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Originally Posted by tejdog1
For example, if you've got a hitter in AAA, who's older, but hits for power or something, maybe the AI comes to you with "I've noticed that your 28 year old AAA first baseman, Jerry Gates, is hitting .304/.463/.491/.954, and has a reputation for being a power hitter. We have a need for such a player, and would be open to trading for him, within reason. Please make us an offer."
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It's a good idea in general but I think your first example is too complex and not a logical sequence for a minor trade for a fringe player. There is also the question of sensitivity. If a fringe MLB/AAA player generates an AI offer spontaneously how do you calibrate the AI so that you don't have hundreds of offers for all of the better players? It's much more likely that the team with the fringe player would initiate the offer and the other team would then determine if the need was worth the price asked. Spontaneous AI offers should occur for higher value transactions.
At the low level above the AI should just make a specific offer. If the need is urgent enough to prompt an offer it should know the value required to fill that need and make it easy for the other team to say yes. In the example above the AI is fishing, a practice that's frowned upon when initiating a transaction. The response of the contacted team should be "what offer"? You called us!
I've read several anecdotes noting that RL GM's will not respond to an inquiry that doesn't come with a player list. Typically it goes, "I like player X we could give you any one of players A B or C". The onus is on the inquiring team to show its cards first. That allows the second team to decide if they are interested in any trade before they reveal information about how they value players on both teams. It also allows them to raise the stakes on the team making the inquiry to squeeze more value out of the transaction.
I think this applies to any set of logical transactions in business.
Quote:
Originally Posted by tejdog1
Or even: "We notice you have a starting pitcher in AAA, but your major league rotation is full of quality arms. We would be interested in exploring a trade for one of your excess arms, either in your major league rotation, or your AAA pitcher. Please contact us."
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Again that's fishing and is not common AFAIK. The response would be "who are you offering". The contacted team gains nothing by identifying players on the other team first. This gives them a relative value that may facilitate a trade with a third team. The contacted team has no motivation to identify what "excess arms" may be available on their team without seeing what the other team has to offer first.
I realize this isn't real life but having the AI fish would not help AI trades IMO. FWIW I have made good trades out of bad AI offers. Improving the opening value of AI offers would be my first request. Not giving players up but making the value just enough to make it interesting
My big beef with the AI is the complete evaluation vacuum that seems to exist in the various routes to a trade. Players on waivers or DFA should be easy to trade for. Players on the trading block should not be evaluated the same as your all star SS. Nothing is more annoying than to get the "you have no players" message for a player the AI has in AAA and on the trading block.
Also as indicated above the team initiating a trade should always be in an inferior position with respect to value. Currently AI offers rarely meet that requirement.