Quote: Originally Posted By oriolemagic on 1/01/2010I agree it doesn't sound like a good deal. Keep in mind that if your in a playoff chase your prospect could be a major league right fielder right now.
I think this is the key comment. If you have a good/contending team and you need another corner OF bat, this guy can be that guy. No need to trade him to get one. And by a year or 2 down the road, his D will have developed into a terriffic 3B and he'll still be yours for cheap.
My big advice for any new player is this: Be
extremely careful about any deal proposed to you by another owner. There are players in this game who look, to a new guy, like they can play, but they really can't (examples- high OVR SP with control in the 20's, or a high OVR corner OF with good D/Dur etc but splits in the 40's). Any new owner is likely to receive offers including players like this, and you can't afford to get snookered on one of these guys. If, on the other hand, you take the time to identify players you like, based on both a detailed look at their ratings and their historical stats, you are much more likely to make good trades and less likely to get screwed over by going out and getting these guys you identified than by sorting through incoming offers, which will include a bunch of stiffs.
Another good way for a new owner to get a decent deal is to auction off the players they want to sell. For instance, announce their availability in the World Chat, place them on the trade block, send Trade Chat to several owners who have announced in WC that they need players, etc. You will
certainly get a better deal if you can get 2 or more owners bidding on the same player. This will create a market, and that market will let you know (roughly) what your player is worth in your world. It's very hard to screw the new guy when you're bidding against another experienced owner for a good player.
Finally, although I would never say never, the most common formula for a new owner getting screwed in a trade is "new guy gets 3 role-players and/or solid players who are way way WAY overpaid, and other owner gets a star or stud prospect." Try to avoid getting 3 in a 3-for-1 until you feel a lot more comfortable with the ratings. If you can get the "1" in a 3-for-1, however, I would highly advise that.