Those in keeper leagues need to decide when to go for it and when to build for next year. The Powell Doctrine can help you make that decision.

In a keeper fantasy league, the annual question that teams face is whether to go for a championship in the current season or trade for the future. That dilemma is the thing that vaults dynasty leagues to the top of the heap and what makes them so far superior to leagues that re-draft each year.

Part of the appeal of fantasy leagues is the chance to play general manager and prove to everyone you could do a better job than most of the guys running pro sport teams. And this question of compete or dump is one that real GMs face each year, too.

I am in a keeper league that started in 1984. My first year in the league was 1992, when I took over the worst franchise in the league. I took my team name, the Miracle, because one of the existing owners told me that if I ever got that team to compete, it would be a miracle.

I took my lumps for several years. My team was the butt of everyone’s jokes and I did my part as a new owner by regularly contributing to the league’s coffers. But I stuck it out and built a powerhouse and now fine tune my roster each year.

Entering the 2007 season, my team seemed perfect. Stars filled my team, the vast majority of which were either in their prime or youngsters on the rise. The past few seasons I had completed trades where I seemingly gave up just a little more than I received, but I had an eye on making my team younger and was willing to give up a little to make that happen.

So, of course, the injury bug hit my team. I was already without Pedro Martinez and then proceeded to lose Chris Carpenter, BJ Ryan and Brett Myers. Dontrelle Willis had a poor year and Jered Weaver was off to a slow start. My pitching staff was in shambles and I faced the prospect of a non-money finish.

Other owners asked about Barry Bonds, Torii Hunter and Gil Meche. Was it time to sell high on those guys or was it time to mortgage my farm system to get back in the money?

After much deliberation, I decided that flags fly forever and that I wanted to get not only a money spot but a first-place finish. I was like Omar Minaya when he ran the Expos, selling off top prospects like they grew on trees.

My first deal was Ryan Braun and Chris Carpenter for J.J. Putz. I already had David Wright at third base but dealing Braun was a tough pill to swallow. But I made this trade because it was with an owner that I enjoy a good trading relationship. I took him to the cleaners on our last deal and I wanted to make sure that we could enjoy a productive trading relationship in the future. I would not have traded Braun to any other owner in the league.

Next up was a flip of Billy Butler, Brett Myers, BJ Upton and Joey Votto for Orlando Hernandez, Gary Sheffield and John Smoltz. Well, so much for my young squad. But Myers was on the disabled list with no firm timetable for his return and Butler and Votto did not appear to be getting to the majors before September and then it would have been too late. Upton was tough to deal but I felt like his BABIP was going to catch up with him plus I had Brian Roberts for second base.

Finally I pulled the trigger on Justin Upton and Nick Johnson for Jason Isringhausen. I hemmed and hawed about this one but I rolled the dice that Izzy’s impressive assortment of injuries would stay at bay, at least for the remainder of the 2007 season.

I gave up a massive amount of talent in an attempt to win the title this season. But once I made the decision to play for this year, I followed the Powell Doctrine. According to the Powell Doctrine, these questions need an affirmative answer before undertaking military action.

Is a vital national security interest threatened?
My vital interest was to remain one of the top teams in the league.

Do we have a clear attainable objective?
I wanted to finish in the money for the 12th time in the past 13 years.

Have the risks and costs been fully and frankly analyzed?
The main risk was trading away the future and not finishing in the money. There was the additional risk of finishing in the money but so damaging my future hopes as to make the deals not worthwhile.

Have all other non-violent policy means been fully exhausted?
A bribe to our stat keeper was unsuccessful.

Is there a plausible exit strategy to avoid endless entanglement?
No fantasy owner wants to end up like the “Over the Hill Gang” of the Washington Redskins, who were constantly forced to trade rookies and draft picks for veterans to sustain their run at the top. I had enough confidence in my drafting talents to secure the next Ryan Braun and Justin Upton.

Have the consequences of our action been fully considered?
One of the key things I worried about was if making these lopsided deals would hurt me in future trades. Would owners refuse to give me full value for my players because I demonstrated the willingness to take less in this mad dash for a money finish? Ultimately I decided that I had the negotiating skills necessary to make fair trades and the patience to walk away from a bad deal. I expect owners to lowball me with future trade proposals. I also expect they will not be shocked when I politely decline their attempts at fleecing me.

Is the action supported by the American people?
My fan base expects a money finish.

Do we have genuine broad international support?
The owner in first place was a relative newcomer to our league. Nobody wanted to see him finish first.

Ultimately, my plan worked. The players I acquired vaulted me into first place. These deals should not hamper my team, as it is still young enough to contend in the immediate future, but I have a lot of work to do to replace Braun, Butler, Upton and Votto.

Another part of the Powell Doctrine is that once one makes the decision to go to war to go in with decisive force. I made the decision to go for the flag in 2007 and did not look back. I did not play it half way. I gave up a lot of future talent but that is what it took to meet the objective.

I achieved my short-term objective of a first-place finish. History will determine if the victory was worth the cost.

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