Ethics question

[quicksilver8]

This scenario came up in my league (same 10 guys play every year, you could call us friends) this past season and I wanted thoughts on it:

My team was in the hunt for first place coming up to the trade deadline in our league (Aug 15th I think). I needed saves in order to make up the most points and finish in first. I was hanging out with my friend and fellow owner and he asked me what he thought he should do to possibly get up near the money (3rd place or better). I told him trade some closers for hr/rbi guys. He agreed. I didn't have any power to trade to him. He looked at the standings and said "I'd like to get Jeff Kent. My second basemen suck. Maybe I'll try to get him."

The guy that has Jeff Kent is the guy directly in front of me in saves...so if he gets closers for Kent, I'm screwed. I wait a couple of days and no Kent deal yet. So I offer some pitching for Kent and get him. My friend was pissed off. I told my friend, "Dude, I will totally trade you Kent for a closer." He said "Fine, make the offer."
SO I make the offer and he doesn't respond for a couple of days. I hear from another guy in the league that my friend is offering closers around to people, including the closer he is supposed to trade me. So I get nervous about the trade deadline and I trade Kent to another guy for a closer. My friend gets super pissed.

Did I act unethically? My main concern was that I used "inside info" that he wanted Kent...?

[quietstorm]

It's not inside info. He's a fellow owner, he told you what he wanted. Period.

[chadlincoln]

It's all insider info. If others in your league wanted to they could call up other managers and talk and see what other guys want and try to make moves. You were nother more than a more than active fantasy baseball owner. Nothing wrong. No deals are made until that accept button is clicked so everything is all talk until the deal is made official.

[RugbyD]

My league talks all the time unless explicitly asked/told not to. Its not all blabbering though, there's definitely a strategy to be played in managing your fantasy political capital.

[SCARPARIELLI]

I maybe, maybe would have let him know that you had an offer on the table for Kent as a sort of "last call", but it would have been more to flesh out the best trade for me than out of deference to him. Of course, I would have made it sound like I wanted to give him right of first refusal on Kent...
Is he still pissed?

[Iconoclastic]

Now you know what it feels like to be a politician.

[kentx12]

You did nothing wrong. Noone should be upset there.

[bigken117]

Out of respect, when me or my friends are working on trades with other owners in our league, we always say "no toe steppin" meaning if I say I'm trying to buy low on Vernon Wells, don't go and make an offer when you leave here.

But you should have said "I'll get Kent and trade him to you for a closer" or let him know you were going to go after him. What you did isn't unethical, like trading an injured player to an unknowing owner, but I personally wouldn't have done it unless the guy who told me he wanted Kent knew.

[ayebatter]

I see nothing wrong here - you offered to make him part of a three way deal and he didn't respond - just remember next time you ask your wife/girlfriend/significant other to be part of a three way - she might get mad at you if you don't include her.

[Arlo]

Fantasy baseball: a game of intrigue, deception, and suspense!

(But no, you didn't do anything unethical here as far as I can tell.)