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So you're up against the deadline, are you?

That time of year. Yeah, I know MLB had its version a couple weeks ago, but Fantasy Baseball leagues usually give their owners a little more time to work out a blockbuster. Which is kind of backward, if you think about it, since the Fantasy playoffs actually begin sooner, making it even clearer who the haves and have-nots are and thus inviting more scrutiny, but I'm just a man on his soapbox.

When I step off that soapbox, I too must abide by the rules, and in doing so, I've developed a few strategems that seem to help with my negotiations.

And seeing as my job is to unload all my strategems on you, unsuspecting reader, I aim to do exactly that.

1. The "on the block" update is a handy tool that you should mostly avoid using

If you've played on CBSSports.com for any length of time, you're all too familiar with the "on the block" feature. You may not have partaken of it yourself, but you've no doubt seen evidence of it in your inbox:

ontheblock.jpg

At its face, it seems like a good idea, and frankly, the Fantasy Baseball product would be incomplete without it. To trade a player, you need to market him, and this feature provides you with a convenient way to do just that.

Unfortunately, it's a little too convenient. The response to an on the block update is more often another on the block update than an actual offer. I can't tell you how many times I've marketed a first baseman only to see someone post, just a day or two later, that he needs a first baseman.

It's like it invites passivity. "Welp, everyone knew Mike Napoli was available and no one made an offer. Guess I've done my due diligence." Of course, you haven't. You've just made the mistake of assuming somebody else would make the first move. It's like a middle school dance. Everybody's intentions are abundantly clear, but nobody wants to put himself out there. And so a stare-off ensues.

Even worse, you lose something in the way of leverage with every on the block update since you're basically suggesting that a player of yours is either unwanted or unneeded. Too strong? OK, well, you're outright declaring him attainable, and if we operate under the premise that every player is attainable for an appropriate cost, well, one who's even more available should come at a discount, right?

Bottom line is making your intentions so outward and public can only work against you. You'll get the best return for a player perceived to be desirable, but one known to have sat on the block for five days has the stench of desperation. "Wait, you haven't found a taker for him yet? Why should I be the one to pony up, then?"

Nope, I've found that the best trades come together out of the blue. They begin with someone, usually myself, taking a stab in the dark with an offer that would seemingly work for both sides. Sometimes it goes somewhere. More often, it's a dead end.

So yeah, this method of trading takes a willingness to look foolish and maybe take a little abuse along the way, but the rewards, I've found, tend to be greater.

Speaking of taking abuse ...

2. Check your emotions at the door

You can't control how someone responds to your trade offers, but you can control how you respond to someone else's. And if you're not careful, your response could limit your trade possibilities in the future.

No, really.

You have to realize by now that most of the trade offers you receive will be bad ones. For every one that catches you attention, you'll reject at least 10 others without batting an eye. And yes, every now and then, you'll come across one so laughably, embarrassingly lopsided that it's almost offensive.

And so you'll take offense and express that offense with the sort of written response that ensures that guy wouldn't dream of making such an offer again.

Or rather, any offer at all. Because most likely, he meant no offense.

I don't know the thinking behind every trade offer, of course, but I'd guess it's almost never "heh ... let's see if this sucker will actually take it." More likely, someone went through a painstaking process of questioning his limits and relenting in some areas for the sake of getting something done.

Your rejection is already an injury. No need to top it off with an insult.

I'm not suggesting you accept a trade to spare someone's feelings, which would be ridiculous and self-defeating, but there's a way to say no without showing contempt. And it's in your best interest to do so. You want to get trade offers. You want insight into someone else's thinking and an open door to dialogue. An over-the-top response to what in the other guy's mind is a thoughtful and measured proposal might make him reluctant to open that door again. It would me.

Maybe you know the guy well enough to know it won't be a problem, but maybe you don't. We're talking about a subtle psychological response, one I wouldn't expect most people to recognize in themselves but one that's entirely reasonable. Why make the effort for something that ends with you feeling bad?

Keep in mind also that you may hate an offer that isn't objectively bad. A select few players at every position stand out as being head and shoulders above the rest, but otherwise, a player's value is in the eye of the beholder. You may think Yangervis Solarte is the greatest thing to happen to your Fantasy team, but the other guy may think he's waiver fodder.

And you know what? Neither of you is wrong. That's how opinions work.

Let's say you really do hate a trade offer and think it's a waste of everyone's time. The best response is short, direct and free of emotion:

"Thanks for the offer, but I have no interest in ... Melvin Upton." Or whoever it is.

It's polite enough not to burn any bridges but also direct enough to make your point known. This guy should know not to offer you Upton again. If he does, maybe another gentle reminder is in order, but any offers beyond that you're within your right to ignore if you get tired of clicking reject over and over again.

Yeah, it's boring, sterile and maybe not at all your style, but the negotiation table isn't the place to show off your personality, not if winning is your first priority.

3. Target his need, not yours

Say you have an extra third baseman who you can't fit into your lineup but who deserves to be starting for someone.

Great! Sounds like a definite trade chip. Now, go find someone who needs him.

Yes, that should be your first priority if you've already determined who you want to trade. So often, we're focused on what we can get in a deal that we overlook the most critical element for making it happen: It has to appeal to the other guy.

In my experience, the offers with the highest rate of success are the ones assembled by working backward. Don't focus so much on the best you can get for a player. Focus on the best you can get from the owner who needs him the most.

If he doesn't think he needs a third baseman and isn't interested in your excess, hey, it's his call. Go to the next guy you think needs one, or if you've run out, maybe that's when you relent with an on the block update. But the last thing you want to do is try to browbeat someone into accepting a deal, thinking he's being irrational and needs a healthy does of common sense, because that's not going to end well for you.

If somebody already thinks you're trying to take him for a ride, there's nothing you can to convince him otherwise.

4. Don't play the used car salesman

In fact, no trade should require any amount of convincing. A good offer speaks for itself.

We've all dealt with that owner before -- the one that breaks down, point by point, how this trade helps us and why these players are more valuable than they look and how we'll be the envy of the league with this amazing triumph of a deal.

It drives me crazy every time I see it. Every time. I can't think of a single instance where I thought, "Gee, he's right," and moved my cursor from "reject" to "accept."

More than anything else, I find it patronizing. Maybe it's just because of what I do for a living, but any time I get an offer extolling the virtues of some middling pitcher, my immediate thought is "um, you don't think I'm paying attention?" I imagine any Fantasy Baseball owner who's still active in August would feel the same way.

It also comes across as phony. You don't care whether my team wins or loses. You're in it for you -- and that's fine. It's the way a competition should be. Just don't disguise it as something else.

Nobody wants to be told how to run his team. Nobody wants to be reminded that you think you could do it better. If you're really worried that some crucial detail will go unnoticed, like multi-eligibility or a recent role change, you can drop a singular fact in there, but even that's dangerous. It can't be one of those facts that comes across as an argument, like a pitcher's ERA over a recent span of time, and it can't have a suggestion attached, like "I see you need a second baseman. Jean Segura is eligible there now."

Just say something simple -- "need help at second base?" -- and let the other guy connect the dots from there.

5. Be prepared to just walk away

So you don't want to act like you're selling a car, but sure, you can act like you're buying one.

One of the most reliable moves in any negotiation is to just walk away. But again, you have to be willing to follow through with it.

Say you've been working on a deal for a good long while now, concessions made back and forth, and you feel like you've reached a stalemate. You're close, but you're not completely confident you'll come out ahead with it as it currently stands.

Just walk away. What that looks like in Fantasy Baseball terms is throwing up your hands and saying, "we may not be a match, then," thus putting the ball in the other guy's court indefinitely.

Chances are if you were really close to swinging a deal, he'll relent and the negotiation will continue. And if he doesn't, hey, you may have just dodged a bullet.

6. Create artificial deadlines

Every now and then, I see someone try this tactic:

"Hey guys, I'll be trading Johnny Hotcorner by the end of the day. Best offer gets him."

And every time, I think it's brilliant.

What this owner has done is create an artificial sense of urgency that -- provided Johnny Hotcorner, whoever he is, has actual value -- is sure to fetch an offer or three.

And he has done you a favor as much as himself because now you know exactly when you have to get your offer in for it to be considered. Whenever I see a bad trade go through -- or at least one I know I could have beaten -- my reaction is always "ah, I wish I had known." Or at least "hey, I never even got a chance."

Sometimes you catch those on the block updates at inopportune moments, and you file them away assuming nothing is imminent. But with this tactic, you know something is. It's not necessarily now or never, but it's at least now or ... a couple hours from now.

Gotta be honest with you: I haven't personally tried this approach. For one thing, I'm afraid of looking like this, but most of all, I don't trust myself to follow through. It's kind of a one-shot deal if you don't. The whole boy who cried wolf thing. Politicians can get away with unkept promises, but Fantasy Baseball owners, they remember.

Still, I can see the merits of it, especially if you already have an offer you more or less like and just want to make sure you get all that you can.

7. Keep the content of negotiations private

I actually got a tweet about this one the other day:

I don't think it's unethical, really. I just don't think it's wise. It's done in the interest of getting the absolute most out of a trade, but it could backfire by compromising leverage.

If someone knows exactly what he has to beat, he might offer less than he otherwise would. Or if no one else gets in on the action, the initial deal could fall through once the other guy sees he doesn't have to pay so much.

Meanwhile, you risk creating animosity by sharing discussions that were presumed to be private. If you can get away with it, more power to you, but I have a feeling after a time or two the league might impose a silent boycott.

Even if you're holding a bidding war between two owners, going back and forth in pursuit of the best offer, I'd hesitate to share the exact details of the offer to beat. You could suggest what more it would take to topple it or even drop hints as to what it might contain. "I'm able to get a true ace with this other offer but not with yours." That's fine. But the moment you drop an actual name, you expose the other owner, which might be viewed as a breach of trust if it ever got back to him.

It might help things move a little faster, I guess, but otherwise, I don't see the upside to it.

8. Be honest

It's amazing how people respond to a little honesty, especially during a process that's normally so guarded.

I realize most of these suggestions promote that guardedness, and yeah, in the feeling-each-other-out stages, you might want to keep your innermost thoughts and feelings close to the vest, sort of like on a first date. But for the relationship to blossom, you eventually have to open up a bit and reveal your fears and concerns.

I'm talking once it gets to the point where you and your perspective match (talking trades again here, in case it isn't clear) are sending emails back and forth, really getting into the nitty-gritty of a possible deal.

A little ...

"I like Yoenis Cespedes in theory, but I just can't deal with the headache."

or

"I'm afraid if I give up Addison Russell now, I'll hate myself in two years."

... goes a long way. Talk candidly about the state of your team (while avoiding commentary on his, of course), and you'll see his tone soften as well.

Why? You're letting your defenses down! You're being real! You're being chummy! You're no longer a fact-spewing machine, but a confidant. People are much more agreeable when they're talking to a friend than when they're addressing a courtroom.

And no, I'm not suggesting manipulative behavior ... not completely, anyway. One of the great things about Fantasy Baseball is how two otherwise strangers can bond over a silly, make-believe trade. My most memorable moments playing this game aren't the championships won but the relationships forged along the way, and trading is a big part of that. You don't want create bad will in the process, and it doesn't further your objectives anyway.

So yeah, go out and win every deal you make, but understand that every one you make is laying the groundwork for the next one and the one after that.