The Art of the Dump Trade

What two words in fantasy baseball can raise the ire of an owner more than any others?

DUMP TRADE.

It never fails.

This time of the year, it is darn near impossible to read any fantasy publication without seeing a complaint about a dump trade and “how to avoid them”. Are they truly avoidable? I don’t think so. There’s always some way around it. Do they bother me as much as most owners? Not in the slightest. Here’s why:

DISCLAIMER: Before I begin my reasoning, I should qualify this answer in saying that I am STRICTLY referring to keeper leagues. Dump trades serve NO purpose in non-keeper leagues and I don’t condone them in that situation.

Reason #1: The dumping team has potentially made itself better for next year. For example, I’m in a league this year where I realize that I won’t make the top 5, but have a pretty strong grip on 6th place (out of 14 teams). The second place team has been stuck in second now for the past number of weeks and can’t quite overtake #1. Recognizing this opportunity, I am making a play for one of his best players in Ryan Howard, by filling in the holes on his roster with high quality players, but only two that are truly keeper-worthy in Sabathia and Magglio. Am I dumping? Yes. Am I making my team better for next year? Very much so.

Reason #2: More often than not, the team who is on the receiving end of the dump trade is weakening their starting position in the next year. I would be willing to bet that if you were to take a historic look at the final standings of any keeper league, you would probably find the same group of teams at the top or near the top, year-in year-out. Dump trades may help sway this balance a little bit. You’d be surprised at what having one or two strong foundation-type players on your team can do for you.

Reason #3: It’s really fun to watch the teams at the top scramble. It’s like having one giant train of dominoes. Once one trade is made, it’s only a matter of time before the domino falls and the next team at the top makes a deal. Sometimes it can be quite entertaining as tempers flare and frustration levels kick in.

So as you can see, dump trades can actually be quite useful, beneficial to the league, and more often than not, quite entertaining. Now before I go, let me mention, however, that these trades do need to be monitored by the league. However, as long as the dumping team gets some value in return, I say let it be.