Hi guys,
Michael Henderson, new owner of the Denver team here (is it possible to change the location?).
While i've grown into a big baseball fan in my 6+ years in the US, and can talk quite knowledgably about the game itself, one aspect of it that i've never followed very closely is the intricacies of the player market, such as trades, drafting, waivers, Rule 5, etc., etc. Each season, i basically ignore that aspect of MLB. I'm really looking forward to playing in the OOTP league, but i think it's going to be a steep learning curve for me.
I've been looking over my free agents and trying to decide who to keep, and hopefully i've made some decent decisions, but if anyone has any general advice i'd be happy to hear it. Especially regarding how to decide how much to offer each player. How does the bidding work on free agents, if more than one team is interested? And do i get preferential treatment in re-signing my own free agents, or is it a free-for-all in which i compete equally with everyone else?
Also, i'm not quite sure how the issue of money works in the game. I've installed OOTP 6.5 and have been looking around in the program (i don't yet have a password, so i can't actually change settings for my team), and it's not clear to me how i determine just how much money i have to spend on players.
Also, are all trades proposed and agreed to over email? Or is this also done within the program interface? And is there a general schedule of events (signing of free agents, draft, etc.)?
Sorry for all the questions, but i really want to get into this and do it properly, so if you can help me work this stuff out, i'd be most appreciative. And if there's a general rules page or something online, please point me in the right direction. Looking forward to playing.
cheers,
michael.
Michael, welcome!
ReplyDeleteYes, you'll be able to change your team's name (and location) once Zev gives you the password. It's in the Team Setup screen, the same screen from which you'll upload your team changes to the FTP server.
If you don't know much about the financial aspects of the MLB, then you're in for a bit of a shock as to how much you'll learn, and learn quickly.
Free agents are finicky. They'll typically go for the best offer (financially), but sometimes they behave erratically and randomly, such as accepting a lower priced contract for no discernible reason. Until Zev flips us over to the new season, you have exclusive rights with your players. Once Free Agency starts, you are on equal ground with the rest of us. I don't think the AI in the game is smart enough to recognize that John Doe played for you last year, and is thus more willing to give a "hometown discount" in free agency. So, if there's someone you really want to resign, try to do so before the season flips to 2011. At the same time, sometimes players expect outrageous amounts of money, and you can sign him at a bargain if you wait. But, that's not the norm, and, of course, there are 11 other owners who may bid on that player. Take advantage of the exclusivity you have now.
As far as finding out how much money you have, the web page for your team is an excellent source (and, conveniently for me, easily accessible anywhere, whereas my copy of the game is only installed on my home computer). Your Financial Report tells you that you have over $40 million to spend on resigning your free agents. That's quite a bit of money. That reflects, basically, the money that will be coming off your payroll next season by the players you won't resign and the amount of left over money you have from this season (your profit, in other words).
Your salary report likewise tells you a lot about your finances. Players eligible for arbitration are listed with their estimated arbitration settlements. Keep in mind that "arbitration" isn't done in the "I offer this/you want that" sense like it is in the real world. The game assigns a value to the player and that's how the arbitration rate is given. For example, Paul Shunk, your star outfielder, is eligible for arbitration, and will get about $5.1 million next year. If I were you, I'd try to offer him a long-term deal at more than $5.1 million per year. It'll cost you more next year, but he's the kind of player you want to keep as you rebuilt your team.
(Or, you can trade him to me. I'd make a rather attractive offer if you want to deal him.)
And, speaking of trades. Yes, they're all done via e-mail (or IM). Some trades come about quickly, but others can take weeks of real-time to complete. Before the 2009 season, Mack (Seattle) and I made a blockbuster deal that took over 50 e-mails back and forth, over about two weeks, to complete. And, after all that, we had to make a follow-up deal to include a player that was mysteriously and accidentally excluded from the original trade.
I hope this helps. Please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions, or if you want to talk trade with me.
Best of luck, and have fun!
-- Michael / Los Angeles (formerly South Bay, Florida, and Stockholm: Yes, I know all about how to change the team's name in the game!)
Well, Michael gave you pretty specific information. I'll just fill in some of the gaps.
ReplyDeleteWith regard to player salaries, it usually helps to look at other players at the same position that are similarly rated. You can expect your 3.5 star C to want a similar salary to another 3.5 star C. Of course, you have to watch out for owners who sometimes overpay (and it has been known to happen in this league).
Once the new season stars, you have to compete for free agents with everyone else. You may have a bit of a handicap, in that some players will only want to go to winning teams. You will have to try to improve your team before everyone will want to flock to you (or, look at it this way, who goes to the Devil Rays willingly?). Paul, the owner of the New York franchise, has done an admirable job of taking an expansion franchise and bringing it respectability.
Trades are done via email or IM with other owners. When you agree on a trade, both owners have to email the trade to me and someone should post it on the blog. The trading season is from January 1 through July 31. You can negotiate a trade now, if you like, but I can't put it through until I flip to the new season.
I'll post a "pre-season schedule" in the next couple of days, so that you know what to expect. The first task you'll have to face, once we flip to the new season, is the hiring of coaches.
Zev
Oh, yeah, coach signings. Michael, remember everything I said about free agent signings? Forget it, at least in terms of coach signings.
ReplyDeleteThere are only five days of coach signings, but it's a blind day-to-day auction. If you want Joe Smith to be your pitching coach, you better hope your initial bid is higher than mine, or New York's, or Seattle's, because you only have one chance to bid on him.
And, there are coaches that "want a challenge," so they'll be more likely to accept your bid (or, let you bid) than they will let the more successful teams bid.
That's how come you'll see coaches making $2 million a year. You don't have a chance to outbid another owner for him, like you do with free agents. You bid blindly, and pray you didn't get underbid (or, that you didn't overbid too much).
Needless to say, coach signing is the worst part of the game experience, in my opinion.
Everything above is good advice. Just one proviso. When considering whether or not to bid of hitting coach William Kroeker, bid something very, very low.
ReplyDelete[fingers crossed behind back]
I know I won't be bidding much to retain my "legendary" hitting coach.
[/fingers crossed behind back]
P.S. Why the heck can't you re-sign your impending coach free agents? It's ludicrous.
That IS a little whack, it's true. But otherwise we'd have another 30 days of coaching FA or something.
ReplyDeleteA tip for the NEWB, and one meant sincerely (unlike these other poseurs)...
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR MINOR LEAGUE MANAGERS.
Your most reliable source of good, cheap players is your farm system. All the potential in the world won't get you anywhere without coaches who can turn potential into player. So make sure your minor league managers can improve your players ability.
Also, for FA and other player-relation contacts: All players have ratings for how much they like each team. They remember playing there, winning, previous contract negotiations, and other things. That, plus the players personality (wants to win, $$$, whatever) impacts, sometimes strongly, how a player will react to your team (as well as other teams). It's a set of complex variables for each interaction.
Do players really remember where they've played? In my experience, they haven't.
ReplyDelete