Season 3 Trade Deadline Announced

The Season 3 Trade Deadline has officially been announced for 6 PM EST on Saturday, July 13th.

This season, the trade market has been eerily quiet on all fronts, devoid of the distinct scratching of ink pens scribbling scrupulously on freshly printed contract sheets. Sign here… dotted line here… and here. There have been no agents in haughty, lavish pinstripe three-piece suits hanging up phones only to pull out a burner and continue their conversation in a rush, all the while pacing back and forth, putting miles on their polished dress shoes. We have missed the rhythmic dripping of sapid arabica trickling into hungry coffee pots as executives pull all-nighters crafting trade boards. Two shots of espresso, please. There has been nothing. No sound of any kind. No movement. And, worst of all, no espresso.

Yet, now with a concrete date, there is anticipation that maybe a dishy deal or two will take place. Owners and General Managers should take this week to evaluate their team’s current performance in order to make those tough decisions for the present and future fate of their franchise. As Heraclitus so wisely said, "the only constant in life is change." Teams should not let the fear of necessary change deter them from making the proper course of action. Akrasia.

Teams like New York, Virginia, and Michigan are struggling mightily on the front lines; bleeding out on the battlefield, their cries for help being drowned out by the brutal onslaught. They will not get through this battle unharmed, which is a pill harder to swallow than the wound, but the right move could be just the injection of sedulousness and resilience needed to live on to fight another day—or season.

Yes, there have been a few organizations sitting pretty, present, and patiently at the negotiation table, fork and knife in hand, waiting for a delectable offer to satiate their appetite. Unfortunately, the fish just aren’t biting. Or, moreso, the anglers aren’t looking to fish. But, that’s because people aren’t using the proper bait. It’s time to cut loose and use the prized chum to score the bigger whale, especially if you are team building around pieces that just do not work. 

In some sense, what we are experiencing is “trade degression.” It’s not because the market isn’t saturated enough—there are plenty of bountiful options. Everyone is just so skittish. Risk tolerance and market volatility play a factor. Since we are not seeing the usual trading activity it is creating a domino effect causing the flow of the market to stagnant. No one wants to be the first to pull the trigger, miss the critical shot, and be the new laughingstock of the league. In fact, some seem ready to die on the hill that is torturing them, they keep trekking up the escarpment, battered and bruising more with each exhausting step.  

Last season was full of blockbuster trades and jaw-dropping moves that built certain franchises to their current elevated state. Sure, this season, it feels as though more teams are competing or set on making their rosters work. Maybe last season’s trade frenzy was just too much to endure for some. Nonetheless, there are many teams who could improve their trajectory with just one bid. Some of them are even competing yet fail to see the areas of improvement or pieces missing that could push them past the upper echelon. Have faith. Trust the process. Most importantly re-examine your intuition. Why are you stuck? 

For an exposition of the current GSB Trade Block with some hypothetical trade scenarios, look out for my next editorial.