FAs not talking to teams

[Another Mike D]

Maybe somebody on the beta can clue me in, what determines whether FAs will talk to a team or not? In my online league, there are a few teams who say about 80% of the FAs will not talk to them. We thought maybe it was due to team focus (rebuilding vs. win now, etc, which we can no longer set) but that does not seem to be the case. We also thought it was winning but there is a team that won 90 games and fought a 1-game playoff (and lost) that can't sign anyone. Is it just completely random and there are 2-3 teams that are excluded? It seems the exact same set of FAs won't talk to any of these teams, so it seems like programmed collusion.

[RchW]

Originally Posted by Another Mike D

Maybe somebody on the beta can clue me in, what determines whether FAs will talk to a team or not? In my online league, there are a few teams who say about 80% of the FAs will not talk to them. We thought maybe it was due to team focus (rebuilding vs. win now, etc, which we can no longer set) but that does not seem to be the case. We also thought it was winning but there is a team that won 90 games and fought a 1-game playoff (and lost) that can't sign anyone. Is it just completely random and there are 2-3 teams that are excluded? It seems the exact same set of FAs won't talk to any of these teams, so it seems like programmed collusion.

I think you misunderstand the definition of collusion. Much more info needed before any reasonable suggestions can be made. Can you give details please?

[Another Mike D]

Originally Posted by RchW

I think you misunderstand the definition of collusion. Much more info needed before any reasonable suggestions can be made. Can you give details please?

I know the definition of collusion, I was using the term loosely. It seems as if the same bunch of FAs won't talk to certain teams. It's not 1 here for one team, and a different FA won't talk to another team. It's like 75% of the FAs have decided they don't want to talk with the same 4-5 teams. I'm not sure what kind of details you want, I'm just trying to figure out what factors in to the "I don't want to talk with you" during FA other than team focus (which it is not) and maybe record (which it does not seem).

[RchW]

Originally Posted by Another Mike D

I know the definition of collusion, I was using the term loosely. It seems as if the same bunch of FAs won't talk to certain teams. It's not 1 here for one team, and a different FA won't talk to another team. It's like 75% of the FAs have decided they don't want to talk with the same 4-5 teams. I'm not sure what kind of details you want, I'm just trying to figure out what factors in to the "I don't want to talk with you" during FA other than team focus (which it is not) and maybe record (which it does not seem).

Type of league, time of year, financial set up, salary cap, $ available from affected teams, former teams of these FA, are they comp FA?, any league rules, any roster rule variations any editing, I could go on...

[korme]

I can't tell if RchW is trolling or not.

[Fyrestorm3]

Originally Posted by korme

I can't tell if RchW is trolling or not.

How on earth could you construe his posts as trolling? He's simply asking for more information from the OP.

[RchW]

Wow I didn't know that not being a mind reader was trolling. Maybe korme can answer the question posed in the OP without more details. Any help is welcome.

[mitch0301]

Any time it's happened to me it was because they didn't want to play for Terry Collins. Cant blame them. Luckily he retired and saved me some salary expense.

[Another Mike D]

Originally Posted by RchW

Type of league, time of year, financial set up, salary cap, $ available from affected teams, former teams of these FA, are they comp FA?, any league rules, any roster rule variations any editing, I could go on...

We are in the year 2059, just converted from v14, 100M cap, some guys comp some guys not, no crazy roster rules or league rules, the following are traits of the teams who have said nobody will talk to them:

SD, coming off 88-win season, owner says win now, budget-payroll = 16M
KC, coming off 97-loss season, owner in rebuilding, budget-payroll = 56M
SF, coming off 81-win season, owner in win now, budget-payroll = 20M
ARI, coming off 89-loss season, owner in rebuild, budget-payroll = 17M

SD is considered big market with awesome fan loyalty, most of these teams also have extra cash, 2 of them with protected picks. A few other teams in rebuild mode can sign FAs. LV is coming off a 106-loss season and just worked their way out of a -40M debacle and can sign teams. LA and ANA coming off 95+ loss seasons and can sign dudes.

I know you are trying to get info, but the basic question is still the same. There appears to be no pattern to what is going on, and the same guys won't talk to the same teams, which makes me believe there is some binary thing going on. These teams differ in performance, all have money, some have protected picks, market sizes and fan interest and all over the place, I'm running out of things other than the fact that the feature is random.

[MmmRocks]

Hey, I'm the owner for SF. Would be happy to answer any more clarifying questions or take screen shots. My team made it to .500 for the first time in a few years, it's stacked with young talent and has a top 3 farm system. I don't have a huge market, but I do have money to spend... if any free agents would talk to me. I'd say conservatively that 80% of the available free agents asking for a major league contract are stating that they have no desire to play for my team and won't even field offers.

[ondemonitors]

Originally Posted by MmmRocks

Hey, I'm the owner for SF. Would be happy to answer any more clarifying questions or take screen shots. My team made it to .500 for the first time in a few years, it's stacked with young talent and has a top 3 farm system. I don't have a huge market, but I do have money to spend... if any free agents would talk to me. I'd say conservatively that 80% of the available free agents asking for a major league contract are stating that they have no desire to play for my team and won't even field offers.

I'm thinking that if you have all that young talent and a super farm system, maybe the vets know that if they sign there, they won't get much playing time anyway. If I were a moderate to high level veteran FA, I wouldn't want to go there...no offense, but I wouldn't sign knowing there is a younger and cheaper kid looming in my shadow...

[RchW]

Originally Posted by ondemonitors

I'm thinking that if you have all that young talent and a super farm system, maybe the vets know that if they sign there, they won't get much playing time anyway. If I were a moderate to high level veteran FA, I wouldn't want to go there...no offense, but I wouldn't sign knowing there is a younger and cheaper kid looming in my shadow...

I don't think the process is that refined.

[MmmRocks]

Originally Posted by ondemonitors

I'm thinking that if you have all that young talent and a super farm system, maybe the vets know that if they sign there, they won't get much playing time anyway. If I were a moderate to high level veteran FA, I wouldn't want to go there...no offense, but I wouldn't sign knowing there is a younger and cheaper kid looming in my shadow...

There are positions that I don't have covered by young players and prospects and I need to fill via free agency, and players at those positions won't talk to me either. Plus, as stated above, the system probably isn't that refined.

[ondemonitors]

Originally Posted by RchW

I don't think the process is that refined.

Perhaps not, but I wouldn't be surprised if the concept of playing time perceived was not coded in..and factored in to a FA's decision.

[Another Mike D]

Originally Posted by ondemonitors

Perhaps not, but I wouldn't be surprised if the concept of playing time perceived was not coded in..and factored in to a FA's decision.

I don't think it is, that would be super-hard and I'm sure we'd hear something about that. I don't think there is actually any rhyme or reason to it, but I was looking for somebody to comment on whether there was. It's not team focus, it's not free money, it's not performance, and it's not individual player preference since it seems nearly every player takes the same stance...I will not talk with the following teams: A, B, C, D, E, and F.

[byzeil]

Originally Posted by RchW

I don't think the process is that refined.

I have had guys I offered minor league contracts turn me down due to the depth of my minor league system (that is what the message said). Don't know if that logic extends to major league contracts but if it is there for minor league deals I would be surprised if it didn't play a part in major league deals.

Have any of these teams either released players under contract or withdrawn offers that they had made to other free agents?

I know if you offer someone a contract and withdraw the offer before it is accepted/rejected that player gets mad and won't sign with you. Supposedly if you do this enough (whatever that is) other FAs may choose not to talk to you because they don't trust your offers.

[MmmRocks]

It does not appear to be playing time. Not only is this happening to multiple teams in all different situations but I have players who won't talk to me and play positions at which my team is ranked 20th or worse in a 30 team league. I've also given all kinds of different amounts of playing time to free agents that I got last year. I picked up a 10 stamina starter last year in free agency who threw 230 innings. I mentioned his stamina so the workload I had him throw hopefully doesn't get thrown out as the next reason free agents won't sign with five or so teams in the league.

Originally Posted by byzeil

I have had guys I offered minor league contracts turn me down due to the depth of my minor league system (that is what the message said). Don't know if that logic extends to major league contracts but if it is there for minor league deals I would be surprised if it didn't play a part in major league deals.

Have any of these teams either released players under contract or withdrawn offers that they had made to other free agents?

I know if you offer someone a contract and withdraw the offer before it is accepted/rejected that player gets mad and won't sign with you. Supposedly if you do this enough (whatever that is) other FAs may choose not to talk to you because they don't trust your offers.

As stated above, free agents won't talk to me who play positions at which I lack depth. I have not released any players or withdrawn any offers all offseason. I didn't even have the chance to make offers in most cases.

[RchW]

Originally Posted by Another Mike D

I don't think it is, that would be super-hard and I'm sure we'd hear something about that. I don't think there is actually any rhyme or reason to it, but I was looking for somebody to comment on whether there was. It's not team focus, it's not free money, it's not performance, and it's not individual player preference since it seems nearly every player takes the same stance...I will not talk with the following teams: A, B, C, D, E, and F.

I admit this is very strange. Interesting how it is three teams in one division. Are any of the FA refuseniks former players of these teams including KC?

[ronnieh]

Well I hate to just pile on but I registered on the forums specifically to try to get some information on this issue. I am in an online league. We are in year 2034. We are pretty sure this functionality was introduced with 16. We have never seen free agents refuse to discuss terms with certain teams before.

Like other's have said we have a few teams that cannot get any free agents over 1 star to talk to them. The teams have very different make ups and recent history. It is really unfortunate for a couple of brand new GMs that cleared a bunch of salary to make moves in free agency.

We are hoping there is a setting that can be adjusted. In an online league you want to try to maintain competitive balance and limit the games impact on the options GMs have.

[kevrock]

This is happening to a couple teams in our online league. There isn't any rhyme or reason to it that I can deduce. Is there a way to disable this "feature"?