Financials: What am I missing?

[RBLwebguy]

According to this (from the manual), this team should have no money for extensions, but the sim says he has $10,873,900 left for extensions. What am I missing?

Current Budget $91,854,442.00
Staff Payroll $0.00
Player Payroll $85,613,900.00
Number of games in season 162
Number of games remaining in season: 57.00
Staff Expenses $0.00
Player Expenses $61,907,165.00

Proj Budget Room $(176,132.26)

Current Budget - [player payroll / total # of games in season * number of
games left in season] - player expenses


Cash $61,696,090.00
Current Payroll $85,613,900.00
Pending Offers $-

Money to spend on Ext $(24,093,942.26)

[budget room + cash] - current payroll - pending offers

Here is team financial page link
http://www.wlb.leagueserver.net/WLBr...al_report.html

[Kaitiaki]

Neither the manual nor the game specify the formula that determines the money available for extensions. It is not the same as the formula used for free agents/current year contracts, which is what you quoted (and actually, the manual is misleading about that, because Proj. Budget Room already factors in payroll information; that doesn't need to be subtracted a second time).

Money available for extensions involves things like your expected payrolls for next season, which factors in contract estimates for any arbitration-eligible players you may have (estimates which are not displayed anywhere).

Honestly, with the information the game currently presents, there's no way you can really verify the accuracy of the money available for extensions. You just have to take it's word for it.

- Kai

[RBLwebguy]

I have owners who feel like quitting because they don't understand their financial situation. Here is a snapshot of my team which appears to be quite healthy in terms of cash on had and cap room. The box below says I have 11 mill to spend on FA's, why so little?

[darkcloud4579]

The poor way the game handles financials intuitively induced me to create my own model. So I understand your frustration. Hopefully it gets better in the future.

[RBLwebguy]

Originally Posted by Kaitiaki

Neither the manual nor the game specify the formula that determines the money available for extensions. It is not the same as the formula used for free agents/current year contracts, which is what you quoted (and actually, the manual is misleading about that, because Proj. Budget Room already factors in payroll information; that doesn't need to be subtracted a second time).

Money available for extensions involves things like your expected payrolls for next season, which factors in contract estimates for any arbitration-eligible players you may have (estimates which are not displayed anywhere).

Honestly, with the information the game currently presents, there's no way you can really verify the accuracy of the money available for extensions. You just have to take it's word for it.

- Kai

According to the manual, it does specify where it comes from, but I can't get the calc to match what is allowed:

18.3.6. Money Available for Contract Signings
The summary also shows the amount of money you have left for player contracts this season. Your owner
will not allow you to submit an offer that would exceed this amount.
The game uses the following formula to determine the amount of money you have available for signings:
[budget room + cash] - current payroll - pending offers

Your money available for contracts can change drastically just after player arbitration values are decided,
so be careful!

Note: Players on the active roster with minor league contracts are considered as making the league
minimum for purposes of this calculation.

[Kaitiaki]

Originally Posted by RBLwebguy

According to the manual, it does specify where it comes from, but I can't get the calc to match what is allowed:

18.3.6. Money Available for Contract Signings
The summary also shows the amount of money you have left for player contracts this season. Your owner
will not allow you to submit an offer that would exceed this amount.
The game uses the following formula to determine the amount of money you have available for signings:
[budget room + cash] - current payroll - pending offers

This is not talking about the same thing. The game has two completely separate values, with separate calculations, for current-year contracts (i.e., signing a player on the free agent market) and next-year contracts (i.e., signing a player to an extension). What you quoted is addressing current-year signings (it's also addressing it wrong, as I wrote above), but you had initially asked about your owner's money for next-year contracts.

- Kai

[RBLwebguy]

Originally Posted by Kaitiaki

This is not talking about the same thing. The game has two completely separate values, with separate calculations, for current-year contracts (i.e., signing a player on the free agent market) and next-year contracts (i.e., signing a player to an extension). What you quoted is addressing current-year signings (it's also addressing it wrong, as I wrote above), but you had initially asked about your owner's money for next-year contracts.

- Kai

I assumed 18.3.6 was in regards to player extensions, if not, my bad

[Red Sox Scout]

Originally Posted by RBLwebguy

I have owners who feel like quitting because they don't understand their financial situation. Here is a snapshot of my team which appears to be quite healthy in terms of cash on had and cap room. The box below says I have 11 mill to spend on FA's, why so little?

Apparently the reason you have $11,915,268 for player signings is because your league has a salary cap of $85,000,000.

$11,915,268 plus your current payroll of $73.084,372 = exactly $85,000,000.

While it says the figure is based on projected budget room plus cash, it also takes into account the salary cap of the league.

--
For those asking about extensions, somehow (rather mysteriously, as far I can figure), the game takes into account your current financials, next year's already contracted salaries (which may include some increases over the present year), and an amount set aside for any arbitration contracts that will be arbitrated in the off season.

[Another Mike D]

I do not believe the game takes into account future contracts when determining extension allowances. I only say this because a few of GMs were unable to retain players that were walking because the game said they had no money for extensions. They were in the black, had budget room, but couldn't give guys extensions. They then started the next season with lots of extra budget rooms. I have a feeling the finances part of this game is extreeeeeeemely buggy and needs to be looked at, but there's more money to be made by "tweaking it" in the next version.

[RBLwebguy]

Originally Posted by Red Sox Scout

Apparently the reason you have $11,915,268 for player signings is because your league has a salary cap of $85,000,000.

$11,915,268 plus your current payroll of $73.084,372 = exactly $85,000,000.

While it says the figure is based on projected budget room plus cash, it also takes into account the salary cap of the league.

--
For those asking about extensions, somehow (rather mysteriously, as far I can figure), the game takes into account your current financials, next year's already contracted salaries (which may include some increases over the present year), and an amount set aside for any arbitration contracts that will be arbitrated in the off season.

Yeah I figured that out after a while of looking. It seems that the cap handicaps teams closer to the cap, and in 6.5 version and earlier it didn't have this effect. There was always plenty of room to make contract extensions unless teams were broke, and even then it wasn't that bad.

Teams should be able to sign guys to a point with under the fact that some of the expensive players currently on the roster will retire, will be traded, or won't be signed.

I guess a workaround for that is to raise the cap by x number of dollars which in turn gives a team some more flexability