Quote:
Originally Posted by jpeters1734
well, my rotation have never been the same. I usually trade my SP at the first sign of decline. My current rotation are 22,24,26,28,28. Only 2 players have contracts over the minumum. This is possible by my deep farm. I have been able to move players once they hit arbitration for more great prospects and bring up my next rookie. That has helped keep payroll down.
The same really goes for my hitters. Most of my starters, I traded for as prospects and I keep repeating the cycle. The trades that I make are fair so I don't want to handicap that.
I have thought about reducing my budget, but that doesn't really make real world sense, unless I have my owner "sell" the team to a penny-pincher. I'm toying with the idea of lowering arbitration to 2 years and FA at 4 years.
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Let your guys age. It makes a big difference. I kind of role play in my 19th and early 20th centuries leagues. I don't drop fan favorites even when they can hardly field any more. A guy still hitting around .300 but no defense will hurt you and they don't always retire when they should. I have had guys that were stars for so long that it would cause as much backlash as if the Astros had traded Biggio in the early 2000s. I let them play as long as they want because it kills my fan interest to get rid of them. Not that fan interest hurts so much when I am winning a lot. I have seen 100 win teams go to below .500 because I had a couple of over the hill stars who had decent bats still but couldn't field anything.
Remember real teams have faced and will continue to face this problem. Do you take a hit in ticket sales by ticking off your fan base for cutting a fan favorite or take your lumps and let him realize his playing days are over. Remember Babe Ruth, Nolan Ryan, and Roger Clemens were putting butts in the seats way past their prime. Granted none of these guys had declined to the level of some of my 19th century plays who have no fielding ratings any more but can still swing a bat or pitchers who have declined but trying to eek out that last milestone.