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Old 04-07-2018, 01:58 AM   #10
itsmb8
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Join Date: Jan 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LegalEagle80 View Post
I love the game, but the unrealistic free agent contracts are killing the immersion for me. Please note, I'm not interested in the discussion of whether a player should be making $25+ million a year. In today's MLB, that's the reality of a very good player. Bryce Harper is going to make over $35 million a year in his next contract, whether you like it or not.

That said, I've simmed the 2018 season a few times now. Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson and Clayton Kershaw were all free agents. Kershaw signed first, at $32 million per year for 6 years with the Mets. That was realistic (even though in real life he's almost certainly going to stay a Dodger). In January, Harper signed for $18 million a year for 4 years with the Brewers. Machado signed for 4 years at $17 per with Tampa Bay. Donaldson signed for 4 years, $11 million during spring training in March with Minnesota. Zach Britton and Andrew Miller were still unsigned during spring training, and had dropped their demands below $10 million per season and would sign a 1-year deal.

I think the issue is that the AI teams spend all their money early on (or at least offer pending contracts to so many players that they effectively are locked out of using their money to meet a superstar's demand), so that no teams actually have any money left to sign a superstar. Kershaw's contract was realistic because he signed 2 days into free agency. The rest of the players went into January, February and March without signing. By then, their demands were at least 50% lower because nobody had any money left, and thus small market teams were able to sign them.

This breaks immersion for me. Superstars should sign early and/or their demands should mostly be met. They also shouldn't be interested in signing with a small market team that isn't contending generally, just because that's the way the modern MLB works. Superstars aren't going to Minnesota, Tampa and Milwaukee in free agency.
David Stearns for President!!!
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