Where do the new free agents come from?

Biggie Fries · 05-07-2005, 06:49 PM

I just returned to playing my fictional league--we're in 2017 and started in 2002--and upgraded to version 6.12. One thing I noticed is that there is a lot more free agent activity. A lot more players being pruned in the minors from day-to-day, etc. So I have to remember to check more each day to see what is going on around the league.

Yesterday--5/13/07--there were a spate of free agent signings, including one guy who signed for $1,000,000/year and moved right onto San Francisco's roster and into today's starting line-up. He has no history, and there were several more like him--not quite as good, but better than the usual trash in the free agent pile.

From where am I supposed to imagine that he/they came? He wasn't Cuban!

Biggie Fries · 05-08-2005, 04:00 PM

Sorry for the bump, but this got a lot of looks, but no responses... Has this been discussed elsewhere? It just happened again, on a Sunday. My rivals are claiming guys who suddenly materialize as free agents with no prior history. They are young players, but many are the types I have trouble drafting after the fourth round in the amateur draft.

By the way--not that I know why this should matter--I did recently change my amateur draft date to 1 June.

Steve Kuffrey · 05-08-2005, 04:48 PM

If you just upgraded to 6.12 IT IS POSSIBLE that these players who were likely in the FA system all along got a bump in ratings, etc and got some notice from teams. I can't say this for certain but it is possible.

ctorg · 05-09-2005, 10:09 AM

The only time I've seen something like this happen is when it's like Steve described. Basically, the guy was never drafted and got signed as a free agent.

However, if you're playing fictional, the only time this should happen is if you play around with the number of draft rounds or the league structure. If you've done that at any point, it might be the reason. As it is, for fictional play, the game creates exactly enough players for the number of rounds, given the number of teams. If you remove teams or lower the number of draft rounds, some guys will go undrafted.

draven085 · 05-09-2005, 10:39 AM

I know that the MBBA had a similar issue recently. There were a significant number of random players in our free agent pool after we rolled to our latest season and no one knew why or where they came from. These players were completely new to the league and some of them were very talented. This sounds like it could be a fairly serious issue that people need to be aware of, particularly in online leagues.

ctorg · 05-09-2005, 11:13 AM

Well, I track all new players in my league prior to the beginning of the year. The way I do this is similar to what the Originator does, except that I have Excel spreadsheets for it. What it does, though, is it puts a "." before every player's hometown. If someone is from Providence, it will say ".Providence RI". This way, i can sort all the players so I can see just the rookies (whose hometowns have not been altered yet). So far, in 20 seasons since the latest patch, there has never been an extraneous player sitting around. There have always been exactly 260 rookies each year, one for each of 26 teams in the league. All the players are tagged and accounted for. If any new players had suddenly appeared, they would have added to the number in the next season.

05-07-2005, 06:49 PM	#1
Biggie Fries Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Bryn Mawr, PA USA Posts: 115	Where do the new free agents come from? I just returned to playing my fictional league--we're in 2017 and started in 2002--and upgraded to version 6.12. One thing I noticed is that there is a lot more free agent activity. A lot more players being pruned in the minors from day-to-day, etc. So I have to remember to check more each day to see what is going on around the league. Yesterday--5/13/07--there were a spate of free agent signings, including one guy who signed for $1,000,000/year and moved right onto San Francisco's roster and into today's starting line-up. He has no history, and there were several more like him--not quite as good, but better than the usual trash in the free agent pile. From where am I supposed to imagine that he/they came? He wasn't Cuban!

05-08-2005, 04:48 PM	#3
Steve Kuffrey Administrator Join Date: Jul 1999 Location: S.E. TN - Georgia born and raised Posts: 17,023	If you just upgraded to 6.12 IT IS POSSIBLE that these players who were likely in the FA system all along got a bump in ratings, etc and got some notice from teams. I can't say this for certain but it is possible. __________________ Steve Kuffrey DABS Atlanta Braves - 2008 Eastern Division Champ *DBLC Atlanta Braves - 2011, 2014 East Division Champ, 2012, 2013 NL Wildcard Baseball Maelstrom-Montreal Expos-2013 Tourney winner, 2014 WC Team Sparky's League - Tampa Bay D'Rays Epicenter Baseball League - Astros 2014 The CBL Rewind - Phillies '95

05-09-2005, 10:09 AM	#4
ctorg Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Queens, NY Posts: 9,848	The only time I've seen something like this happen is when it's like Steve described. Basically, the guy was never drafted and got signed as a free agent. However, if you're playing fictional, the only time this should happen is if you play around with the number of draft rounds or the league structure. If you've done that at any point, it might be the reason. As it is, for fictional play, the game creates exactly enough players for the number of rounds, given the number of teams. If you remove teams or lower the number of draft rounds, some guys will go undrafted. __________________ My music "When the trees blow back and forth, that's what makes the wind." - Steven Wright Fjord emena pancreas thorax fornicate marmalade morpheme proteolysis smaxa cabana offal srue vitriol grope hallelujah lentils

05-09-2005, 11:13 AM	#6
ctorg Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Queens, NY Posts: 9,848	Well, I track all new players in my league prior to the beginning of the year. The way I do this is similar to what the Originator does, except that I have Excel spreadsheets for it. What it does, though, is it puts a "." before every player's hometown. If someone is from Providence, it will say ".Providence RI". This way, i can sort all the players so I can see just the rookies (whose hometowns have not been altered yet). So far, in 20 seasons since the latest patch, there has never been an extraneous player sitting around. There have always been exactly 260 rookies each year, one for each of 26 teams in the league. All the players are tagged and accounted for. If any new players had suddenly appeared, they would have added to the number in the next season. __________________ My music "When the trees blow back and forth, that's what makes the wind." - Steven Wright Fjord emena pancreas thorax fornicate marmalade morpheme proteolysis smaxa cabana offal srue vitriol grope hallelujah lentils

05-08-2005, 04:00 PM	#2
Biggie Fries Minors (Double A) Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Bryn Mawr, PA USA Posts: 115	Sorry for the bump, but this got a lot of looks, but no responses... Has this been discussed elsewhere? It just happened again, on a Sunday. My rivals are claiming guys who suddenly materialize as free agents with no prior history. They are young players, but many are the types I have trouble drafting after the fourth round in the amateur draft. By the way--not that I know why this should matter--I did recently change my amateur draft date to 1 June.

05-09-2005, 10:39 AM	#5
draven085 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: New Jersey Posts: 2,074	I know that the MBBA had a similar issue recently. There were a significant number of random players in our free agent pool after we rolled to our latest season and no one knew why or where they came from. These players were completely new to the league and some of them were very talented. This sounds like it could be a fairly serious issue that people need to be aware of, particularly in online leagues.