Road to Glory: Blowout Dynasty League ($25 yearly)

[Bosox34]

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

My trades for the year all lumped together:

Sent: Aaron Nola, DJ LeMahieu, Carlos Rodon, Trey Mancini, Max Kepler, Brad Hand, Ronald Acuna, Jorge Mateo

Received: Chris Archer, Jose Altuve, Jose Quintana, Greg Holland, Brandon Kintzler


Not too bad. There's some solid consolidation into some better players there. I do wish I still had Aaron Nola, but I don't regret moving him and Hand for Altuve. Altuve is a 1st round draft pick, no doubt about it, and I had picked up Hand from the FA pool not too long before the trade. Nola is developing into a great young pitcher, and I certainly could use the depth, but I think I got the best player in the deal. Trading for Kintzler only worked in the short term, but Mancini likely wouldn't get a whole lot of playing time with the other bats that I have, plus I think that trade opened the floodgates a little bit, as it seems like other teams were more willing to make some deals after that one was accepted. I do think Acuna is going to turn into a stud, but I can't complain with the return I got for him. I do think Firerunner did a great job at starting a rebuild. No other team really committed to a rebuild, so while it might take a few years, Fire is off to a good start with turning his team around

Yeah I definitely agree that Firerunner has done a great job rebuilding. Granted, he was in last place so he had more motivation to pull the trigger and rebuild, but I'm surprised that many of the other teams near the bottom weren't making moves trying to get younger and rebuild for the future. Firerunner gave up Archer, Quintana, Teheran, but he got back top prospects like Acuna, Mateo, and Barreto while also acquiring young SPs with upside like Taillon and Rodon

[Hollywood42]

Definitely. Half the battle when you're rebuilding is actually taking that first step and deciding you're going to rebuild- Nobody wants to be the first team to throw in the towel for the first year, but whoever does it first sure does get a head start on the rebuild process. He added those guys you listed without moving Machado, Lindor, Schoop, Ozuna, Carrasco, or Fulmer too, which is great for him. Plus he already had prospects like Albies, Newcomb, Brinson, Verdugo and Meadows. This team already has a great core, so when the prospects develop, it's going to be a great team

Regarding the teams near the bottom of the standings that didn't make moves, or as many moves- Kinda surprised they didn't do much. The only move HOF made was to trade Cano for Castro and Brendan Rodgers, and while Rodgers is a great prospect, it feels like he only committed partway to the rebuild in that trade- I'm not sold that Castro will be helpful when his team is ready to compete, though he is younger than Cano so that part is good. As for Dbacks, I'm surprised they didn't make any moves. He's got a few solid young guys to build a team around (namely Bryant and Seager), but there's not enough there right now to truly compete with the top half of the league week to week. Guys like Lester, Morton, Hill, Yadi, Zimmerman, even Price, likely won't be overly helpful in a few years and all could have brought in some solid youthful assets. Especially already having Eloy, Rosario, Adames, plus a few top guys on his prospect roster, I think he really could have set himself up for the future well if he cashed in on a few of his veterans. Not making any sort of moves really doesn't improve the team for any timeline, so I'm not positive what his plans for the team are. Kinda the same situation for silverandblack, who I believe didn't make any moves either. That said, that's just my perspective and my thoughts on the situation, it's obviously up to him what to do or not to do

Originally Posted by Bosox34

Yeah I definitely agree that Firerunner has done a great job rebuilding. Granted, he was in last place so he had more motivation to pull the trigger and rebuild, but I'm surprised that many of the other teams near the bottom weren't making moves trying to get younger and rebuild for the future. Firerunner gave up Archer, Quintana, Teheran, but he got back top prospects like Acuna, Mateo, and Barreto while also acquiring young SPs with upside like Taillon and Rodon

[Dbacksbaseball]

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

As for Dbacks, I'm surprised they didn't make any moves. He's got a few solid young guys to build a team around (namely Bryant and Seager), but there's not enough there right now to truly compete with the top half of the league week to week. Guys like Lester, Morton, Hill, Yadi, Zimmerman, even Price, likely won't be overly helpful in a few years and all could have brought in some solid youthful assets. Especially already having Eloy, Rosario, Adames, plus a few top guys on his prospect roster, I think he really could have set himself up for the future well if he cashed in on a few of his veterans. Not making any sort of moves really doesn't improve the team for any timeline, so I'm not positive what his plans for the team are. Kinda the same situation for silverandblack, who I believe didn't make any moves either. That said, that's just my perspective and my thoughts on the situation, it's obviously up to him what to do or not to do

I won't sit here and throw out barbs. But this is a true dynasty format right? In a true dynasty format rule #1 is never overvalue prospects over MLB talent.

I know the guys you listed, were guys you were mostly trying to get for prospects....and worse to that prospects I had no interest in.

Fact is, in a roto league, my team is actually pretty competitive and since all year you have been down on my team, let me break down how close I actually am top 3-4 team.

My Number 1 pick is vastly underperforming on expectation. Kris Bryant I am confident saying will bounce back next year.

John Lester. A top 20 pitcher with a 4 era. (Comical). Is pitching almost a half point above his ERA.

Masahiro Tanaka. Pitching 1.5 points above his career ERA.

Kyle Hendricks Injury bug. Not pitching to a realistic regression.

Price, Injured.

Harvey, Injured.

Of those Five guys drafted to be my 1-5. There was insane risk. But not quiet that insane. Of all of those guys, Harvey is likely the only one to be written off. In a league dominated by pitching, even 3 of those guys pitching to career norms has me in the thick of the playoff race.

Instead due to injuries and performance, I am throwing guys like Pivetta, Chatwood etc.

Simply put the return would have had to have been good. Just like real life I was not about to sell someone an underperforming pitcher ranked in the top 20 (I'm just using Lester to make my point), for a package of mediocre prospects. Prospects are just that. If you trade a performing player for prospects that dont pan out...you are much further behind where you were.

I have seen some of the trades I have offered with insane value. I have tried trading BRYANT and SEAGER in packages to get a legitimate ace and was declined, without a counter. Then I see a couple low end rotation arms and mid 50's prospects move for 2 aces....lol. Meanwhile I'm getting offers of packages of borderline unrosterable players for top talent.

I'm enjoying the league. Its fun....but there some things that make me go

[Hollywood42]

Well, not sure if I agree with you on several things. I don't think the #1 rule of dynasty is to not overvalue prospects. Sure, you never want to undersell your players, but if your team (your in the general sense, not talking about you individually) isn't doing anything and you can send a solid veteran that won't be much good to you in a few years for some solid prospects that will be hitting the big leagues once your team is ready to compete, I sure think it makes sense to do that. No, don't let a top player go for marginal prospects, but it's not always a bad move to sell current MLBers for prospects

Next, regarding what you were saying about my offers, I honestly don't remember what I had offered you, so I fully admit I may have offered prospects for some of your guys earlier in the season. But I do know that any offers I had made where awhile ago, and my recent inquiries were asking what you would need for some of your players, not limiting who was available from my team at all- And I didn't even get a list of guys you were interested in from my squad. I can't have any sort of idea who you like from my team if I can't get a list of you're interested in. I never mean to lowball people, but it's reallllllly hard to send offers when you have absolutely no idea what someone is looking for

What you're saying about being solid in roto may be true, I don't know- Only played in a roto league once and didn't really enjoy it. But this is a points league, and I've played a lot of them over the past few years, and I do honestly think you're a ways away in this setting. Not taking a shot at you or anything, I've just felt all year that you have a lot of places to improve, and your record would agree with me. Not going to get too much into individual players' performances, but I have big concerns with having each of the guys you mentioned, especially as my top 5 with no other safe options. I said this earlier in the season and I'll stand by it now, there's just way too much risk for me to be confident in that staff in a points setting. You might be right that you're a top 4 teams in roto, but this is a points setting, and the fact is that you've been a bottom 4 team all year. Sure, you'd be a lot better if you hadn't had sos many injuries, but sometimes that's what you get when you have so many risky players

Can't speak to the offers you've made vs. the offers you're getting and which are good/bad without knowing what they were, so not sure what to say about your confusion. I will say that player's values vary significantly from points leagues to roto leagues, so maybe that's just part of the adjustment

Again, not taking shots at you, nor have I been trying to all year, just sharing my perspective

Originally Posted by Dbacksbaseball

.....

[bshea]

I can definitely see where DBacks is coming from. Coming into this season, I thought his team looked pretty good on paper; at least better than mine. The team is pretty underperforming this year, although he did beat me last week. He's gone up against the most points in the league. Nearly 1000 more than the lowest (Wood). Lester, Tanaka, Hendricks, Price is a near dominant top four when healthy and playing up to standards. Just me, but I don't see a sense to unload his team. A solid young core mixed with above average veterans. I think he's going to compete next year and think a bit of bad luck hit him this year.

I also agree with him on some of the trades. I didn't send many out through the year, probably only three or so, but most of the ones I received were headscratchers. Not saying all, but most were. Even the trades that went through left me wondering. To be fair, this is my first dynasty league and I guess everyone has their own ideas for how to build for now or the future.

[Dbacksbaseball]

I appreciate the input bshea.

In a true dynasty overvaluing prospects will cause your team to be out of contention quick, and for long. So many prospects miss. On top of that I have drafted one of the heavier top prospect rosters in our league. Rosario/Adames/Jimenez/Kingery/Sanchez/Hoskins/Fisher/Hasely/O'Neill/Greene all rank in the top 100.

So trade away a guy who is underperforming but still in top 20 as a pitcher, for a package of questionable prospects? Nah. I'll sit on my hands. I'm good on prospects. A top 20 pitcher in this league is worth at least a premium bat and 2 offensive upgrades.

You got a huge boost by giving minimal value for 2 pitchers I project to be in the top 50 in scoring next year.

Like I said my trades were stuff like Kris Bryant and Marwin Gonzales (who is literally the new fantasy Ben Zobrist but better) for Jake Thompson, Hunter Renfroe and Chad Pinder. (Not a real trade...but close to the same value.)

[Hollywood42]

Don't get me wrong, I see where he's coming from too, I just have a different perspective. He has have a ton of points scored against him, but he's also 10th of 12 in points for

Also, I know what you're saying on the bolded part, but you really can't expect all of those guys to be healthy and play to their level all the time anymore. Lester is getting up there in age and his consistency has been brought into question. Price will always have a big question mark attached him after his arm issues this year. People will always remember 2016 Hendricks, and I don't think it's fair to expect that from him- He pitched way above his head last year. Tanaka can dominate, but he can also get blown up. All have had great careers or at least a great season, but it's not the same reality for them anymore. You really can't expect these guys to be healthy all year and pitch to the fullest of their abilities all year, it's not a realistic expectation anymore

Originally Posted by bshea

I can definitely see where DBacks is coming from. Coming into this season, I thought his team looked pretty good on paper; at least better than mine. The team is pretty underperforming this year, although he did beat me last week. He's gone up against the most points in the league. Nearly 1000 more than the lowest (Wood). Lester, Tanaka, Hendricks, Price is a near dominant top four when healthy and playing up to standards. Just me, but I don't see a sense to unload his team. A solid young core mixed with above average veterans. I think he's going to compete next year and think a bit of bad luck hit him this year.

I also agree with him on some of the trades. I didn't send many out through the year, probably only three or so, but most of the ones I received were headscratchers. Not saying all, but most were. Even the trades that went through left me wondering. To be fair, this is my first dynasty league and I guess everyone has their own ideas for how to build for now or the future.

[Cornerstore]

Feeling good with the trade deadline only really solving my 2b issue (cano)... could of liked to get a better SS but can play the hot hand with waivers...

I think my core 20 keepers on my major league roster is good both short term (for a run this year) and for years to come
Hitters
1. Harper
2. Freeman
3. K. Seager
4. Upton
5. Marte
6. Cano
7. Mazara
8. Eaton

Pitchers
9. Gray
10. Iglesias
11. Britton
12. Martinez
13. Grienke
14. Salazar
15. Reyes

Then likely 5 of the following... these will be the tough choices
1. Grandal
2. Kipnis
3. Swanson
4. Robles
5. Nova
6. Peacock
7. Vizcaino
8. Honeywell
9. Bauer
10. Santana

[Dbacksbaseball]

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

Also, I know what you're saying on the bolded part, but you really can't expect all of those guys to be healthy and play to their level all the time anymore. Lester is getting up there in age and his consistency has been brought into question. Price will always have a big question mark attached him after his arm issues this year. People will always remember 2016 Hendricks, and I don't think it's fair to expect that from him- He pitched way above his head last year. Tanaka can dominate, but he can also get blown up. All have had great careers or at least a great season, but it's not the same reality for them anymore. You really can't expect these guys to be healthy all year and pitch to the fullest of their abilities all year, it's not a realistic expectation anymore

So a down year or Injury means that a player will never return to form? Saying that all four are all unlikely is comical. I expected mid 3 era from Kendrick which was more then most were thinking. I think that is very obtainable for him going forward.

Questioning Lesters consistency? He is know as Mr. Consistent.

Price has not looked good in Boston I will give you that. But he pitched well when he was on the field this year. Ill take my chances.

Tanaka was another model of consistency, blown up? Sure this year. Thats why his eta is at 5. No one expected that.


So if one injury or down year means a career is over.... I'm interested in Kershaw for prospects. 2 Back injuries, 2 years in a row turning 30 in a couple months.

[Dbacksbaseball]

Originally Posted by Cornerstore

Feeling good with the trade deadline only really solving my 2b issue (cano)... could of liked to get a better SS but can play the hot hand with waivers...

I think my core 20 keepers on my major league roster is good both short term (for a run this year) and for years to come
Hitters
1. Harper
2. Freeman
3. K. Seager
4. Upton
5. Marte
6. Cano
7. Mazara
8. Eaton

Pitchers
9. Gray
10. Iglesias
11. Britton
12. Martinez
13. Grienke
14. Salazar
15. Reyes

Then likely 5 of the following... these will be the tough choices
1. Grandal
2. Kipnis
3. Swanson
4. Robles
5. Nova
6. Peacock
7. Vizcaino
8. Honeywell
9. Bauer
10. Santana

Im down to my last 2-3 spots. Some tough choices but I'll make it work. Getting a pick at the top of the prospect draft will be nice as well. Considering how valuable guys found out roster spots were, I think will see at least a few top prospects dropped this year.

[Hollywood42]

I'm also looking forward to seeing who people pick for their keepers. Kinda excited over the 20 maximum, as that should leave some solid players available for the draft. Makes things a bit more interesting year to year

Originally Posted by Cornerstore

Feeling good with the trade deadline only really solving my 2b issue (cano)... could of liked to get a better SS but can play the hot hand with waivers...

I think my core 20 keepers on my major league roster is good both short term (for a run this year) and for years to come

...

Um... No?... I never said nor implied that. Perhaps this will make you understand my concerns with each of those players

Lester: Yes he's been consistent in the past. That said, he's 33 now, will be 34 before the start of next year, and he did have a long stretch of the season that was super inconsistent. You said yourself literally a week ago that Lester "has been rocky as hell all year" (see post 1059). Yes, he has settled down a bit since earlier in the year, but with his age paired with his stretch of inconsistency must raise a concern that he may be finally going downhill. He's fine for now, but not a good long term option in a dynasty as he'll likely only have another year or two of top 30 stuff

Price: Yes he has pitched well when healthy. When healthy. That's my point with him, that you can no longer realistically expect him to be healthy for the majority of the season. His preseason injury kept him out until the last few days of May, and he didn't even last until the end of July before going back to the DL with the same issue. He may still be fine when healthy (maybe), but there's absolutely no way you could confidently expect 200+ innings from him per year now. These injuries don't just go away very often

Tanaka: Wait, he was consistent? Before last year, he hadn't pitched more than 155 innings in a season. People have been concerned about his elbow since day one. If you're going to be a health risk, you gotta at least consistently pitch well when you are healthy, which is my issue with him this year. I could live with a bad start here and there if you're healthy all year, and I could live with an injury risk if you were consistent most of the year. Tanaka has been both, which I don't want in someone I need to be a top 2 pitcher on my team

Hendricks I'm just not a believer in him being anything more than a solid depth option. Not going to fight you on that since it looks like we just have different opinions on him

Originally Posted by Dbacksbaseball

So a down year or Injury means that a player will never return to form? Saying that all four are all unlikely is comical. I expected mid 3 era from Kendrick which was more then most were thinking. I think that is very obtainable for him going forward.

Questioning Lesters consistency? He is know as Mr. Consistent.

Price has not looked good in Boston I will give you that. But he pitched well when he was on the field this year. Ill take my chances.

Tanaka was another model of consistency, blown up? Sure this year. Thats why his eta is at 5. No one expected that.


So if one injury or down year means a career is over.... I'm interested in Kershaw for prospects. 2 Back injuries, 2 years in a row turning 30 in a couple months.

[Dbacksbaseball]

Simply put you and I don't look at baseball the same way. Its ok. We move on. No need to comment on trade deadline stuff in my opinion though as your always pushing folks to complete trades. Everyone runs there team how they want. Your prospect roster is bad, I have top prospects occupying my spots, even if I wanted to dump good players for prospects, there isn't any one worth more then a flier on your prospect roster and I wouldn't have given up anything for a prospect taking an MLB slot.

Fair enough?

[Hollywood42]

Of course. I hope you didn't take any of that the wrong way, I just love discussing things in the league and enjoy sharing my perspective. It's 100% up to each owner what they do or don't do at the deadline, it's just more fun when there's discussion going on, and one of the best ways to start discussion is share your thoughts on another teams action or inaction so they do the same, maybe get a few others involved. Just enjoying conversation

As for my prospects and a trade, simple misunderstanding. I wanted to see if you were interested in any of them the first time I reached out, you said no, that's fine, then I asked about other players awhile later and I guess I didn't make it clear that I wasn't only shopping my prospects. Will be more clear in the future

Originally Posted by Dbacksbaseball

Simply put you and I don't look at baseball the same way. Its ok. We move on. No need to comment on trade deadline stuff in my opinion though. Everyone runs there team how they want. Your prospect roster is bad, I have top prospects occupying my spots, even if I wanted to dump good players for prospects, there isn't any one worth more then a flier on your prospect roster and I wouldn't have given up anything for a prospect taking an MLB slot.

Fair enough?

[julusnc]

I woke up to late and was going to accept a trade offer and did not realize 12:00 this morning. My loss. I work weird hours and my sleep pattern sucks. My loss.

I apologize for the cluster Bosox.

[julusnc]

I woke up to late and was going to accept a trade offer and did not realize 12:00 this morning. My loss. I work weird hours and my sleep pattern sucks. My loss.

I apologize for the cluster Bosox.

[Bosox34]

Originally Posted by julusnc

I woke up to late and was going to accept a trade offer and did not realize 12:00 this morning. My loss. I work weird hours and my sleep pattern sucks. My loss.

I apologize for the cluster Bosox.

No worries! Definitely appreciated the offers and glad we at least got close to getting something done!

[julusnc]

Retrospective of 2017 Dynasty Draft:

Round 1 (Nolan Arenado) 4th overall pick. Top 3rd Baseman in MLB. The player I wanted.

Round 2 (Chris Sale) 21st overall pick. Top 5 Starting Pitcher in MLB. The player I wanted.

Round 3 (Charlie Blackmon) 28th overall pick. Top 5 Outfielder in MLB. The player I wanted.

Round 4 and 5 (Abreu and Cespedes) The Cuban connection. I was hoping for much more production. I should have taken a second starting pitcher with one of these picks.

Round 6 (Nelson Cruz) I like him and he has produced.

Round 7 (Wade Davis) The run for Relievers had started.

Round 8 (David Dahl) A total bust pick. He has been on the disabled list all season. I should have drafted Eric Hosmer here.

Round 9 (Craig Kimbrel) I have been real happy with his return to form.

Round 10 (Eduardo Nunez) There was a run on quality Shortstops. I have been happy all season but the trade to Boston has made him a keeper.

Round 11 (Rich Hill) I dropped him to early and lesson learned. It was a toss up between Hill or Dallas Keuchel. I chose poorly.

Round 12 (Drew Pomeranz) I was happy with this pick.

Round 13 (Javier Baez) I took him as a young team building block. I have been happy with his production.

Round 14 (James Paxton) I needed a starter and he has had a fantastic season.

Round 15 (AJ Ramos) I needed a third closer. This pick was a toss up with Jim Johnson.

Round 16 (Yasmany Thomas) This pick was a toss up with Jake Lamb. I chose poorly.

Round 17 - 20 (Eduardo Rodriguez) The only bright spot.

Round 21 (Didi Gregorius) A good young player pickup. He has a future in baseball.

Round 22 - 30 Travis Shaw was a great pick. Matt Wieters pick was because I waited to long for a catcher.

Free Agent Pickups - Jason Vargas pitched the first half of the season like an ace but his stock has dropped.

This season has been a learning experience. I have went further than hoped. The lesson learned is Starting Pitchers are worth their weight in gold.

[Hollywood42]

Another week where I have 4 starters going late in the matchup and finally have a chance to catch up, but it doesn't work out. Ugh. Another loss this week for me. Need to come back and finish the year with a couple wins right after this

[bshea]

Giancarlo Stanton, please stay hot.

[Hollywood42]

Dbacks, Lopez is on a prospect roster

[Bosox34]

Wow! Dbacks is getting very close to pulling off an upset against Todderfield. What a matchup that has turned into!

[Hollywood42]

That would be quite helpful to me, since everyone else tied or above me in the standings will likely win

Originally Posted by Bosox34

Wow! Dbacks is getting very close to pulling off an upset against Todderfield. What a matchup that has turned into!

[Bosox34]

Glad I was able to maintain my lead this week and hang on for a victory to improve my record to 12-6. Highroller had a pretty solid week and was making me nervous as he kept cutting away at the lead each and every day. Next week looks to have 2 key matchups: Hollywood vs Bosox and Todderfield vs Julu. Next week should definitely break the ties within the standings and make it more clear who will be locking up those Bye Weeks

[Hollywood42]

A week ago I was hoping to snag a bye. Now I'm fighting to stay in playoff position

Originally Posted by Bosox34

Glad I was able to maintain my lead this week and hang on for a victory to improve my record to 12-6. Highroller had a pretty solid week and was making me nervous as he kept cutting away at the lead each and every day. Next week looks to have 2 key matchups: Hollywood vs Bosox and Todderfield vs Julu. Next week should definitely break the ties within the standings and make it more clear who will be locking up those Bye Weeks

[Bosox34]

Originally Posted by Hollywood42

A week ago I was hoping to snag a bye. Now I'm fighting to stay in playoff position

Luckily for you, Kershaw should be coming back within the next few weeks so that should definitely boost your team a lot