Budget in the red

storm427 · 03-25-2007, 10:35 AM

I am missing some key concept about financials I think. I started a fic league, and adopted myself to a team. We are in the red, and my owner won't let me spend anymore. What I don't understand is that we were also in the red at the end of "last season" (which didn't exist obviously).

Is the idea here that last year we had some budget and team revenue didn't meet expectations? Once this year is over, will my balance sheet never again go red (will my owner theoretically only allow me to spend my budget going forward)? If I set to "win now" rather than neutral, will I be more likely to be able to spend beyond the budget? Where does the money come from when I'm in debt?

I've seen in other threads that I can fiddle with some of the settings to get back to even or ahead, but that's not my point. I'm interested in playing within the constraints that for better or worse I started with; I just don't understand the concepts. I've referred to the game manual and the 06 guide but they don't really get into the theory, just the screen itself and the definitions.

Ryan W. · 03-25-2007, 11:18 AM

To answer your question about where does the money come from when you are in the red, you have to assume it is coming out of the owners pocket. Now, we don't know who this mysterious owner is (next year?) other than getting an email from him at the beginning of the season on his expectations and what type of budget you have, but you have to assume he has means.

Now, my theory is that your owner will let you spend quite a bit if he believes you are a contender, therefore making the playoffs and the revenue that comes with it should make up for the costs associated with it. If that team flops, your owner isn't going to want to continue to incur that cost (or maybe he will?) for seasons to come. He will want spending down so he can either break even or turn a profit.

I would love to know what the tendencies of the owner are. I would like the option to beg for a few more million from him and basically put your job on the line that this gamble will pay off. If it doesn't work out, you're gone. The concept of management/ownership clashes (think Joe Girardi getting fired by Jeffrey Loria after Girardi told him to shut up during a game) intrigues me. Someone on the boards seems to have found something like that where they got fired after sweeping the championship series. But we are not sure why he got fired. Maybe the owner wanted a World Series. You still hear of Joe Torre rumored to be fired despite winning all those World Series titles and making the playoffs every year. For Steinbrenner-type owners, that is not enough.

fhomess · 03-25-2007, 12:26 PM

When you've configured the game to have the owner controlling the budget, they owner will sometimes take money out of the team or even inject money into the team. The owners aren't always consistent from one team to the next in how much they meddle. Some owners are more patient than others. You're allowed to spend over your budget, but your owner isn't going to like you for it. If you do go in the red, then the money to get out of that will need to come from profits in a future season, unless the owner decides to put some of his own cash into the team. Being in the red will make it harder for you to sign or trade players.

I must say, I'm a bit confused that you started with your team in the red. I haven't seen that happen before.

storm427 · 03-25-2007, 03:42 PM

I drafted and as soon as the draft was over, I was -6million from the season before and that carried on to this season.

neojonas · 03-25-2007, 06:27 PM

You could reassign fictional budgets to the teams which might fix some of the team's red issues.

storm427 · 03-25-2007, 07:16 PM

In my OP I said (poorly) that I wanted to live with what I started, I just need to get my head around the ideas involved so I can figure my way out.

Curtis · 03-25-2007, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fhomess

I must say, I'm a bit confused that you started with your team in the red. I haven't seen that happen before.

Happened just the same way with me, except that I was over $13,000,000 in the red after my inaugural draft.

kenyan_cheena · 03-25-2007, 08:33 PM

I'm no expert on this, but could it have something to do with your average player salary compared to the league average? You appear to be spending a lot on your players.

storm427 · 03-25-2007, 09:12 PM

I didn't spend the money. Maybe that's the problem. I let the draft autocomplete after about 16 rounds, and everybody was under contract when I checked my team. There are some longer contracts, a couple of star players who are in the last year of their deal and refuse to negotiate, having stated their intent to test the free agent waters, etc.

As the draft proceeds, should I stop in between rounds and negotiate individually with each player? I assumed from the end results mentioned above that the game tries to simulate some past practices, rather than acting as if the league just spawned into existence and everyone is in the first year of their first contract, ever.

Curtis · 03-25-2007, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kenyan_cheena

I'm no expert on this, but could it have something to do with your average player salary compared to the league average?

Mine was about half again the league average.

Quote:

Originally Posted by storm427

I didn't spend the money. Maybe that's the problem. I let the draft autocomplete after about 16 rounds, and everybody was under contract when I checked my team.

Same with me, except that I autocompleted after 75 rounds (of 200).

Bishop · 03-26-2007, 02:36 AM

Aren't you supposed to "Assign Fictional Financials to Teams" after an inaugural draft, just because of this sort of thing?

Curtis · 03-26-2007, 03:21 AM

I guess I should check the manual to see if that's a change in 2007. In 2006 you would do that if you released all players and then held a draft, but not after an inaugural draft. The reason being that in 2006 the game engine didn't assign financials until after the inaugural draft.

Markus Heinsohn · 03-26-2007, 08:05 AM

The game automatically assigns fictional financials to the team after the draft. Unlike in previous versions, it is not guaranteed that you have $$ to work with in the first year. This is intentional and the a result of the better & more balanced financial algorythms.

Holy Toledo! · 03-26-2007, 09:06 AM

So, is there a way to modify the teams' payrolls?

I'm playing the Demo and I went against the draft option and instead opted for teams populated with players. I'm trying to play with Oakland and I like to have a small budget team, but I ended up with the 2nd largest budget. Is there a way to change this, so I can mimic MLB teams?

Markus Heinsohn · 03-26-2007, 09:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holy Toledo!

So, is there a way to modify the teams' payrolls?

I'm playing the Demo and I went against the draft option and instead opted for teams populated with players. I'm trying to play with Oakland and I like to have a small budget team, but I ended up with the 2nd largest budget. Is there a way to change this, so I can mimic MLB teams?

Sure, you can edit each team budgets when you are in commish mode...

03-25-2007, 10:35 AM	#1
storm427 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 85 Infractions: 0/1 (2)	Budget in the red I am missing some key concept about financials I think. I started a fic league, and adopted myself to a team. We are in the red, and my owner won't let me spend anymore. What I don't understand is that we were also in the red at the end of "last season" (which didn't exist obviously). Is the idea here that last year we had some budget and team revenue didn't meet expectations? Once this year is over, will my balance sheet never again go red (will my owner theoretically only allow me to spend my budget going forward)? If I set to "win now" rather than neutral, will I be more likely to be able to spend beyond the budget? Where does the money come from when I'm in debt? I've seen in other threads that I can fiddle with some of the settings to get back to even or ahead, but that's not my point. I'm interested in playing within the constraints that for better or worse I started with; I just don't understand the concepts. I've referred to the game manual and the 06 guide but they don't really get into the theory, just the screen itself and the definitions.

03-25-2007, 11:18 AM	#2
Ryan W. Jack of all trades Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Somewhere, not sure where. Maybe nearby, maybe far away. Posts: 1,371	To answer your question about where does the money come from when you are in the red, you have to assume it is coming out of the owners pocket. Now, we don't know who this mysterious owner is (next year?) other than getting an email from him at the beginning of the season on his expectations and what type of budget you have, but you have to assume he has means. Now, my theory is that your owner will let you spend quite a bit if he believes you are a contender, therefore making the playoffs and the revenue that comes with it should make up for the costs associated with it. If that team flops, your owner isn't going to want to continue to incur that cost (or maybe he will?) for seasons to come. He will want spending down so he can either break even or turn a profit. I would love to know what the tendencies of the owner are. I would like the option to beg for a few more million from him and basically put your job on the line that this gamble will pay off. If it doesn't work out, you're gone. The concept of management/ownership clashes (think Joe Girardi getting fired by Jeffrey Loria after Girardi told him to shut up during a game) intrigues me. Someone on the boards seems to have found something like that where they got fired after sweeping the championship series. But we are not sure why he got fired. Maybe the owner wanted a World Series. You still hear of Joe Torre rumored to be fired despite winning all those World Series titles and making the playoffs every year. For Steinbrenner-type owners, that is not enough. Last edited by Ryan W.; 03-25-2007 at 11:20 AM.

03-25-2007, 12:26 PM	#3
fhomess Hall Of Famer Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 3,693	When you've configured the game to have the owner controlling the budget, they owner will sometimes take money out of the team or even inject money into the team. The owners aren't always consistent from one team to the next in how much they meddle. Some owners are more patient than others. You're allowed to spend over your budget, but your owner isn't going to like you for it. If you do go in the red, then the money to get out of that will need to come from profits in a future season, unless the owner decides to put some of his own cash into the team. Being in the red will make it harder for you to sign or trade players. I must say, I'm a bit confused that you started with your team in the red. I haven't seen that happen before. __________________ StatsLab- PHP/MySQL based utilities for Online Leagues Baseball Cards - Full list of known templates and documentation on card development.

03-25-2007, 03:42 PM	#4
storm427 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 85 Infractions: 0/1 (2)	I drafted and as soon as the draft was over, I was -6million from the season before and that carried on to this season. Attached Images

03-25-2007, 06:27 PM	#5
neojonas All Star Starter Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 1,078	You could reassign fictional budgets to the teams which might fix some of the team's red issues.

03-25-2007, 07:16 PM	#6
storm427 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 85 Infractions: 0/1 (2)	In my OP I said (poorly) that I wanted to live with what I started, I just need to get my head around the ideas involved so I can figure my way out.

03-25-2007, 08:33 PM	#8
kenyan_cheena Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Sydney, NSW, Australia Posts: 9,037	I'm no expert on this, but could it have something to do with your average player salary compared to the league average? You appear to be spending a lot on your players.

03-25-2007, 09:12 PM	#9
storm427 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 85 Infractions: 0/1 (2)	I didn't spend the money. Maybe that's the problem. I let the draft autocomplete after about 16 rounds, and everybody was under contract when I checked my team. There are some longer contracts, a couple of star players who are in the last year of their deal and refuse to negotiate, having stated their intent to test the free agent waters, etc. As the draft proceeds, should I stop in between rounds and negotiate individually with each player? I assumed from the end results mentioned above that the game tries to simulate some past practices, rather than acting as if the league just spawned into existence and everyone is in the first year of their first contract, ever.

03-26-2007, 02:36 AM	#11
Bishop All Star Reserve Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Tejas Posts: 709	Aren't you supposed to "Assign Fictional Financials to Teams" after an inaugural draft, just because of this sort of thing?

03-26-2007, 03:21 AM	#12
Curtis Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Watertown, New York Posts: 4,567	I guess I should check the manual to see if that's a change in 2007. In 2006 you would do that if you released all players and then held a draft, but not after an inaugural draft. The reason being that in 2006 the game engine didn't assign financials until after the inaugural draft.

03-26-2007, 08:05 AM	#13
Markus Heinsohn Developer OOTP Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Germany Posts: 24,803	The game automatically assigns fictional financials to the team after the draft. Unlike in previous versions, it is not guaranteed that you have $$ to work with in the first year. This is intentional and the a result of the better & more balanced financial algorythms.

03-26-2007, 09:06 AM	#14
Holy Toledo! Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Sunnyvale, CA Posts: 32	So, is there a way to modify the teams' payrolls? I'm playing the Demo and I went against the draft option and instead opted for teams populated with players. I'm trying to play with Oakland and I like to have a small budget team, but I ended up with the 2nd largest budget. Is there a way to change this, so I can mimic MLB teams?