Challenge Mode Trades

[ScorpioSymbol]

So I think we can all agree that it used to be way to easy to trade with the AI on challenge mode, but in OOTP19 it really feels like it's been corrected waaaay in the opposite direction.

I routinely can offer my 1st through 6th round picks for the #1 pick overall, and the team will still ask for my top, or one of my top 3 players included in that trade.

Any way to get this a little more in line with reality?

(Also, cash seems to be way undervalued in trade offers.)

[WIUPIKE]

Depending where you picks are in the rounds I can see the ai asking for more top talent.

[ScorpioSymbol]

Originally Posted by WIUPIKE

Depending where you picks are in the rounds I can see the ai asking for more top talent.

Well, the trade that prompted this post, for example, was offering the 6th pick in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th rounds... AI still wanted my top (75+) player on top of that and no amount of cash mattered.

[RightBack2]

Originally Posted by ScorpioSymbol

Well, the trade that prompted this post, for example, was offering the 6th pick in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th rounds... AI still wanted my top (75+) player on top of that and no amount of cash mattered.

The MLB draft is a crapshoot and you will be lucky if two of those picks become MLB regulars. Granted it depends on the player and current team situation but draft picks in the MLB do not hold much weight. I obviously do not know the player or the teams current situation but draft picks don't have as much value as you'd think.

[GeoWar]

I just started with Cin (NL) and had no problem making a couple of trades . The game did not just allow me to buy players. If I wanted a 3 or 4 star starting pitcher I had to offer a 4 star position player plus a minor leaguer.... Oakland offered a SS for two minor leaguer players -- did not need the SS so asked for prospects 3 * pitcher, and a 3* CF and a sp at 2* too much but I also saw a 2* RP so dropped the sp and requested the 2* rp ........... deal was completed ---- I dumped salary ...... Trade a catcher to Oakland for pitcher RHU ..... If you want Quality from the draft -- you must draft high and not trade,,,,,, comp picks can be trade --- but the are expensive.

[GeoWar]

Cin .. is currently in first 13 games over 500% ....... got some cash ..... looking for a durable starting pitcher at the trade deadline (** I have 4 starters out on 60 day Disable list ) ..... Challenge mode ..... Record 42 - 29 .... owner wants "close to 500% record ........... My first two picks were pitchers and then a 3B man --- next 3 outfielders ---- Scouting director finished . ....... But trading as been ok

[ThePretender]

For some things I don't think the AI on challenge mode trades is tough enough to be perfectly honest.

[GeoWar]

Started the Challenge mode -- Cin Reds ------ currently in 1st place wins 57 losses 33 ----- 10 games up .... the owner has a mid-season change in goals from playing around 500 ball changing to "push them harder and make playoffs" .. but no increase in money ---- trades want the team stars.

So are the goals at the beginning of the season the ones evaluated on ---- or the change ...

[Lukas Berger]

Originally Posted by ScorpioSymbol

So I think we can all agree that it used to be way to easy to trade with the AI on challenge mode, but in OOTP19 it really feels like it's been corrected waaaay in the opposite direction.

I routinely can offer my 1st through 6th round picks for the #1 pick overall, and the team will still ask for my top, or one of my top 3 players included in that trade.

Any way to get this a little more in line with reality?

(Also, cash seems to be way undervalued in trade offers.)

I think it's pretty hard to use your example as reflective or not reflective of reality given that high draft picks can't be traded in reality. So it's pretty hard to say what a real life team would need to be willing to trade the number one overall pick, but I don't really think what the game is doingis too far off from what it would be.

4th, 5th and lower picks don't really have too much value in the draft. That's where teams start to pick senior signs and low value guys like that.

If they could, would a real team trade a top pick for a hodgepodge of lesser picks, most of which have little value?

Since we don't have any real life examples to go on, any answer is theoretical but personally I seriously doubt it. I think you're undervaluing the 1st overall pick by a lot. That's the one spot in the draft where an MLB team can feel pretty sure it's likely to get some real value.

https://www.baseballprospectus.com/n...ers-the-draft/
https://www.fangraphs.com/tht/the-ne...f-draft-picks/
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features...ts-usefulness/

It might depend on just how high the 1st and 2nd round picks you're offering are. But if it's a lower first round pick, then the responses you're describing would make sense to me.

Given the data, it seems likely that MLB would be pretty much like hockey if it was possible to trade all draft picks and the #1 pick overall (as well as most any top 5 picks) would probably be prohibitively expensive to trade for because teams would simply refuse to give them up for anything less than a king's ransom, given just how much value they project to provide their owners with.

[Ty Cobb]

For every time I pull off a Newcombe for Johnny Groth coup, I get 100 offers of 14 year old Red Ruffing for Ralph Kiner, or similar nonsense. On the other hand, Nolan Ryan once got traded for...