Free Agency

Orcin · 08-14-2018, 06:02 PM

How do you approach it? Do you target certain players and jump in with a good offer on the first day? Do you kind of hang back and try to gauge the interest in your targeted player? Do you just wait around to pick up bargains?

I usually have a target but I try to wait at least a few days or even a week to see if there are other bids. If you click on the player, you can usually tell if they already have an offer that they like. I wonder sometimes if they are lying though.

Also: Do you shy away from players with a draft pick attached, or do you forge ahead? I personally don't let the draft pick stop me if it is someone I want but I wouldn't waste a draft pick on a one-year contract.

dannibalcorpse · 08-14-2018, 06:31 PM

If it's a player at a position of need, I'll usually go out on day on of free agency and make an offer - usually with a little less term/more $ per year than they're asking for, or with an opt-out a year or so before I think they might start declining (usually around their age 32/33 season). Other than that I'll usually hang back and see how the market develops for complementary pieces - if I'm looking for a 4th outfielder type, I'll usually see what's around in January and who might take a minor league deal.

I usually don't sweat losing the draft pick - I tend to draft looking at an overall philosophy (usually high contact/eye potential for batters and strong individual pitch potential for pitchers) that lets me get more utility out of the mid/late-round guys.

koohead · 08-14-2018, 06:47 PM

I jump right in on my primary targets...those 2 or 3 big splash FA's each year that everyone is likely to go after. I make my best offer and may consider increasing one time but won't get into a bidding war.

I'll also target one of the top international FA's if it's a position of need.

The rest of free agency is spent waiting for prices to go down to fill out my bench/bullpen and Triple-A (40 man roster) spots.

Timofmars · 08-14-2018, 08:53 PM

I go for good value. I'll happily sign anyone that is asking for a low amount compared to their ability, since the player would be valued in trades even if I didn't care to keep him.

If there's a lot of good value players, I may weight their contract offers towards the future years to have more money to sign more players this year.

Also, by bidding on any good value players, i prevent anyone else from getting really good deals. I stay in the bidding until I think it's not a really good value anymore.

waittilnextyear · 08-15-2018, 01:30 AM

Eh, the approach kinda depends on where I am with respect to the team's window of contention.

I have been playing a current era MLB +2 expansion teams setup, and as one of the expansion teams (now in the middle of year 2) I tend to hold my draft picks quite close. To the point where I ignored most of the impressive crop of FA's during the first offseason despite having cash to sign one of the following: Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson, Clayton Kershaw, Charlie Blackmon, A.J. Pollock, Andrew Miller etc. I did make an overture to Paul Goldschmidt, but only because he had an impossibly bad 2018 season and was asking for a pittance. Didn't get him, however. Zach Britton got traded from BAL to TOR in my game, so I was all over him seeing that he wouldn't require a comp. pick. I got him. I find the draft to be quite FUN in this game and get jealous when I am short of my complement of picks (although I don't enable pick trading). It takes a special mixture of young enough, cheap enough, and great lineup/positional fit to overcome my preference here.

I am also kind of a bargain hunter by nature, so I can't really shake that no matter the state of the team. Sometimes I think that I would rather negotiate a guy to the point of exasperation so that I can save $100K rather than him actually sign on the line that is dotted.

Finally, I am well aware that a lot of useful players will fall through the cracks during the winter months. As such, I wait until they get desperate and start asking for minor contracts with MLB options. These are useful players to load up on. I also get to feel like Mr. Burns, if only for a short while.

Trauma One · 08-15-2018, 05:16 AM

I come up with FA targets and check on them every few days until another team puts in an offer. Then, I'll beat that offer and sometimes modify things (turn the last year to a team option or something). It's a bit of a reactive strategy but I don't like getting into mood trouble when I make a low ball (in the players mind) offer - even though they'll often eventually sign there.

Compensation, for me, depends on how my team is positioned for the upcoming year. If I'm contending and need one more big player I'll burn the draft pick but not otherwise. In general, it makes strategic sense to sign multiple compensation picks some years (because the 2nd and 3rd round picks are much less valuable) and other years to sign none at all.

NoOne · 08-15-2018, 10:49 AM

depends on what they are expected to do on my team. 1-6ish in lineup or bottom of lineup ... 1-2-3-4 sp or 5th guy. then, of course there's depth etc...

definitely find targets / list of equivalents relative to each need in FA. the way i run my team, i typically avoid major FA signings all except the first decade or so. after ~10 years you can have a cavalcade of young stars developing in perpetuity.

if they are going to fill a heavy role, specific targets and aim not to miss. for the lesser players and depth, i'll risk a bit more waiting to save money. never overpay for those roles, do overpay for heavy lifting roles, but not by much. obviously another equivalent alternative (or more) allows for more money saving.

knowing your competition helps. i check out how financially sound they are in finances report. i know what they can afford and i am familiar with what various qualities of players cost relative to revenue in my league.

while you cannot alleviate all risk and fog of war, you can reduce it significantly. i'm not doing that for a <1M bench player... if he doesn't take my offer, there's another equivalent for sure. 10/100 less speed? oh well.

remember, if the player is demanding ~30M and based on the above info the teams bidding are around ~20M, you must still wait for the demand to drop before underbidding it by too much. the AI gets to submit earlier, it is of now consequence except if you wait too long to bid. it may allow for a bit larger underbid than you normally can get away with? have to test that latter part out -- all competition very low bids, instead of typical dip you can dip further etc.

08-14-2018, 06:02 PM	#1
Orcin Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Indiana Posts: 9,798	Free Agency How do you approach it? Do you target certain players and jump in with a good offer on the first day? Do you kind of hang back and try to gauge the interest in your targeted player? Do you just wait around to pick up bargains? I usually have a target but I try to wait at least a few days or even a week to see if there are other bids. If you click on the player, you can usually tell if they already have an offer that they like. I wonder sometimes if they are lying though. Also: Do you shy away from players with a draft pick attached, or do you forge ahead? I personally don't let the draft pick stop me if it is someone I want but I wouldn't waste a draft pick on a one-year contract. Last edited by Orcin; 08-14-2018 at 06:21 PM.

08-14-2018, 06:31 PM	#2
dannibalcorpse Minors (Double A) Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: Long Island, NY Posts: 168	If it's a player at a position of need, I'll usually go out on day on of free agency and make an offer - usually with a little less term/more $ per year than they're asking for, or with an opt-out a year or so before I think they might start declining (usually around their age 32/33 season). Other than that I'll usually hang back and see how the market develops for complementary pieces - if I'm looking for a 4th outfielder type, I'll usually see what's around in January and who might take a minor league deal. I usually don't sweat losing the draft pick - I tend to draft looking at an overall philosophy (usually high contact/eye potential for batters and strong individual pitch potential for pitchers) that lets me get more utility out of the mid/late-round guys. __________________

08-14-2018, 06:47 PM	#3
koohead Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 3,137	I jump right in on my primary targets...those 2 or 3 big splash FA's each year that everyone is likely to go after. I make my best offer and may consider increasing one time but won't get into a bidding war. I'll also target one of the top international FA's if it's a position of need. The rest of free agency is spent waiting for prices to go down to fill out my bench/bullpen and Triple-A (40 man roster) spots. __________________ GM - New Jersey Bears of the NPBL;

08-14-2018, 08:53 PM	#4
Timofmars Minors (Triple A) Join Date: Feb 2018 Posts: 251	I go for good value. I'll happily sign anyone that is asking for a low amount compared to their ability, since the player would be valued in trades even if I didn't care to keep him. If there's a lot of good value players, I may weight their contract offers towards the future years to have more money to sign more players this year. Also, by bidding on any good value players, i prevent anyone else from getting really good deals. I stay in the bidding until I think it's not a really good value anymore.

08-15-2018, 01:30 AM	#5
waittilnextyear All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 1,272	Eh, the approach kinda depends on where I am with respect to the team's window of contention. I have been playing a current era MLB +2 expansion teams setup, and as one of the expansion teams (now in the middle of year 2) I tend to hold my draft picks quite close. To the point where I ignored most of the impressive crop of FA's during the first offseason despite having cash to sign one of the following: Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Josh Donaldson, Clayton Kershaw, Charlie Blackmon, A.J. Pollock, Andrew Miller etc. I did make an overture to Paul Goldschmidt, but only because he had an impossibly bad 2018 season and was asking for a pittance. Didn't get him, however. Zach Britton got traded from BAL to TOR in my game, so I was all over him seeing that he wouldn't require a comp. pick. I got him. I find the draft to be quite FUN in this game and get jealous when I am short of my complement of picks (although I don't enable pick trading). It takes a special mixture of young enough, cheap enough, and great lineup/positional fit to overcome my preference here. I am also kind of a bargain hunter by nature, so I can't really shake that no matter the state of the team. Sometimes I think that I would rather negotiate a guy to the point of exasperation so that I can save $100K rather than him actually sign on the line that is dotted. Finally, I am well aware that a lot of useful players will fall through the cracks during the winter months. As such, I wait until they get desperate and start asking for minor contracts with MLB options. These are useful players to load up on. I also get to feel like Mr. Burns, if only for a short while.

08-15-2018, 05:16 AM	#6
Trauma One Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Apr 2018 Posts: 30	I come up with FA targets and check on them every few days until another team puts in an offer. Then, I'll beat that offer and sometimes modify things (turn the last year to a team option or something). It's a bit of a reactive strategy but I don't like getting into mood trouble when I make a low ball (in the players mind) offer - even though they'll often eventually sign there. Compensation, for me, depends on how my team is positioned for the upcoming year. If I'm contending and need one more big player I'll burn the draft pick but not otherwise. In general, it makes strategic sense to sign multiple compensation picks some years (because the 2nd and 3rd round picks are much less valuable) and other years to sign none at all.

08-15-2018, 10:49 AM	#7
NoOne Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2015 Posts: 7,167	depends on what they are expected to do on my team. 1-6ish in lineup or bottom of lineup ... 1-2-3-4 sp or 5th guy. then, of course there's depth etc... definitely find targets / list of equivalents relative to each need in FA. the way i run my team, i typically avoid major FA signings all except the first decade or so. after ~10 years you can have a cavalcade of young stars developing in perpetuity. if they are going to fill a heavy role, specific targets and aim not to miss. for the lesser players and depth, i'll risk a bit more waiting to save money. never overpay for those roles, do overpay for heavy lifting roles, but not by much. obviously another equivalent alternative (or more) allows for more money saving. knowing your competition helps. i check out how financially sound they are in finances report. i know what they can afford and i am familiar with what various qualities of players cost relative to revenue in my league. while you cannot alleviate all risk and fog of war, you can reduce it significantly. i'm not doing that for a <1M bench player... if he doesn't take my offer, there's another equivalent for sure. 10/100 less speed? oh well. remember, if the player is demanding ~30M and based on the above info the teams bidding are around ~20M, you must still wait for the demand to drop before underbidding it by too much. the AI gets to submit earlier, it is of now consequence except if you wait too long to bid. it may allow for a bit larger underbid than you normally can get away with? have to test that latter part out -- all competition very low bids, instead of typical dip you can dip further etc.