Trades are an especially drama-inducing aspect to our league — a standalone generator of public shaming.
But what if we were able to look back at all trades in league history and see each trade’s net +/- impact? And identify which managers are actually better at trading than their reputation suggests?
In this two-week series, we will do just that:
This Week (Part 1)
- We look at the Manager Trade Splits 📊 to identify trade win-loss-even % for each manager + give out awards for several categories.
- We call out frequent trade partners and notable records against each other.
Next Week (Part 2)
- We look at the Trade Valuation Book (records net +/- per week for all trades dating back to 2013). Some trades net +/- are previewed in part 1.
- Highlight On-Blasts that ended up wrong, and trades that should have been put on blast
Manager Trade Splits
Trade Awards
🏆Most Valuable Trader: Jesse
Jesse does not trade often (4th lowest), but when he does, he ends up winning them. Jesse holds the league’s highest trade win rate (42%) and the 2nd highest net points added per week (+13.7).
WR1 acquisitions (MT from Ramon, Chase from Benny) factor heavily into that margin. His MT trade in particular propelled him to the playoffs and a 3rd place finish.
Jesse’s trades have not taken him further beyond 2 playoff appearances. Maybe we see more trades from him this season since he appears to have the eye for it.
⚰️ Least Valuable Trader: Benny
Even though Ramon technically leads the league in trade loss rate (46%), he has been retired for the past two seasons. So, this award passes to next-in-line: Benny.
Benny holds the 2nd worst trade loss rate at 45% and the league’s lowest 18% trade win rate. Despite those abysmal rates, he hasn’t eliminated himself from playoff contention (T-2nd playoff appearances). Maybe he can correct his trade record these upcoming seasons and advance further.
2019 was a difficult year of trading for Benny. He lost 3 out of 6 trades that season, leaning into a 12th place finish:
⚖️ Most Even Trader: Vince
Sam held the highest even trade rate (60%), but since he is technically inactive this year, the award passes down to Vince with an even trade rate of 57%.
Looking back, nearly half of Vince’s even trades are asymmetric: 2-for-1’s or position-for-position swaps (i.e. TE-for-RB). Vince has an eye for fulfilling each team’s positional needs, leaving both managers feeling that a fair trade was made.
☎️ Strongest Volume Trader: Alex
The stats paint a picture of Alex as prolific trader, capable of stringing together a slew of trades, stacking positive points trade-after-trade.
Among high volume traders (>35 trades total), Alex is tied with Caleb for the highest trade win rate (30%), but he separates himself by owning the highest net points added per week (+11.9). The high volume of trades have also built the foundation for 5 playoff appearances (T-2nd).
In the 2017, Alex was especially active, pulling off the most trade wins in the league (3).
Two of his mega trades are featured below: the 1st made in Puerto Vallarta (where Benny blasted Caleb on video for the most lopsided trade net +/- in our league’s history due to an untrustworthy source about Zeke’s return from suspension). The 2nd trade was made in DC at a booth in Shake Shack with Vince.
⭐Honorable Mentions
- We all know Caleb to be one of the league’s most active traders (averages 8 trades per season). But how much more active is he than the field? His trade total exceeds Vince + Jesse + PC + Theo + Gordon combined. Unfortunately, he has never advanced further in the playoffs than any of the managers above.
- Theo and Danny appear to be strategic traders. Neither trade often, but when they commit, they often win them. Danny in particular has added a high +12.7 points per week off his trade wins, making him the closest contender for the Most Valuable Trader award.
🧑🤝🧑Frequent Trade “Partners”
- Benny and Caleb have made 11 trades, making up a large portion of Benny’s trades (29%). Of those 11 trades, Benny has only won 1 trade, while losing 6. The one saving grace in their partnership — they conducted 4 even trades.
- Alex and Caleb have made a league-high 12 trades. However, unlike with Benny, Caleb was unable to take full advantage. Caleb only won 2 trades, while losing 4 trades to Alex. They were able to conduct 6 even trades.
- I have ended up losing most trades to Caleb (5), winning 2, and conducted 3 even trades. The most notable trade loss is the Odell Beckham injury trade in 2017.
