[RchW]

I find some players do and some players don't which seems realistic in that it's not the same for every player. I get players who will only sign 1-year deals during arb and those that will go multi-year. Some want big $$ to sign arbitration year contracts others seem willing to give up $ for years. I think team success/player attributes have an effect on the latter. I use this nice mix as a tie breaker when working out my preferred trade chips.

Usually the players that won't go for a multi-year deal tip their hand by asking for $4-$6M more than the arbitration estimate. They can be bargained down but typically insist on 1-year deals. Often you just have to let arbitration run its course or trade them. If you find a guy who asks for similar money even +$1-$2M over the arbitration estimate, you can offer a back loaded deal that may be lower than the pending arbitration amount in the first 1-2 years. The key point is you have to project his future arbitration number through the rest of the contract. For example a player with a pending $4.5M arb may sign for $4-$5-$7-$9M or $4-$6-$7-$8M. Team options do work but not as well as real life.

There's obviously a risk involved with multi-year deals to young players. You need to be objective about certain skills (especially defense) that could leave you stuck with an un-tradeable asset.

If the player won't take less than the arbitration estimate but seems worth the money just flatten out the $ over the remaining years. I can't recall a player ever taking less in a succeeding year if the contract covers his arbitration.