[NoOne]

2.5m may sign... anything above that with a hard cap comes down to all the other factors that are relevant -- which are those? well, i can only use common sense same as you.

basically, it's out of your hands at $5M. the personality and all the other factors will tilt the needle one way or another.

with a hard cap, sometimes quantity over quantity is a better path, but not always. if i really like a single player i'll splurge all on him for sure. otherwise i am looking to get 3-4 players each year, minimum. Even with no hard cap i do it this way. i'd rather selectively spend like a drunken sailor than just do it every other year...

i find basing my big spending upon the depth of IAFA class works well. the deeper the class, the more likey i am to spend on 1 that looks like a stud.

Doubling current offer is safe and easy... if penny-pinching, you want to take some risk with timing of offer... late enough for them to get low-bids but not too late that they get signed. the displayed demand and what they say in negotiations are not always teh same... it may say "2M" demand, but due to poor bids and time since IAFA began, the demand in the negotiation screen may be significantly lower than what is displayed. (or higher, for that matter)