This isn't a gripe or complaint thread as I'm just as guilty as anyone.    But there always seems to be a "breaking point" in trade talks.   You can get close and either the deal happens or it doesn't.   If you, or the other guy, asks for a "throw in", it's all over.  I'm not sure why, perhaps our desire to be the Alpha, but it happens a lot.   For me, I usually have no problem with some crap throw in but there are plenty of times when I just refuse.    I just ended talks over one of these guys:

Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Ellie Harris
Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Brett Jones

It's unlikely that Harris ever sniffs the bigs for me.   Jones might get a few call-ups but he's never going to be a major cog.

First, does this happen to everyone?   If so, why do you think you draw the line?

If I'm asked for a named throw-in, who turns out to be a guy who I think will never make the show (or will be a career AAAA guy), I won't hesitate to throw him in if it will close a deal that benefits me.

The most frustrating thing to me with throw-ins can best be explained with an actual example.  I was working hard on a deal with another owner in one of my worlds a couple of years ago.  After many hours of trade-chats, we had agreed in principle to the main players of the deal on both sides, including a couple of extra guys to balance the deal to our mutual satisfaction.  When it was time to pull the trigger on the trade, the other owner started to balk, and said he needed just one final throw-in added from my side.  The guy he asked for was the top prospect in my system.  He said it was a deal-breaker if I didn't add him in to the deal as a final throw-in.

Needless to say, the deal did not happen.

Yeah, if the throw-in is required to get a piece I need, I go ahead with it.    In this case, I was just trying to make my team slightly less ****** by trading a prospect, that the owner has tried to acquire for two seasons now, who is blocked by about 4 players.    The player I was after was probably just a slight upgrade over my 4/5 SP.   It's in cases like these that I have no problem "taking a stand".

No sure it's entirely that but this was my response:  

MikeT23

10/24/2012 11:42 AM

Meh, neither matter that much to me. But, if they're dealbreakers to you, they're dealbreakers to me

And, of course, he responded back and, as I was typing a response, I realized it was a "last word" response so I came here instead to find out if that's the general experience for all.

If those two tards prevented you from making a deal then you must not want the player that was coming your way..

"In this case, I was just trying to make my team slightly less ****** by trading a prospect, that the owner has tried to acquire for two seasons now, who is blocked by about 4 players.    The player I was after was probably just a slight upgrade over my 4/5 SP."

"In this case, I was just trying to make my team slightly less ****** by trading a prospect, that the owner has tried to acquire for two seasons now, who is blocked by about 4 players.    The player I was after was probably just a slight upgrade over my 4/5 SP."

Ok, first thing, we make each other crazy trying to deal. I don't know why we try it. We are wired totally different.

In behind, I had a deal that took up two ML roster spots while dealing prospects. I was ok with DFA'ing one player, but wanted value for a now loose pitcher that I'd otherwise have to demote.

I posted 3 pitchers - one good, SP2 good, but explodes every 8th start or so, thus for my mental health I put him up to see if he attracted someone good.
One 4/5SP, young, I like him. I think he has a chance to be really good, but probably is a 4. That was the one Mike was after.
One was the guy I was going to demote. If I got a position player that had value either this year or next, that's the deal I'm pulling the trigger on.

I got the deal on the demote guy. Mike's guy that I was after for 4 seasons became moot, because I got a poor man's version of him in the deal he didn't know about yet.

So yea, I dicked around to **** him off. Guilty as charged. But if he did include one of those guys, I probably would have pulled the trigger, and then figured out the mess later.

In terms of how I would use them; I would cross my fingers that next season Harris becomes Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Marino Sosa, which when you have a ten man pitching staff, is invaluable as the bench guy that matches up with some pitching or is the guy off the bench when you're down 1 that ties it or wins it.

Jones would have been a set up B if he can crawl the LHP rating into the 50s and RHP into the mid 60s. He would just pitch to contact and be one of those pitchers that I can use with my D in OKC, and anywhere else he's a disaster.

Well, I wasn't naming names but the "add this semi-useless player and it's a deal" did seem like a dick around move.  Which, of course, is why I said "Meh, neither matter that much to me. But, if they're dealbreakers to you, they're dealbreakers to me" as I think that's also a dick around rebuttal.

Wasn't ******.   Didn't expect to a deal with you as we seldom make one but I realized that almost everyone asks for one more piece when you're close.

Close yes, but never would have made the first deal as is.

Complete dick move is if you handshake it, then say I want more (a la tec's example above)

And throwing in a turd that won't likely ever play in the bigs makes it happen?   That makes no sense.

He would for me. As stated above. Too long?

I suppose attempting to make sense of your team-building technique is sort of pointless.    Is this good in your land?

Overall Record:	2943-3213 (.478)		Total Seasons:	38
Post Season Record:	44-49 (.473)		Division Titles:	7
Best Season Record:	101-61 (.623)		Playoffs:	12
Worst Season Record:	32-130 (.198)		World Series Titles:	0
Record vs. MikeT23:	92-86 (.517)