How do you like to build your team?

[ProfessorHank]

Say you just took over a new team, or you are building a team straight from scratch. What are the first 3 positions you pick?

[MarkInCincy]

Ace SP, Catcher, best of CF/SS

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[ThePretender]

I don't think you should go in thinking "I need X position". You need to find the BPA and go from there.

[ohiodevil]

If I am taking over an expansion team, I usually build through the amateur draft, so I expect to have 2 or 3 years of being absolutely horrible and then taking steps forward in years 4 and 5. I will never sign a free agent over the age of 26 to a deal longer than 2 years, and usually the older guys will be used a trade bait to build the farm system.

If I take over a bad team to rebuild, I tend to follow the same process as an expansion team, but I will trade guys over 30 to try and get younger and build the farm back up.

In both scenarios, I usually look for strong pitching and build up the middle (C, SS, 2B and CF).

[MarkInCincy]

Originally Posted by ThePretender

I don't think you should go in thinking "I need X position". You need to find the BPA and go from there.

BPA needs to take the positions they play into account aka Defensive value so yeah take the BPA

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[TheMaus2]

obviously you need to assess your needs first but...
SP Ace
CL Prospect
Then a young star who's coming into his prime

[ThePretender]

Originally Posted by ohiodevil

If I am taking over an expansion team, I usually build through the amateur draft, so I expect to have 2 or 3 years of being absolutely horrible and then taking steps forward in years 4 and 5. I will never sign a free agent over the age of 26 to a deal longer than 2 years, and usually the older guys will be used a trade bait to build the farm system.

If I take over a bad team to rebuild, I tend to follow the same process as an expansion team, but I will trade guys over 30 to try and get younger and build the farm back up.

In both scenarios, I usually look for strong pitching and build up the middle (C, SS, 2B and CF).

No disrespect intended but that's a mistake ignoring FA if you're rebuilding. Your payroll is going to be low, so you can sign top tier FA, front load the contract, and use them to acquire more prospects in trade.

[ohiodevil]

Originally Posted by ThePretender

No disrespect intended but that's a mistake ignoring FA if you're rebuilding. Your payroll is going to be low, so you can sign top tier FA, front load the contract, and use them to acquire more prospects in trade.

I don't ignore free agency, I just won't go crazy and sign a bunch of older guys....As I said in my previous post, I will never sign a free agent over the age of 26 to a deal longer than 2 years, and when I sign older guys, I usually tend to trade them to build the farm system. And that usually allows me to go and sign those prime free agents when they are available because I do have all that budget room.

Example.....I took over the expansion team in Charlotte and I did sign a few guys in free agency to fill out roster, guys like Josh Johnson, Matt Moore,Mike Adams and Mark Trumbo....nothing to write home about. I was able to flip both Trumbo and Moore for a couple higher level prospects and finished 68-94 and ended up with the top pick in the draft.

I went into year 2 with the same plan, signed Trevor Plouffe, Gavin Floyd and Martin Prado as my "big name" free agents and as expected finished in last place at 71-91, but a couple of the prospects I got in the trades the year before made their ML debuts and shows some promise.

Year 3 came around and I spent some big money on an international free agent SP and OF and finished the season at 83-79...and in year 4, a couple of those prospects that I traded for were regulars and 5 of the guys I drafted in my first year were at Triple or Double-A and very close to breaking into the majors.....and I won a wild card spot at 87-75. Now I have a ton of money to resign my guys to long deals and there are a couple guys headed into free agency that are 27/28 years old who I am in a position to give big money to and make a run at the AL East pennant.

[ThatSeventiesGuy]

I kinda do it Yankees/Red Sox style: Sign a bunch of free agents (I try to stay away from anybody over 32 or so, unless they only want a year or two at a reasonable price), mostly just use my prospects as trade bait, although they do occasionally make the team and thrive. There's a reason my major league teams almost always finish with winning records, while my minor league teams almost never do.

[ihatenames]

I'd avoid big contracts that'll hurt you down the line initially. Be patient and not afraid to lose and sell for a few seasons. I look for decent injured guys (2-4 monthsinjured ) that I can get cheap around Spring Training time. Sign them to 1 year deals and let them sit on the DL until ready. Then I try to flip them for prospects or cost controlled players.

I save budget money for international free agents. Pad your farm system.

I also look For solid talent in rule 5 draft. I'll draft any prospect with high ceiling that is a year or two away. I'll give them playing time and see if I can catch lightning in a bottle. If they don't work or don't make opening day roster, I'll send them back to other team.

Once I have a core established, I'll start trying to fill holes with free agents. I'll only spend big dollars on a free agent if they are last piece or two to the puzzle.

[andyhdz]

what I don't like about going too young is that you might have 1 or 2 bad apples that infect the team when they start losing which they are naturally going to and then they all complain that you need more vets on the team.

[ihatenames]

Originally Posted by andyhdz

what I don't like about going too young is that you might have 1 or 2 bad apples that infect the team when they start losing which they are naturally going to and then they all complain that you need more vets on the team.

One way to counter this is by hiring a more hard nosed manager. Vets don't like it but youth will respond to it.

[ohiodevil]

Originally Posted by ihatenames

One way to counter this is by hiring a more hard nosed manager. Vets don't like it but youth will respond to it.

+1

I will usually sign a tough bench coach or manager to help with the young players. And I sometimes will bring in a 35+ year old player that is good in the clubhouse. They usually are fairly cheap and will be happy on a 1 year deal, and if he performs well then I can trade him for a prospect or two.

[NoOne]

OP question: Any way possible. if it improves my team and is financially responsible, i do it. simple as that. i thoroughly understand my given budget (how small/large it gets, why, how consistent i can keep it high - everything about it) and what various production is worth, i.e. what i will pay for it and when i pass on it. 200M budget = not many worries but still restrained in quantity of studs i can pay in perpetuity. as a budget goes smaller you get more limited in buying talent and more dependent on the draft and int'l FA amatuers. everything stated must be relative to market size.

never depend on discoveries (first budget i cut if needed). You should always spend what you can on int'l amatuer free agents -- whatever the budget allows that year without penalties. when and if you can go over budget on them, go all out. even buying those cheap guys upto ~3M will unearth a piece or two each year or more. (a piece is anythign useable on the field or in trades etc... creates value of some sort). even when you have penalties you can sign a bunch of players for < $250k.

Know how to maximize your budget relative to market size. you can spend more you can build faster. if you have the money it takes 1-3 years to turn a team into a WS-caliber roster.

They've massively changed tickets and that revenue stream either this year or at least recently. once you get fans going crazy, try bumping season ticket sales as high as you can get in the offseason - a little less than ~1/2 attendance give or take a bit is what i aim for. then as the season goes you can actually get the price at or above that figure - if winning a ton. keep raising it in the playoffs, and leave it a thte highest level until you progress to offseason so it locks in at that high price - i *think* this may influence how high you can price it the next year. then after winter meetings end start figuring out the price for less than ~1/2 sold all over again.

i'm fairly sure you can actually make more money with less than full attendance. i like hitting max attendance, but in a small market you should go for max income. don't be afraid to try different things. i got gate revenue for a 54.2k stadium on default financial settings in a draft pick trading league (crazy win totals* due to pick trading could make this unrelateable****) up to $184+ million 108M gate and 76 season ticket. so, gouge those season ticket holders!!! 9 home playoff games can equal 30-32M more. 210M just from ticket sales and playoffs potentially.

start paying attention to ticket prices on a game-by-bame basis and you will make a tone more money. fri-sat-sun can be 1-2 dollars higher even early in the season... larger gap later in the season as you keep increasing it as demand allows.

learn by clicking "play game vs blah blah" from the top, then look at attendance and quit game... change price and learn again... after a few years you'll understand what's going on and just "eyeball" it and you'll do nearly as well.

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in response to the last few posts:

i've noticed the "development influence" and "relationships" given in the coach profile don't quite match up to what the manual says about controlling managers. i've played with it a bit year-to-year as my team changes and ages. i'm not being very systematic or making a spreadsheet, but it's been very consistent, so far.

I see that a controlling manager only has an "Average" development influence each year i check. even if my team is all less than 10 years in the league - most were less than 4-5 at one point. my entire lineup was under 27-28. personable and easygoing seem to be the best for a big league manager - assuming a strong team that will naturally avoid prolonged losing stretches. that goes for relationships, too.

whether they favor various hitters or pitchers has a stronger influence on relationships than management personality (controlling etc, i am using the wrong label, probably), and the personality affects development environment more... but the feedback is the opposite of what the manual says about "controlling." controlling always worsens my development environment, so far.

sum up:

favor various hitters and pitcher types = relationships

manager personality = development environment, but controlling worsens it according to coach profile feedback on my team(s).

and some crossover, but these make the largest change

[slic1149]

Once I establish a starting lineup I work on improving my bench, and stockpiling young players. If I do a long managing career I always end up spending more time on improving my bench than worrying about my starting lineup.

Building and maintaining a pitching staff is often my greatest challenge. In general I want the best starting pitching possible if I am playing before 1990 or so. With the disappearing complete game pitchers of today, instead of focusing on getting two or three aces, I try to assemble the most versatile 12 man staff possible.

Fiddling with my pitching staff is one of the things that keeps me from playing a lot of modern baseball. It is the one thing I simply cannot trust to my AI manager. I do not have much patience with an ineffective starter, so it's impossible for me just sim a couple of months. The more modern the season, the more hands on I have to be as both a manager and general manager.

[RchW]

Pitching, defense, contact, power, more power, speed, more pitching, more defense and gritty bench players really matter.

Getting lucky often means more than any skill.

[MikeS21]

I always start by addressing the farm system. I don't really target any particular position, but I tend to accumulate SS's, CF's, and SP's without really thinking about it.

I enjoy having young teams. Right now my oldest player is 31, and the only reason why I haven't already traded him is because he's like the team captain, and I suppose that benefits all my younger players. But I find that 30-31 year old players make better trade bait than 35-36 year old players.

[NYYANKS98]

Originally Posted by andyhdz

what I don't like about going too young is that you might have 1 or 2 bad apples that infect the team when they start losing which they are naturally going to and then they all complain that you need more vets on the team.

Sounds like the Twins

[BuenoWaino]

In the midst of a total rebuild right now. Took over the Pirates (MLB quickstart, but deleted all real players and filled rosters with fictional players) after they finished 3rd last and last two years in a row.

I dumped almost everyone worth anything save my #1 SP (2nd year arb) and my starting 3B (1st year arb). I signed anyone and everyone who didn't have compensation attached, then flipped them all to contenders at the deadline/offseason for younger/cheaper options. I managed to trade for 2 more starting pitchers pre-arb looking like they were underperforming but ready to break own & signed them to team friendly contracts buying out remaining team control+1 FA year each, called up my top 2 SP prospects. My bullpen has 3 stud closers I got in trades and then a bunch of guys constantly outperforming their ratings that I'm paying nothing for. That might not hold up (only in May of year 2), but if not, middle relief shouldn't hurt too much.

On the position player side, I'm very modern-day Royals-esque: all about defense and contact. I rarely have big home run hitters on my teams. I might have 5-6 guys that hit 15 bombs, but almost never any that top 25. I signed an established IFA that is an Ichiro clone (not literally) for CF to hit atop my order. I also traded for a young stud RF a cut below the elite league players but has still averaged 4WAR a season his first two years. I grabbed a speedy, slap-hitting CF and stuck him in LF where his defense will play up. He can steal some bases too, which allowed me to trade my previous LF&DH for a young 2B and 3B, shifting my old 3B to DH (since his fielding ratings aren't great). My backup OF I actually nabbed from an Independent league, and he can play all 3 OF positions, steal some bases and hit ~.300 (albeit with no power). Yankees offered me a trade that was surprisingly fair for an AI proposed trade: their SS with one year of control remaining for my 2B who wasn't as good as the one I traded for and who looked like he'd never reach his potential. Good stopgap until my top prospect (a SS) is ready (hopefully next year). I traded my starting catcher, a c-level prospect and an unneeded reliever for a catcher just as good as mine, but younger and cheaper. He's really there to keep the spot warm while my backup catcher continues to get ready for full time duties playing 4 times a week (between catcher and DH). My original 1B was one of the best players in the league, but also 35, was **** at defense, and costing me a pretty penny. Traded him and two of the excess SP I'd signed the previous year for a young 1B who put up 3WAR his rookie year and could get even better.

Add in trading a few prospects that looked to be regressing for younger guys still full of potential but further from the majors and we're now projected to go 94-68 and nab the #1 wildcard spot. I replaced 2/3rds of my coaching staff with "personable" coaches (don't know if this makes a difference, I've just read that controlling and easygoing coaches can lead to unrest from being too strict/lax), and cranked up my scouting and development budges to tops in the league since my entire roster only costs $60mil (26th in the league). The entire team is under control for 3+ more years, minus my ace and (current) starting catcher, with the replacement for the latter already playing half the time and developing nicely and the replacement for the former doing well at AA (hopefully ready by next year, otherwise I'll have to sign a stop gap in the offseason), and SS (with his replacement looking ALMOST ready now and will probably receive a callup once rosters expand). My LF has an opt out at the end of the year, and I'd say it's 50/50 on his taking it. If so, I've got a decent, defense-first LF ready to fill in I think. I've got my #2&3 pitchers and my RF extended long term. As my stud relievers get more expensive, I'll trade them for equally good but cheaper options. And I'm considering extending my 1B and future Catcher, though I don't know what their demands will look like.

Point being, there's nothing more fun than rebuilding a team. You have tons of room to play with since money is pretty meaningless. Look anywhere and everywhere, especially the independent leagues (there's usually one guy there who's 50 overall or better every season in my experience who can always be had for $250k and with 6+ years of control. The one thing I haven't done is go big on international amateurs (j2 guys), but the first class was pretty poor). Hopefully this year will be good and I can go all in and take the penalty for a few years (offer double their demands and they will almost always sign with you, instead of getting into bidding wars where you often lose them or have to pay more for when all is said and done).

Also, a really cheap cheat is to get a trade you want to work for both sides, then ask for $5-$10mil. This never seems to make the AI upset and they still agree. That money can add up in a hurry if you're doing lots of trades like I've described here. It is a cheat and an exploit, but there's not a ton you can do with cash on hand since 1) the AI values it so little, you can't "buy" players from other teams without including valuable pieces on your end anyway and 2) this money will be taken from you by your owner if you don't spend it in-season. I mostly use it to feel like I'm still earning a good profit despite spending tons on the draft, player development and scouting since I'm a small market team with terrible attendance after 3 years of 90+ losses.