[McGuiser]

Tangerine asked: "When negotiating with players on contracts or extensions how hardball can you be with players? Does it vary?"

I have never had any real success playing hardball, with the slight exception that mediocre minor league players who demand a salary (but do not get one) sometimes stay on your roster with minor league salaries, without your having offered or their having accepted.

And Tangerine asked: "When trading for prospects what should I be looking for - is it the higher the potential rating as possible?"

In general, yes, but look for anomalies. If your league has very few CLs, a pretty bad CL might have impressive actual and potential ratings. Look for the specific pitching or batting potentials.

If the specifics of any prospect look weak but the overall potential looks high, be wary. Be wary of players whose high potential might be based on multiple-position versatility (that might not matter to you) or on speed (not very useful for players who cannot get on base).

My guess is that ignoring "gap power" helps evaluate batters.