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Fantasy baseball: How to seal the deal and win your league

Trading away an All-Star reliever like Camilo Doval for practically nothing in return may be the smartest move you can make. Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The MLB trade deadline is fewer than two weeks away, but most fantasy leagues have a later date until which wheeling and dealing can get done, including ESPN which allows trades through Friday, August 18. To help you figure out what trades you should be thinking about making, here are five tips to help facilitate discussion with between you and the rest of your league.

The best trades help both teams

Too many individuals will agree to a deal only if they believe that they will win the trade. The measuring stick they use is usually projected value, but in category-based leagues, value doesn't always manifest in points. What matters is the ability to gain points across as many categories as possible without sacrificing ground in other categories. Thinking about trades in terms of "winning or losing" is a mistake. It's all about improving your team's chances to win, or at least to move up in the standings. The best trades accomplish this goal for all involved, at least from each team manager's individual perspective.