This is not a sexy trade, and so this trade does not require a sexy introduction. You want a sexy trade? Read about my Carlos Gonzalez deal from a week ago.You want an honest, hard-working, blue-collar, Diamondbacks, god-fearing trade? Take a look at some of the work I did in the trenches this week to upgrade several areas of my team, trading this time with Jason Hunt of FakeTeams.

I give: Domingo Santana (OF, HOU), Ronny Rodriguez (INF, CLE), Darren O’Day (RP, BAL), fifth-round draft pick
I get: Joakim Soria (RP, TEX), A.J. Pierzynski (C, BOS), Mark Reynolds (1B/3B, MIL)

The logic behind some of these decisions is obvious, but I’ll give a brief explanation as to why I acquired these players nonetheless.

Soria: I started the season with Joe Nathan and Jim Johnson as my closers, with Luke Gregerson and Darren O’Day also in my bullpen. Johnson has been a god damn tire fire, and Nathan’s had some rough patches too, but at least his job is safe.

In a league like TDGX, where half the teams have already thrown in the towel, it’s quite easy to make a big jump in the standings when it comes to saves. That’s why I acquired Joe Smith last week and Soria this week, adding between 25-40 saves to my team if all goes right. Add in the handful I should get from Gregerson, and I should finish in the Top 10 in this league in saves.

Pierzynski: Joe Mauer is my catcher in this league, and that is a good thing. But Mauer will not be eligible as a catcher next season, and I have no one in my organization who will qualify. Pierzynski is old and isn’t terrific, but he extends my lineup this year when he’s hot, letting me place Mauer at a CI spot, and he gives me some flexibility for 2015, too. If he can hit .270 with 12 homers and solid RBI totals, he’s a more valuable fantasy asset than people realize in a 20-teamer.

Reynolds: “JFC, why would you willingly acquire Reynolds?!” you may fairly ask. Because I need power quite badly. Josh Willingham and Carlos Quentin – two bats I was relying on for cheap pop this year – have done nothing. David Wright, Hunter Pence and Robinson Cano aren’t hitting for much pop. I need it, and Reynolds gives it to me in spades. With a ton of .300-plus hitters on my team, I can absorb his average if he gives me 25 bombs.

Santana: This one hurt. I was hugely proud of my ability to acquire Santana in the CarGo deal, and he was one of the few prospects I had left who could’ve contributed to my core in short order. Instead, I owned him for about five days. DomSan, I hardly knew ye, but I still feel like this is a deal I had to make.

O’Day: I talked Jason into acquiring O’Day since there’s a chance he could close at some point this year, and then Jason would have another closer to flip. I think it’s unlikely – Buck Showalter has said many times he wants O’Day as his set-up man – but it’s possible.

Rodriguez: He’s nothing special in a league of this size. I picked up Chelsor Cuthbert, Dalton Pompey and Jake Thompson with the MiLB spots that opened up to me from dealing Santana and Rodriguez and promoting Wilmer Flores. I like RonRod, but he’s utterly replaceable.

Fifth-round pick: Late-round picks are being dramatically overvalued in TDGX right now. You can talk me into buying that the first ~30 picks have significant value, since they’ll give owners the chance to grab players from the 2014 draft, new international names (think Almedys Diaz) and some decent prospects who other players have to drop. Much past that number and you’re looking at second-rounders, guys in RonRod territory and bench pieces. I threw this in without much thought.

So there you have it. In the past two weeks, I’ve added CarGo, Soria, Smith, Reynolds, Pierzynski, Denorfia and Vincent Velasquez to my team. I’ve gutted my farm system of prospects in the upper minors to do so, but I’m pleased with that haul. And in Pompey, Cuthbert and Thompson, I’m adding some respectable names to my farm once again.

I’m currently in seventh place, but there’s not much that separates me from being in fifth place in the blink of an eye, especially with the ground I’m poised to make up in steals and homers. It’s been a somewhat painful process, yes, but FFF.