Signings:
- Philadelphia signed SP Alejandro Baez to a one-year extension for $3.65m
- Philadelphia signed 1B Manuel Hidalgo to a one-year extension for $6.35m
- Philadelphia signed SP Tian-bai Chen (Mepkin Abbey) - 7 years / $305m
- Atlanta signed SP Felipe Martinez (Highland) - minor league contract
(Yes, I've been busy.)
League News:
- We are now in the Pre-Season. This means you can set your ticket prices, plus your scouting and player development budgets. You have until Spring Training starts to do so.
- I re-renamed the former Rookie League the Low A league.
- I set the AAA, AA, and A league schedules to be 140 games long, starting on April 2nd.
- As Low A is not yet in the pre-season, its schedule has not been updated.
Next Sim: Zev has got the conn on Saturday night as we enter the pre-season. Start making your spring training plans!
Man, I was only $270 million away from getting Tian-bai Chen. I knew I should have thrown in another team option year.. dang!
ReplyDeleteI knew Chen wasn't going to be cheap, but I naively thought when the offseason started I could get him for 5x$25.
DeleteI offered him 5 years and 175 lol but options on years 3-5.
ReplyDeleteI also had my hat in the Chen ring, but nowhere near that much.
ReplyDeleteChen, for me, was the once-a-decade free agent like Grondin was ten or so years ago. I didn't necessarily need him, but I believe that the most important element to success in this game is starting pitching, and it's best to build on your strength when possible.
ReplyDeleteSo, I targeted him as my prime objective this offseason. Sure, I also signed Nicholson (to compete for a bench role) and Kim (to compete for a bullpen role), but those were easy signings -- I was willing to be outbid on them, and fortunately wasn't.
Once Fred started outbidding me on Chen, I had to get creative with my offers. I didn't want, originally, to guarantee five years, but Chen is only 27 now, so his team option years are when he's 31 and 32. As long as he doesn't get hurt (never an easy thing to say) he should remain very good-to-dominant starter.
His contract is also favorable to me. I consider the $60m this year as his normal $35m annual contract with a $25m "signing bonus" since I had the money to spend. I'm going to have quite a few players reaching arbitration in the coming season, so I couldn't give him the $45m annually he wanted. And, with years 6 and 7 being $50m team options, I can (and plan to) cut bait in 2035, with prospects Leach, Aquino, and now Griffith taking over the ace role.