Draftees - demanding bonus + ML contract

gadorg · 04-04-2012, 10:30 AM

Hey fellas - I've got a 1st round draftee (a potential closer who is probably about a year away from being able to legitimately join my ML roster, initially as a MR/SU guy, just needs to work on increasing his CO (4/10 current, 6/10 potential). He's asking for a 820K bonus + 3 yr ML contract for 847K/year.

Not wanting to blow a 40 man spot on him, I offered him a 1.5MIL bonus instead, and he turned it down and is still insisting on his original terms.

Should I go ahead and meet his demands or should I just keep increasing the bonus money (but w/o a ML contract) and hope he signs? I've got roughly 7 weeks left to sign him before the signing deadline.

TGH-Adfabre · 04-04-2012, 10:47 AM

I have had this situation too. I always avoid the ML contract if I can. The problem I have had is my owner will stop me from making too big of an offer. This happens when the option:
Team Owner Controls Budget- No, Entire Revenue Available
is selected. Our commish has tried to overrule the idiot owner but we have not been able to make it work. You may have to offer a ML contract.

Good luck

TGH-Adfabre · 04-04-2012, 10:50 AM

Try offering $3.361 mil. That is the value of the contract demand. You could also subtract 3x your ML minimum salary from that and see if he bites. It depends on how much cash you have. I play in a capped league so non salary money is useful, in a non capped league it is a bit different.

Cinnamon J. Scudworth · 04-04-2012, 10:53 AM

My experience has been that if the draftee demands a major league contract he is not likely to accept any thing less, no matter how big you make the bonus. I am usually willing to give them a major league contract if I think they have a legitimate shot at making the active roster within 2 years.

I don't know what financial settings you have but the amount of the contract you are talking about doesn't seem very high at all, so I would probably give him the contract.

gadorg · 04-04-2012, 11:07 AM

Great input, guys. I'm just a GM in this online league, so I'm not sure what the financial settings are, but I know that we have budget space + cash to sign our draftees (I've got like 67MIL+ available). I definitely have the $ to sign him to his demands, and if he just wants $, I can give him whatever he wants (within reason) as long as I can do it without a ML contract. Anyone else want to chime in?

OutS|der · 04-04-2012, 12:26 PM

i'd let him walk for a few reasons
You get the pick back next year, love that part of MLB as it's not a total loss if you don't sign him and he's going back into the draft to so no one else gets him yet
Unless you will update to 13 soon, MR are plentifull in OOTP so i'd take advantage of that as you do see some nice MR come up so losing out on one again isn't that big of a loss.

He is only 6 potential but i'm picky so i'd let him walk, take the pick next year and draft a MR next year

04-04-2012, 10:30 AM	#1
gadorg Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 101	Draftees - demanding bonus + ML contract Hey fellas - I've got a 1st round draftee (a potential closer who is probably about a year away from being able to legitimately join my ML roster, initially as a MR/SU guy, just needs to work on increasing his CO (4/10 current, 6/10 potential). He's asking for a 820K bonus + 3 yr ML contract for 847K/year. Not wanting to blow a 40 man spot on him, I offered him a 1.5MIL bonus instead, and he turned it down and is still insisting on his original terms. Should I go ahead and meet his demands or should I just keep increasing the bonus money (but w/o a ML contract) and hope he signs? I've got roughly 7 weeks left to sign him before the signing deadline.

04-04-2012, 10:47 AM	#2
TGH-Adfabre Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2,599	I have had this situation too. I always avoid the ML contract if I can. The problem I have had is my owner will stop me from making too big of an offer. This happens when the option: Team Owner Controls Budget- No, Entire Revenue Available is selected. Our commish has tried to overrule the idiot owner but we have not been able to make it work. You may have to offer a ML contract. Good luck __________________ You mock me, therefore I am My wife

04-04-2012, 10:50 AM	#3
TGH-Adfabre Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2007 Posts: 2,599	Try offering $3.361 mil. That is the value of the contract demand. You could also subtract 3x your ML minimum salary from that and see if he bites. It depends on how much cash you have. I play in a capped league so non salary money is useful, in a non capped league it is a bit different. __________________ You mock me, therefore I am My wife

04-04-2012, 10:53 AM	#4
Cinnamon J. Scudworth All Star Starter Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Washington, DC Posts: 1,119	My experience has been that if the draftee demands a major league contract he is not likely to accept any thing less, no matter how big you make the bonus. I am usually willing to give them a major league contract if I think they have a legitimate shot at making the active roster within 2 years. I don't know what financial settings you have but the amount of the contract you are talking about doesn't seem very high at all, so I would probably give him the contract. __________________ "Sometimes, this is like going to a grocery store. You’ve got a list until you get to the check-out stand. And then you start reading People magazine, and all this other [stuff] ends up in the basket." -Sandy Alderson on the MLB offseason

04-04-2012, 11:07 AM	#5
gadorg Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jan 2003 Posts: 101	Great input, guys. I'm just a GM in this online league, so I'm not sure what the financial settings are, but I know that we have budget space + cash to sign our draftees (I've got like 67MIL+ available). I definitely have the $ to sign him to his demands, and if he just wants $, I can give him whatever he wants (within reason) as long as I can do it without a ML contract. Anyone else want to chime in?

04-04-2012, 12:26 PM	#6
OutS\|der Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: In A Van Down By The River Posts: 2,247	i'd let him walk for a few reasons You get the pick back next year, love that part of MLB as it's not a total loss if you don't sign him and he's going back into the draft to so no one else gets him yet Unless you will update to 13 soon, MR are plentifull in OOTP so i'd take advantage of that as you do see some nice MR come up so losing out on one again isn't that big of a loss. He is only 6 potential but i'm picky so i'd let him walk, take the pick next year and draft a MR next year