When I check one of my teams and I see "you have 1 trades proposed to you," I always get a little excited. But when I actually view the offer, its usually disappointing. I've come up with some rough odds for what I should expect to see:

50% chance - someone is hoping to unload his highest-paid declining has-beens and asking for my top prospect in return. Sometimes they seem genuinely surprised when I decline.
20% chance - they're still offering overpaid losers, but they're being generous and only asking for my third or fourth best prospect.
15% chance - it's a completely inconsequential trade of AAAA players that won't have any real effect.
10% chance - the proposer is new the the game and is offering me a great deal that I can't in good conscience accept.
5% chance - it's an actual good trade that might benefit both parties.


This pattern seems to hold constant in all my worlds. Does this seem about normal to everyone else?

The 50% figure is too low...

Not shown is them offering 3 AAAA prospects for my one MLB star

If you get an offer that has never been discussed, it's about a 99% chance that it's your 50% chance or DX3's.

Yep, a trade offer out of the blue... from an owner you don't usually have any contact with... you kinda start laughing to yourself before you even open it up.

Glad I'm not the only one. I was starting to think the other owners all think I'm a moron who will fall for anything.

You wouldn't believe some of the trade offers I get in my fantasy baseball league. Even notwithstanding any opportunity to trade rape noobs, it seems like a lot of people think a trade only works if you bone the other guy hard.

I wonder what the percentages are in real baseball. 

Well, they have to talk.    So, when the first offer is "These three 28 y/o prospects for Lester", a team can just hang up. 

It's happened to me twice in 50+ seasons...gotten an unsolicited trade offer that I thought was really good.  But I'm always hopeful when I see that "1" in "trades proposed to you"

The Houston Astros recently had their communication lines hacked and their trade discussions were able to be seen. And they were as unrealistic as you could expect. They were asking for top prospects in return for veteran relievers. For example, they initially asked for Nick Castellanos in return for Jose Veras last year. 

Some trades are easy.    Another owner claimed one of my guys.   Pretty good hitter, acceptable C but with a DUR of 29.  He inquired about what I wanted in return.  I responded:

MikeT23

8/4/2014 6:22 PM

I don't know. He looks like one of those guys that has more value to me, as an emergency replacement, than he does in trade. I'll be fair but I don't need a D-SS(which is what I'd normally want). A low inning RP?

He responded that he had some AAA RP that weren't bad.   While I was looking and submitting an offer, he said "Except this one.  He'll cost more."   My response, after I'd already submitted an offer: 

"He was the one I wanted but that's too much.'


Trading is easy if both sides are reasonable.