FantasySportsZone  

On the True Guru show last week, Mike Podhorzer from the Fantasy Baseball Generals asked me about "Buy Low" candidates and if there is such a thing anymore.  So many websites and articles talk about players who were drafted high and now are underperforming are prime candidates.  That is great advice until you actually try to trade for them and find out everyone else knows who the buy low players are as well, making your trade strategy worthless. As a result, how do you acquire those players without having to totally overpay for them...there is a way.

Most articles I have read about Buy Low Players infer that you can acquire a preseason Top 100 player for 3 players on your reserve slots and a bag of balls.  The owners of these top 9 rounds players will be so happy to unload these players that they will take anything for them is the insinuation.  We all know in practice that just doesn't happen. 

If we have one of those players we continue to hang on to them, hoping against hope, that they will catch fire and award our preseason belief that they are really an upper tier player.  If that player continues to underperform most owners are too prideful and too stubborn to admit to our colossal mistake. 

Most owners are also smart enough to realize that when a trade offer comes over that has no name players who have started off moderately well for my 5th round pick that it is a Buy Low offer.  On most occasions that trade offer will not only be rejected but the insulted owner will be wary of any offer that you send him in the future.  So how do we acquire that player for the price we want without insulting the owner who has him?  That is the $64,000 question.

I find the best way to pluck that underperforming star off your rivals roster is make him the second player in the deal, not the focal point.  Let me give you an example:

    Team A need a closer and has depth at Third Base to trade.  Team A also could use a 5th OF and sees that Alex Rios is on Team B's squad. Team A makes an inital  trade offer of Aramis Ramirez for Joe Nathan and Alex Rios.  Team B see this offer and may believe that is too much to give up but is intrigued at the prospect of making a significant upgrade at 3B.  If Team B does not take the offer he may counter with a different offer that requires you to even up the offer with a fast start OF in the mode of Xavier Nady.  Team A may not want to give up that much but you now have dialogue with Team B for a Buy Low candidate without making it an obvious move that is insulting.

The key to the transaction is to make the Buy Low player the "Add On" or "The Throw In" and not the main player.  By diverting the attention away from the underperforming player the owner does not feel you are trying to take advantage of his player's poor start and you are getting a player who you think will perform closer to standards after you acquire him.  Everybody wins!

Astute owners can still acquire the Buy Low candidate but have to learn the art of subtle negotation to make it happen.  By using this technique you can make it happen.