[NoOne]

all the due dilligence and more that battists said and alluded to...

is it a player high quality? good value or at least near? age isn't a problem?

it really does come down to efficient spending of money. if it's a good investment, you should almost always sign them long-term, when they are interested. somtimes you can wait a year, sometimes they might not be interested "next year," etc...

if you can afford overspending and have a window that fits, you should also sign those guys with an eye to get out of it when needed.

good contracts are easy to trade, if necessary. hopefully it's an older, previous long-term extension that isn't too old or too cumbersome of a contract to unload... smart spending required.

you don't get as much back, but it is way easier to find partners early in offseason as opposed to nearing opening day when they budgets are spent. if needed, you can trade for a salary dump with 1year heavery contracts coming in return, and less good stuff overall in return too, if at all. you can avoid that and just get prospects or a needed replacement etc.

learn how many 'big' 'medium' or whatever sized contracts your market size and max revenue can afford. if you know you can only afford 4-5 max contract type guys and you sign a sixth (likely high # of young players that will soon be expensive), you know you have to trade someone before it becomes a problem. (apply that to situations with mix of high/medium end guys etc)

you may differ, but i focus on maxing most # of high-end guys that are durable. talent distribution is a pryamid... that means the further you go out from average, the talent increases at greater incremental rates. a very small market may be a good context to deviate from maxing # high-end guys. even there, if you can get a HoF bomber, you should pay them, even if it's a large contract.

i'd look up threads on maximizing revenues... you can and should escalate ticket prices as much as possible in any year you are winning and expect to win next year... and just because it will inherently increase your budget-size the next year, even if owner has some control.