Why aren't finances adding up?

[Baconi]

I'm not sure if this was present before the update or not, or maybe if I just don't understand how finances work. In my league, every team has a budget of $189m exactly, each team makes exactly $189m every year. The offseason just started, and my team currently has a starting balance of -$7m, and total expenses are equal to $164m. That means there should be $18m available for my team (189 - 164 - 7 = 18). So why does it say I have $31m available to spend a projected space of $38m? Where is the extra $17m coming from? I have it set so that the entire revenue is available and owners do not control the budget. I'm deeply confused as to where this extra money is coming from.

[Orcin]

Look at the Accounting tab and it should answer your question. It is probably revenue sharing if you haven't disabled that feature.

[Déjà Bru]

Yeah, you have to parse things and use a calculator but eventually you see that finances are consistent and correct.

[Baconi]

Revenue sharing is off and I turned the luxury tax off for this year, thinking it was the culprit, but I still can't figure out how the numbers add up. Here's a picture of the accounting tab. Game is saying I have $31m available, but I can't see how that's possible.

[Orcin]

The game is ignoring the sign on the negative starting balance. Yeah, that's a bug.

[Le Grande Orange]

Why aren't finances adding up?

Because of creative accounting, just like in real life?

[Matt Arnold]

Draft Expenses and IAFA expenses in some cases can get allocated to other budget spots if you don't have owners controlling the budget (and if they do, you can still re-allocate them in some cases if you don't spend them). So that 13.5M adds to the available cash (minus the 7M initial balance)

[Baconi]

Originally Posted by Matt Arnold

Draft Expenses and IAFA expenses in some cases can get allocated to other budget spots if you don't have owners controlling the budget (and if they do, you can still re-allocate them in some cases if you don't spend them). So that 13.5M adds to the available cash (minus the 7M initial balance)

Ah, I see. Thank you for clearing this up. Can I also ask what the difference is between "total money available", "available budget space", and "money for free agents" is?

[Matt Arnold]

Originally Posted by Baconi

Ah, I see. Thank you for clearing this up. Can I also ask what the difference is between "total money available", "available budget space", and "money for free agents" is?

Most of the time they are the same. The main cases where they will differ:
-Money for FA specifically counts player salary, so if you have a salary cap in the league, that can reduce the money you have for players, without impacting the total money you have available. Available Budget Space also factors in salary cap as well, I believe

If you don't have a salary cap in place, generally speaking all 3 values I think should be identical (and we generally hide them). They all have slight quirks in how they count salary cap, contract offers, etc...

[jmuelly]

Originally Posted by Orcin

Look at the Accounting tab and it should answer your question. It is probably revenue sharing if you haven't disabled that feature.

should we not be using revenue sharing?

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by jmuelly

should we not be using revenue sharing?

I always do. It can be disabled, so I am sure some people don't. I guess it comes down to personal preference.

I am glad that Matt chimed in with the correct answer and it turned out to be working as intended.

[jmuelly]

Originally Posted by Orcin

I always do. It can be disabled, so I am sure some people don't. I guess it comes down to personal preference.

I am glad that Matt chimed in with the correct answer and it turned out to be working as intended.

What are the pros and cons to having it on or off exactly? I always leave it on simply because it's default setting

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by jmuelly

What are the pros and cons to having it on or off exactly? I always leave it on simply because it's default setting

The rule takes 48% of the revenue from every team and puts it into a pool, which is then reallocated to every team in equal portions (1/30 of the pool amount to each team). Teams with large revenue streams will lose money and smaller revenue teams will gain money. For most teams in the middle, it is a relatively minor amount one way or the other.

PRO:
- consistent with current MLB rules
- gives small market teams an economic benefit to balance the playing field

CON:
- not realistic for historical leagues prior to the rule's inception in 1996
- removes some of the advantage from being a large market team

[Daniel_09]

Originally Posted by Orcin

The rule takes 48% of the revenue from every team and puts it into a pool, which is then reallocated to every team in equal portions (1/30 of the pool amount to each team). Teams with large revenue streams will lose money and smaller revenue teams will gain money. For most teams in the middle, it is a relatively minor amount one way or the other.

PRO:
- consistent with current MLB rules
- gives small market teams an economic benefit to balance the playing field

CON:
- not realistic for historical leagues prior to the rule's inception in 1996
- removes some of the advantage from being a large market team

I'm not an expert on the subject and I'm keeping an eye on the threads, but then they are currently reviewing something with this issue to then release a hot fix, or with yesterday's patch the financial system is working as it should be?

[jmuelly]

Originally Posted by Daniel_09

I'm not an expert on the subject and I'm keeping an eye on the threads, but then they are currently reviewing something with this issue to then release a hot fix, or with yesterday's patch the financial system is working as it should be?

Same here, I understand the rule and I just always leave it on as I assume it’s working as intended. I only play present time leagues (for now) so it’s probably not an issue. I have seen a good bit of chatter lately about it and needing to turn it off so I was curious too.

Thanks for helping explain, do appreciate it.

[kidd_05_u2]

Originally Posted by jmuelly

Same here, I understand the rule and I just always leave it on as I assume it’s working as intended. I only play present time leagues (for now) so it’s probably not an issue. I have seen a good bit of chatter lately about it and needing to turn it off so I was curious too.

Thanks for helping explain, do appreciate it.

If you are playing modern MLB, you probably want to turn revenue sharing off during the season until there is a fix.

[jmuelly]

Originally Posted by kidd_05_u2

If you are playing modern MLB, you probably want to turn revenue sharing off during the season until there is a fix.

What is happening? Orcin seemed to suggest it was more an issue in historical leagues.

FWIW I am a fan, local of a small market team.

[kidd_05_u2]

My recommendation would be to check the Front Office => Finances page to see if Total Money Available and Money for Extensions makes sense for the richest team and the poorest team in the league.

At least in my ongoing MLB 2023 save, the changes added new revenue sharing money into the cash to spend of the low-revenue teams, and subtracted a lot of money from the high-revenue teams.

[Orcin]

Originally Posted by kidd_05_u2

At least in my ongoing MLB 2023 save, the changes added new revenue sharing money into the cash to spend of the low-revenue teams, and subtracted a lot of money from the high-revenue teams.

That's how it is supposed to work.

[Jordan]

Originally Posted by Orcin

That's how it is supposed to work.

I agree that it should work that way, but is it supposed to work that way in the middle of the first season of a save, for example?