Take advantage of it! If you can do it right, you can win this year and still be in position for next year!

 

[Pictus Cat]

Similar to 3, picks can only be traded if the season they are in are paid for by that owner. Easier to get a new owner if his first year is paid for.

My leagues have payouts for consolation and first choice of pick for cellar cup. The contest is most total points during playoff weeks. (Everyone still has something to play for until the end.)

Good luck!

Pictus Cat

 

[switz]

go dynasty... all players matter.

I never understood, the keep just 2-3 guys mentality..

 

[Jeff Tefertiller]

Three things I think work:

1. Weekly High Point money, even if just a few bucks, until last week of season

2. A Toilet Bowl that play for an extra pick, making the extra pick more valuable than the pick via trade in a fire sale

3. Trade deadline a few weeks before last game of season

These usually work, especially if at least two are utilized.