Trade logic?

[flyers139]

Doing my first season with the 2015 Phillies and the trade deadline is approaching within a week. I've been trying to find suitors for guys like Hamels and Papelbon but it seems like these guys are unwanted commodities. Difficulty is set at Average and preference at Neutral and yet I can't even get decent prospects for these guys.

I get that contract value and performance plays a role but it surprises me that if I'm offering a 4.5/4.5 star pitcher (Hamels), opposing teams that are identified as Win Now! won't even offer up a 1/4 star prospect without saying that I'm not offering them a fair deal. I think any contender in real life would love to add an ace starter to their rotation when they clearly have the budget to do so.

I can only imagine how hard it is to design an intuitive trade engine but unless I'm not taking into consideration something, I think the AI is not valuing my talent appropriately. I am wary of easing AI trade settings since I do like a challenge, but this seems extreme. I want to rebuild the Phillies and stock the farm, but this seems like an almost unmanageable task given the players I want to move and the subsequent lack of value being offered in return.

On a semi-unrelated note, will teams be more inclined to make a deal or make a better offer in a trade as the actual deadline approaches? Any clarification is appreciated. Thank you!

[marc5477]

Originally Posted by flyers139

Doing my first season with the 2015 Phillies and the trade deadline is approaching within a week. I've been trying to find suitors for guys like Hamels and Papelbon but it seems like these guys are unwanted commodities. Difficulty is set at Average and preference at Neutral and yet I can't even get decent prospects for these guys.

I get that contract value and performance plays a role but it surprises me that if I'm offering a 4.5/4.5 star pitcher (Hamels), opposing teams that are identified as Win Now! won't even offer up a 1/4 star prospect without saying that I'm not offering them a fair deal. I think any contender in real life would love to add an ace starter to their rotation when they clearly have the budget to do so.

I can only imagine how hard it is to design an intuitive trade engine but unless I'm not taking into consideration something, I think the AI is not valuing my talent appropriately. I am wary of easing AI trade settings since I do like a challenge, but this seems extreme. I want to rebuild the Phillies and stock the farm, but this seems like an almost unmanageable task given the players I want to move and the subsequent lack of value being offered in return.

On a semi-unrelated note, will teams be more inclined to make a deal or make a better offer in a trade as the actual deadline approaches? Any clarification is appreciated. Thank you!

In general, the AI has an aversion to expensive contracts in trade. For the most part, the AI balanced its budget before the year began, so if you are in mid season, it is highly unlikely that they have room in their budget for a big purchase. That said, you are more likely to get a trade if you try to get someone of similar salary range. However, prospects are almost always out of the question and for good reason. I would not trade my prospects for 1-3 years of star quality player plus a huge salary. Id rather keep the money especially if my team is playing well already. Teams that have a "win now" rating are usually ones that are already playing well. They dont need another star unless there is good reason for it.

Remember, at the end of the day, professional baseball is really a business. Money comes 1st and the game comes 2nd even though it is not reflected in this game overtly.

The other major factor you need to consider is the players age. If the player is 29 or older, then odds are they will start to decline very soon (albeit this is not true for stars in real life.. in real life the only reason they decline is due to injury not ability decline until their late 30s but this is an argument for another day and the game is still fantastic even though it gets this part wrong). The AI will consider the players age in the trade. If you are trading a 30 year old star with 6 more years on a super expensive contract.... then the AI will definitely not want them nor would I in real life unless I knew that the player was in pristine physical condition.

All the above said, you *can* get trades your star players with high salaries but you need to give up a few things if you want a prospect or a young rising star. Note: I play at the hardest trading level because otherwise the trades are usually unfair to the AI.

Here are some trades I can often pull off:

Cy Young pitcher - 32 years old with 4 years left on expensive contract.
+ Late 1st round draft pick (since I am almost always in 1st place)
+ Mediocre 40-50/80 prospect
+ Mediocre 40/80 prospect

for

Developed prospect with 65-70/80 rating that is ready for the majors and is in their early 20s.

Believe it or not this is actually a very good trade for me even though 75% of the time the youngster fails to perform at superstar caliber. At the very least I get an above average roll player that I lock into a very cheap 10 year contract. I have never had one that did not contribute something to the team for at least 6-8 seasons and odds are that I wont get squat for the 1st round pick anyway and the other 40-50/80 prospects almost always fizzle out by the end of their development.

[flyers139]

Very good explanation; thank you! I'll try and rethink how I perceive the value I'm offering in trades.