It finally happened.
After half a decade of playing in dynasty leagues and multiple dynasty leagues, I took the plunge and began tearing down a win now team. It feels weird and exciting at the same time. Those who know my style know I’m always gunning for a title and looking to extract every drop of value from guys who were born in the 1980s.
But in a 20-team H2H league that began in 2019, it became clear that I was going to be middling really, really soon if I didn’t make any moves. I was told my good friend and dynasty enthusiast Ian Kahn that if it’s obvious you need to tear down, it’s already too late. I finished 2019 as the second best team in the standings but an unfortunate first-round exit thanks to injuries. Then in 2020, where we converted to roto for one season, I finished 5th of 20, which is fine, but I was 20 points behind 2nd and 3rd and 50 behind 1st.
So, galvanized by equal parts curiosity, my trigger finger for trades and, well, boredom I decided to begin tearing down the squad.
The League: 20-team OBP/QS H2H, daily moves
Let’s take a look at my team after the very last day of the 2020 season.
By design, my hitting and pitching were pretty darn good for a 20-team league. But alas, not good enough thanks to regression from several pitchers and a few key hitters. Could part of it be because of age? Maybe!
I looked two years down the road at my pitching and figured I’d really only have a 34-year-old deGrom to bank on. Charlie Morton would be retired. Ryu likely wouldn’t be good at 35. Corbin might have entered a big decline phase. Heaney and Marquez were question marks for different reasons.
My minors were pretty barren and riddled with mostly with guys that you’d find no higher than 200 in most prospect lists. Part of the issue is 2020 didn’t allow any of my low level lotto tickets to gain any helium. I thrive on finding helium plays so I could churn for more major league players. Without that major trade boost in my pocket, I had to use what was in my minors and pool to survive and trust me, Dean Kremer’s curveball is not that good.
So ask yourself the same question I did: If my team finished middle of the pack, does it have what it takes to get substantially better in the next year or two? I didn’t have Nate pearson, Logan Gilbert or MacKenzie Gore creeping in my minors or any elite hitters so unfortunately, the answer was no.
It was time to bring it all down.
So what’s the first step you do when you officially take that mental step?
Identify Your Next Core
I went one by one on my roster spot and came up with several names that I felt could be part of my next contending team: Bryce Harper, Jake Cronenworth, Kyle Lewis, Dylan Moore, Evan White, and German Marquez.
These are the names that I wanted to keep and that would be difficult to pry in any trade. The thread is common — they’re all mostly young players with promise. Harper is 28, but because it’s an OBP league he’s going to age exceptionally well and should be elite or great for at least 4-5 more years.
What Next?
Start dangling Anthony Rendon and Jacob deGrom in trades to the league to see the return and have them set the tone for what type of market I’m looking for.
Thus far I’ve made five trades in the offseason. They’ve combined for 20 players (including 10 in one deal) and six 2021 picks have been exchanged.
Have I moved the best pitcher in baseball yet? What did Rendon net me? Stay tuned for part two where I go over my trades!