Extension Money

[mrking81012]

So here's the situation.

In an online league I trade for a player with a huge contract for depth (I know silly me). It's 2 years with a player option. I forget that the contract will count against my "Free Agent Money" and "Extensions Money". So I have barely 1M in extensions left for people I want to sign this year.

The problem is that my #2 SP is out for 3-4 months now. My #1 has a diagnosis pending. I'm looking to trade for a SP...but now my hands are tied.
A couple of questions:

1. Does trading my player with the huge contract 'give my extension money back'? So that extension money I lost with acquiring him, will be given back to me?

2. 1 SP I'm looking at has a buyout for the 2nd year and is not arbitration eligible. If I (and I will) use the buyout does that also 'give the extension money back to me'? Hopefully I'm being clear when it comes to this.

2b. How quickly can you use a buyout? Does it have to be in the off season before that option year? Or can it be in the middle of the year...1 year before the last year on his contract.

3. If I just release the potential pitcher in the offseason will there be money to sign my other players to extensions?

4. If the player with the player option uses the option, what happens with the extension money then.

5. Basically I'm asking if there is any way I can get myself out of this hole

Thanks and hopefully I make sense right now.

[byzeil]

OOTP calculates $$ available for extensions by looking at a team's contract obligations for future years and any current debt. Contract options years are all treated as exercised for the calculation of contract obligations. Basically until they are formally resolved the calculations count all potential $$ as spent.

If you release a player with a Team Option year it treats it as though the Team Option was declined and any buyout amount will be charged. If the player has a player option it treats it as if the option was exercised.

When you release a player the team is immediately charged with the full amount left on the contract so it affects the current year's budget. So if next year is a player option year then that year plus the remaining amount from this year is charged this year.

Since your extension $$ is based on the future contract years releasing a player this year will free up 'extension money' though if releasing him drives your team deep enough into dept it could still affect extension money based on debt you may carry over into future years.

I could be off on some of this but this is how I believe it works, I'm sure someone will correct me if I'm wrong.

So to answer your questions:

1) Yes because it removes the contract obligations for future years. This is the 'cleanest' way to clear up your budget.
2a) Yes minus the buyout amount if any
2b) You won't be asked to exercise an option until after the season of the year before the option BUT, as I said above, if you release a player it automatically handles the options right then (Team Option declined and Player Option accepted)
3) Not sure who the 'potential pitcher' is but releasing a player may help with extension money depending on his contract as described above.
4) As I said above ALL options are treated as accepted by the calculations until they are actually declined. So that player option is already calculated into your extension $$.
5) Yes you can, how depends on the contracts. In future years I'd suggest not acquiring expensive backups

Hope this helps.