We may well be one week removed from the major league trade deadline, but the fantasy league trade winds are still blowing. Even so, finding a dance partner can be difficult, especially this late in the season when no one wants to make a mistake. The best deals usually take place when both parties feel they've improved their team and one of the best pathways to consummating a swap of this nature is giving your competitor a solid reason to believe that they're the team coming out ahead.
In other words, you need to frame a deal such that you appear to be acquiring a lesser player. A common means of doing this is by dealing from strength in order to improve a weakness. Maybe you have an excess of saves but need a boost in runs and RBIs, and the ESPN Player Rater ranks the closer you're dealing higher than the batter you're acquiring.
Most experienced fantasy managers are well versed in this type of negotiation. Unfortunately, it's not always possible to find the perfect match, so other means are needed to pull off a trade. Focusing on the notion of acquiring a perceived inferior player, here are two suggestions.