Analysis of a Kuechel for Altuve Fantasy Trade, and My Rules of Trading

The Trade:

Jose Altuve for Dallas Kuechel

Both of those players show practically even value.  I mean the Cy Young winner for the best fantasy 2B.  There should not be too much to complain about for either side.  Obviously there was not too much to complain about considering it went through.

However, I feel as though the owner getting Keuchel loses out immensely.  But before I delve into analysis let me get into my rules or trading, or at least how I feel owners should act when it comes to trading.

The Rules:

1. Other owners should not comment on a trade until after it has been either accepted or declined  To me that means no asking other's for opinions and others should not inject them into the deal.  Why?  Because every trade has an impact on the league landscape and it is impossible to remove your feelings about how a trade will affect your team from the actual analysis of the needs of the two teams involved.
2. If an owner is making a bad deal that's their choice
3. There should be no vetoing, unless there is a clear collaboration by two teams to allow one of them to win

Analysis of this Trade

I have no problem posting this analysis because the trade has already passed.  Since I think it is impossible for me to fairly analyze it without mentioning the impact on my team I will address that in a separate section.

The owner who is getting Altuve really needed him, and gets an amazing hitter.  He adds Altuve to a middle infield that includes Fransisco Lindor.  These are the only two guys he has, but based on the depth of his pitching he did not really need Kuechel, and could afford to lose him.  

Kuechel is an amazing pitcher do not get me wrong, but he does not provide the strikeouts I believe an early round pitcher should.  The owner giving him up did not feel this hurt because he had Chris Sale, Taijuan Walker, Michael Pineda, and Drew Smyly all of whom are strikeout pitchers posting K/9 above 8.  Why is this important because Kuechel sits at a K/9 below 8.  When this rate is lower than pitchers taken in the latter half of the draft it is not good company to be in.

The team receiving Kuechel has decent ERA and WHIP being generated by his keeper candidates.  Kuechel clearly bolsters his staff but does not address the needs of this owner.  While at first glance he seemingly needs a SP to join Greinke he gets a pitcher that is the poor man's Greinke.  Greinke generates a low strikeout rate (8.14 K/9) for a pitcher that is taken in the first five rounds.  Now it becomes even harder for this owner to compensate and win the strikeout category against a team with strikeout pitchers.  Although WHIP and ERA will be closer he is guaranteed a loss in strikeouts.

While gaining Altuve helps create a dynamic infield tandem of Lindor and Altuve the team losing him loses his stranglehold on the 2B position.  His tandem was Dee Gordon and Altuve, the top two at the position.  The problem is that a predraft trade limits the value he could have received.  After the draft people would have noticed that four of the top five 2B are owned by this owner and myself combined.  This would have created panic and generated a trade market where we both could have capitalized, and netting this owner even more for Altuve, the clear top choice at 2B.

Impact on My Team

I was planning to, and still will, keep Dozier and Cano, but the trade market I though Dozier would generate is now going to evaporate.  This makes me want to consider keeping Rendon, but I will probably not do so.  This trade frustrated me because I could have had a trade happen after the draft but now that seems highly unlikely.