My second bite at the first impression thread
since I've only just begun to actually play v19 (had to finish playoffs in my last v18 game before importing).
I'm in the off season just getting to the rule 5 draft. Transactions have been tightened up to a much more realistic level. There have been a number of trades over my whole league and as I look them over I think to myself "that makes perfect sense".
I've got arms in the minors ready to make the jump to the show but my staff is loaded. Looking to trade for a 3b prospect to replace my all-star 3b in a couple of years. Find the 39th overall rated prospect with Miami and offer a 24 yr old SP (40\55 on the 20\80 scale by 5's) with only 30 days of mlb service that would slip right into their rotation, and since they have need for an IF add a middling kind of guy (40\40) to sweeten the pot. Not enough they say. I'm on average\neutral settings and wonder if things are tightened up too much?
I move onto the crosstown White Sox and approach them about their top 3b prospect 20\55, 24th overall, a nice upgrade over who I tried to get from Miami. I offer the same package 24 yr SP 40\55 and 30 yr 40\40 2b(who may start for them too). Their short on cash so $700k included from me evens their budget and they take the deal with a smile. This alone is very cool to see IE a different team and GM placing an entirely different value to the transaction but wait, there's more.
I sent them $700k as they were short on cash but.. the next day they sign two high priced FA. They were short on cash because they had offers out and their money earmarked for those deals. Took advantage of me, the shysters
All good though as I got what I wanted and so did they.
The trade made perfect sense for both clubs and the best thing is I think it highlights how differently individual GMs now act. Miami had just as much need as the White Sox for this deal and yet they turned it down while the WS jumped on it quickly with an even better player.
I've also been offered 5 or 6 trades and only one of those was the "yeah, get out of here with that stuff" garbage. The rest have been very good value offers that could be seen as a win\win for both clubs. The one I took Colorado offered a 25 yr old 7-7-5-4-7 50\60 1b to me as they are loaded at 1b. They wanted my lights out 70\70 setup guy and a SP prospect 22yrs 20\55. I countered with a MLB starter 26yrs 50\50 and a C prospect 22 20\50 and they took the deal. The sp fills the 3 or 4 spot immediately and they now have a C on the rise in a minor league system that had no C prospect with a real chance of making the show.
Right now a very small sample size in my firs off season, I know, but FA signings and trades I'm seeing sure seem to be showing much improved AI transactions across the board.
Game gets better and better year after year
