Encouraging trading

[bosredsox247]

I'm the commish of a mixed league 8-team league and so far this year there has been one trade (and I was involved). Everybody's active, picking up free agents, setting lineups, etc.., but not much trading.

Is there anything (non-monetary) I can do to encourage trading in the league?

[lilfrier]

Talk up players to other teams. Try to convince people to but low on prospects and guys like Jimmy Rollins. Just talk to people and give them suggestions. Part of it is that 8-team leagues are so overloaded with talent that people don't really have needs.

[Torr]

It's kinda hard to encourage trading. The best way to get people to trade is to make a trade yourself, get the ball rolling so to speak. Generally speaking I am usually the first one to make a trade in our league every year, and currently I have made the only two trades this season. I usually hear about the offers between other teams really picking up after I make a trade. I guess it's human nature... people see a trade, and they will always decide that one side did better than the other and wish that they could have gotten that "great deal" for themselves.

Alot of times people will want to trade but just assume that no one will accept thier trades. If I were you I would make alot of decent offers to just about everyone in the league. Don't screw your team up, but see what a person needs and make them a good offer. I've probably offered 15 trades and came away with 2. Now is the time to do it, as people will get frustrated with players in the first month and not willing to wait for them to come around. You'll be surprised how well you can do. I offered Rollins for Beltran and got Braun for Rollins (manager was freaking out about Braun's slow start); and I offered Ordonez, Oswalt, and Kazmir for Peavy and got Peavy for Carlos Pena and Wainwright (Pena being hot right now), just by playing up to the fears and frustrations of impatient owners. Once the other managers see you making some good deals, they will want in on the action. Regardless of who gets the better end of the deal, other owners will be encouraged by seeing a trade go through that they think they could have gotten done themselves.

[Bobbleheadrusty]

For the future, remember that the deeper the league the more trading you see. With 8 teams if I lose A-Rod at the start of the season I can find someone like Blalock or Inge on the FA wire to fill in, so there is less incentive to trade for a replacement. In a deeper league I would usually be forced to make a deal if I dont have a backup already rostered. If you are gonna run an 8 team league you may want to consider expanding rosters, maybe force teams to start MI, CI, extra OFs, ect. That could encourage more trading, as it creates a scarcity

[shawngee03]

or you could go to Nl or AL only next year. this would help the same way having deeper rosters

i joined my first NL only league this year, 10 team, and trading has gone pretty good bc everybody has holes due to less players available