Any idea on how OOTP decides when to move a team?

kq76 · 01-31-2025, 07:08 PM

Or better yet, if you were to create some sort of algorithm that would determine when a team in OOTP would move, or should at least consider it, what factors would you base it on?

I'm thinking it could be as simple as near the bottom of the league revenue year after year. I don't think any team that does well financially should move. I understand, maybe you could do even better elsewhere, but that's not guaranteed. I realize that teams that move usually cite stadium issues, but the reason beneath that is surely revenue. I suppose you could just focus on in-stadium revenue, but if the vast majority of your revenue is in-stadium then you might as well just go with total revenue.

I first thought about factoring in market size, fan loyalty, and all that, but I don't think any of those really matter all that much. For example, we've seen IRL teams leave the biggest markets and we've seen teams with seemingly great fan loyalty leave, all for better stadium deals elsewhere. And I don't think win-loss record matters much either as moving isn't going to help that on its own. To win you need a well run organization, not a good location. A good location can leverage the benefits from your success, but it won't make you successful itself.

So if we based it solely on revenue, what % should be the threshold, how many consecutive years should it take before it's a possibility, and what should the % chances be each year once you the team does hit the threshold for those consecutive years? I'm thinking bottom 20% in revenue, starting at 3 years straight, a team should have a 20% chance of moving, and every year after that add another 20% until you reach a max of 80%. For example, after 3 straight years of bottom 20% revenue a team would have a 20% chance of moving, after 4 years they'd have a 40% chance, and so on to a max of an 80% chance of moving.

I made a simple spreadsheet that will decide whether a team should be relocated based on the above. If you want to use it, copy it, and then use it or change it however you like. You'll have to identify what teams this should be run for, but if you like the idea, just enter your data into the green cells, press the box, and it'll do the calculations for you. B7 only uses the green cells, B1 is there simply as a reminder.

I recently saw OOTP move a team after only 2 years of the worst revenue and while that was interesting, it surprised me a bit that a team would move that fast. Of course, that wouldn't have been that surprising of an occurrence back in the early days of baseball, but I think it'd be difficult to imagine that happening that fast nowadays. Although, I suppose we could still have a situation similar to what happened to the Seattle Pilots even nowadays. Maybe we should "roll the dice" after only one year of the worst revenue.

textilemonster · 02-02-2025, 02:55 AM

From my understanding, the Seattle Pilots was a very unusual situation (like having to start two seasons early due to a threat to MLB's antitrust exemption); but yes, having some logic behind team relocation is a good idea.

Maybe have an uptick in chances of moving if the team is sold/changes owners? No idea if that could even be factored in somehow, though.

kq76 · 02-02-2025, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by textilemonster

From my understanding, the Seattle Pilots was a very unusual situation (like having to start two seasons early due to a threat to MLB's antitrust exemption); but yes, having some logic behind team relocation is a good idea.

I've learned a bit about the Pilots over the years and it was pretty crazy. It was a debacle long before they even played their first game. You're right, if they were given more time to get everything in order they would have at least had a better chance at making it work. I think they would have still probably failed as their financing was never solid, but being forced to start two years early put them in a terrible position. I can't see that happening ever again, but you never know.

If anyone is curious to know more about them, I highly recommend this doc on youtube. It's both interesting and entertaining. It features historians and a bunch of the players, including Jim Bouton, of Ball Four fame.

Quote:

Originally Posted by textilemonster

Maybe have an uptick in chances of moving if the team is sold/changes owners? No idea if that could even be factored in somehow, though.

Oh, that's a good one! When relocations happen IRL they seem to often coincide with an ownership change.

It's too bad stadium finances aren't a bigger aspect of OOTP. Imagine opting for some renovations that you hope will increase ticket demand or requiring renovations to change your park dimensions/factors. Sure, you could easily go too deep with it, but those alone would give the user more opportunity to impact their success or failure.

But yeah, check out that Pilots doc. I just re-watched it before posting this and I'm glad I did.

textilemonster · 02-02-2025, 01:00 PM

A whole mechanic around stadiums and teams moving would be awesome. Imagine we, as another team in the league, get news about a team wanting a new ballpark; having trouble getting a new ballpark; team owner visits another city; an owner vote has to take place for a team to relocate; etc.

Could do similar for expansion where we at least have notice and SOME say, rather than just "Hey, we added two teams, they're starting tomorrow."

01-31-2025, 07:08 PM	#1
kq76 Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Vancouver, Canada Posts: 11,649	Any idea on how OOTP decides when to move a team? Or better yet, if you were to create some sort of algorithm that would determine when a team in OOTP would move, or should at least consider it, what factors would you base it on? I'm thinking it could be as simple as near the bottom of the league revenue year after year. I don't think any team that does well financially should move. I understand, maybe you could do even better elsewhere, but that's not guaranteed. I realize that teams that move usually cite stadium issues, but the reason beneath that is surely revenue. I suppose you could just focus on in-stadium revenue, but if the vast majority of your revenue is in-stadium then you might as well just go with total revenue. I first thought about factoring in market size, fan loyalty, and all that, but I don't think any of those really matter all that much. For example, we've seen IRL teams leave the biggest markets and we've seen teams with seemingly great fan loyalty leave, all for better stadium deals elsewhere. And I don't think win-loss record matters much either as moving isn't going to help that on its own. To win you need a well run organization, not a good location. A good location can leverage the benefits from your success, but it won't make you successful itself. So if we based it solely on revenue, what % should be the threshold, how many consecutive years should it take before it's a possibility, and what should the % chances be each year once you the team does hit the threshold for those consecutive years? I'm thinking bottom 20% in revenue, starting at 3 years straight, a team should have a 20% chance of moving, and every year after that add another 20% until you reach a max of 80%. For example, after 3 straight years of bottom 20% revenue a team would have a 20% chance of moving, after 4 years they'd have a 40% chance, and so on to a max of an 80% chance of moving. I made a simple spreadsheet that will decide whether a team should be relocated based on the above. If you want to use it, copy it, and then use it or change it however you like. You'll have to identify what teams this should be run for, but if you like the idea, just enter your data into the green cells, press the box, and it'll do the calculations for you. B7 only uses the green cells, B1 is there simply as a reminder. I recently saw OOTP move a team after only 2 years of the worst revenue and while that was interesting, it surprised me a bit that a team would move that fast. Of course, that wouldn't have been that surprising of an occurrence back in the early days of baseball, but I think it'd be difficult to imagine that happening that fast nowadays. Although, I suppose we could still have a situation similar to what happened to the Seattle Pilots even nowadays. Maybe we should "roll the dice" after only one year of the worst revenue. __________________ My OOTP Wishlist \| My FAQ List OOTP Wiki \| Your Recommended Team Nicknames, By City (A Crowdsourced Project) Last edited by kq76; 01-31-2025 at 07:12 PM.

02-02-2025, 02:55 AM	#2
textilemonster Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2024 Posts: 129	From my understanding, the Seattle Pilots was a very unusual situation (like having to start two seasons early due to a threat to MLB's antitrust exemption); but yes, having some logic behind team relocation is a good idea. Maybe have an uptick in chances of moving if the team is sold/changes owners? No idea if that could even be factored in somehow, though. Last edited by textilemonster; 02-02-2025 at 03:14 AM.

02-02-2025, 01:00 PM	#4
textilemonster Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2024 Posts: 129	A whole mechanic around stadiums and teams moving would be awesome. Imagine we, as another team in the league, get news about a team wanting a new ballpark; having trouble getting a new ballpark; team owner visits another city; an owner vote has to take place for a team to relocate; etc. Could do similar for expansion where we at least have notice and SOME say, rather than just "Hey, we added two teams, they're starting tomorrow."