One of the great things about playing in a dynasty league is the active offseason. Since most of the players on a roster are kept, the draft is usually just a handful of rounds and consists of other teams’ trash and fresh signees. That means offseason trading can get pretty intense as owners attempt to improve their roster, whittle down their keepers, or accumulate higher draft picks. Razznasty has been no different, and there have been a ton of trades since our offseason opened in November. The league started last year. It’s a 16-team/keep 30 of 40 dynasty league made up exclusively of Razzball readers and writers. I won’t go into every trade in detail, but rather comment on a few of the bigger ones in this post. You can, however, view every trade made this offseason here.
Cobra Kai trades Jose Fernandez to YesCheese for David Dahl and Rafael Devers
I like this trade because it’s a good example of a fantasy owner having the balls to trade big prospects for a piece they need. Cheese had been shopping for an ace, and got one of the best young pitchers in baseball. Don’t get me wrong, I love both Dahl and Devers and they fit Kai’s team perfectly. But hats off to Cheese for not holding on to his prospect chips too tightly.
Mike trades Ken Giles and Lorenzo Cain to YesCheese for Robinson Cano
Sometimes I make trades that I lose in a vacuum in order to help my team. I think this is one of them. Both Cain and Giles are younger than Cano. Both are productive at their respective positions. But for me, I struggled to find middle infielders in this league all last year. Not wanting to be faced with that same dilemma, I chose to trade for a vet and hopefully be able to set and forget my second base slot for a year or two.
Ralph trades Shawn Tolleson, Max Scherzer, and Rusney Castillo to Raskals for Todd Frazier, Brandon Drury, and Stephen Piscotty
Ralph has made some gutsy trades in this league, and I have a lot of respect for him for that. I view Tolleson (and most relievers) to be fungible (see above) but it’s tough to trade an ace and a youngish outfielder with some upside in a league like this. That said, I think Ralph’s return was really strong. Frazier is studly, Piscotty is on the rise, and I’ve always liked Drury for his high floor and his ability to play multiple positions around the infield.
Mike trades Starlin Castro and Aaron Nola to Raskals for Jonathan Schoop and Nick Williams
I might be imagining it, but every year it seems like the players in the news for real life baseball seem to get a lot of action in my fantasy leagues. For example, in all my leagues this year Castro was a hot target in trade talks. At any rate, I got a few nibbles in this league as well, and while I just got done telling you I was hurting for middle infielders last year, I like Schoop’s power potential and youth in replacing Castro in my MI slot. Nothing against Nola, but the Phillie I got back in this deal is no slouch either.
Shill Team 6 trades Gerrit Cole to YesCheese for Kevin Gausman and Tyson Ross
I believe in Kevin Gausman. Just ask Cheese, since I had been hounding him for the guy for a year and a half before this trade went down. This makes sense for both sides in my opinion. Gausman could be just as good as Cole, and if he’s not, Shill gets Tyson Ross as insurance.
Georgia Peach trades Jason Heyward to Hannibal Montana for Carlos Rodon and Reynaldo Lopez
Another big name that was in the news. Hannibal has made a lot of good moves this offseason, but this was one of my favorites. Rodon and Lopez are both high upside pitchers, but Heyward is still in his prime and offers a little bit of everything in a 5×5 league like this. Those guys are really tough to find.
The Empire of Hate Strikes Back trades Oswaldo Arcia to Mike for Scooter Gennett
The Empire of Hate Strikes Back trades Jurickson Profar to Mike for Delino Deshields and Josh Reddick
A little backstory. JFOH won this thing last year and then bowed out, giving his team to Nick the Dick. However, when a different owner had to leave the league, JFOH made his triumphant return! He’ll be looking to win the league in back to back seasons with two different teams! All part of his evil genius master plan if you ask me. Anyway, I made two trades with JFOH this offseason for players that I think still have a lot of upside but whose value is a bit suppressed at the moment. It did sting a bit to see Grey’s Delino Deshields sleeper post drop about a week after the trade though.
and last but not least, in a 3-team 12-player rock polisher…
Austin Meadows, Ketel Marte, Nomar Mazara, Raimel Tapia, and Yordano Ventura to Georgia Peach
Chris Sale, Yasiel Puig, Brandon Crawford, and Jerad Eickhoff to Mike
Miguel Cabrera, Ryan Zimmerman, and Raisel Iglesias to Raskals
This thing is just a beast any way you slice it. I walked away with two players I love, a replacement for Marte, and an arm with a little upside. Raskals lands arguably the best hitter in baseball and a young arm generating a ton of buzz right now (Iglesias). Peach pretty much raided the prospect cupboards of both of us, and is set up nicely if even half those guys pan out. Like Cheese’s trade above, it took some guts on Peach’s part to trade away a piece like Cabrera.
