Has a possible FA ever had a change of heart?

kennkerp · 10-10-2005, 12:40 PM

I've got this pitcher that is clearly the best pitcher in my league and he will be a free agent after this season. I have made several offers to him and he has replied with "I want more money!" He finally got fed up and will play elsewhere next year and the only replies I get are "You had your chance!", etc. Has anyone ever had a guy like this change his mind before the end of the season? Or am I pretty much going to have to wait until the offseason and compete with the rest of the league for his services? It's mid-July, so if there is no hope of him changing his mind, I may trade him at the deadline. But if there is a chance of him changing his mind, I'll probably risk it and hold on to him. Any insight into this would be greatly appreciated.

Kenn

endgame · 10-10-2005, 01:03 PM

I recall, perhaps incorrectly, in the past I had at least one occasion where a player came back to the table. I think I had made the original offer very early in the season, however, and waited until nearly the end of the year before a second attempt was possible. Often with borderline cases, I wait until I get an email request from them asking to consider an extension. Historically, in those case, the chances have been good that they sign reasonably. I don't jump right on it, but do open the door within a week of receiving their mail.

Another tactic you may consider is letting him enter the FA market, but issue no bid on him until as late as possible in the process -- watching the signings log and the offer made listings after each and every round. Based on interest shown him initially and throughout the signing period, his likelihood of hanging around for the best offer changes. I've managed a couple of bargain snags on players I couldn't afford to resign using this process and signing them toward the end of the FA period for a good share less than originally requested while they were on the roster. All perception though, no hard data.

On that note, you wouldn't really want to know with any certainty about the chances, would you? Isn't part of the mystique of negotiating and the game itself all about the relative unpredictability? Your thought may be a catch-all path: trade him and then wait for the FA market, unless the recipient is able to sign him to an extension. You find that out on August 1st, if I recall.

SandMan · 10-10-2005, 03:31 PM

Another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes if the player ison your team and he syas he will test the free agent market and says you had your chance, he will reply with the dreaded "I don't like your organization" message. Also, if you trade him he again may give you this message.

What I do is sign a few players in the FA draft that I don't need or want and trade these players for the one player I want. I do this alot with the players that don't want to sign for me. It is risky though because sometimes the AI wont do the trade, but what I do is if the player I want is a 5 star stud, I will try to sign 2 or 3 players that are 3 or 4 star players, take this and throw in a little cash. It looks like you are trading 3 players plus cash for 1 but you are actually just trading the cash for the player because you don't need the other players anyway.......Do this earlier rather than later in the draft or you may get stuck with players you don't need. This only happened to me once or twice in probably 50 trades.....

Jason · 10-10-2005, 03:39 PM

I think I've had it happen twice in all the time I've been using v6. One time I gave a shoot for the moon contract (the max I'd be willing to pay) and he took it. The other time they said again they were going free agent.

endgame · 10-10-2005, 04:00 PM

SandMan has an interesting concept on handling your situation. If you elect to utilize that method I'd add the suggestion to capture the Offers Made log before the FA period ends. With no actual proof of any correlation, I have as well used a similar method, but made sure I acquired players (of lower expense) that the team who eventually signed my target had expressed interest in -- if that makes sense.

SDtwin · 10-11-2005, 02:44 AM

wait until after the playoffs, with out advancing the season and try again. I think that ha worked for me sometimes

bjkach · 10-11-2005, 04:34 AM

I had a weird situation with my top power hitter, James Hendricks.

During the first half of the season, Hendricks was poised to smash the league HR record which was either 58 or 59 (he had 35 entering July), so I tried to re-sign him because his contract was up at the end of the year. We negotiated for a while, but nothing got done. The problem was my team was in contention at the time and I didn't want to trade him, so I decided to ride it out and hope for the best at the end of the season.

Suddenly, Hendricks broke his ankle "diving" for a fly ball (still don't know how that can happen) on the fourth of July and missed nine weeks. I altered my lineup to a more speed and small ball style and we went hot and cold for a while (moved within a 1/2 game of first at one point) before eventually fading away.

During the stretch run, I get an e-mail from Hendricks saying he wanted to stay and negotiate a new contract. I signed him for 5 or 6 years at 9 million per. I was offering 12M during the first negotiation, which he rejected! Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to free agency this winter because the extra money I saved can now help me land the league's top all-around hitter (Hedricks' average is around .240) and pitcher!

The weird part about all this was the first negotiations came before 6.5 came out and the e-mail was sent after. I didn't approach him after 6.5. Maybe that had something to do with it, I don't know. But I'm happy as hell nontheless.

ctorg · 10-11-2005, 11:07 AM

From time to time, guys have come back to the table for me. Usually I have to offer a lot more money. And it usually takes time, too. Like, if he rejects an offer in June, try again at the end of the year.

Melo · 10-11-2005, 11:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ctorg

From time to time, guys have come back to the table for me. Usually I have to offer a lot more money. And it usually takes time, too. Like, if he rejects an offer in June, try again at the end of the year.

Yep, I usually wait a month or two after I've gotten them pissed off at me. They'll at least come back to the table.

freew · 10-11-2005, 01:17 PM

A couples times after I had a player refuse to continue negotiations I offered him something like $999,999,999 over 99 years just to see what would happen. One player refused the offer (!) and one accepted the offer ( of course I took the offer off the table and really made him mad)

kennkerp · 10-11-2005, 01:30 PM

Thanks everyone! I'm glad to know that it is at least possible. It's still Mid-July, so I'll hold on to him and hope he comes back to the table in Sept. And hopefully I'll still be in a pennant race at that time as well!

10-10-2005, 12:40 PM	#1
kennkerp Bat Boy Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 9	Has a possible FA ever had a change of heart? I've got this pitcher that is clearly the best pitcher in my league and he will be a free agent after this season. I have made several offers to him and he has replied with "I want more money!" He finally got fed up and will play elsewhere next year and the only replies I get are "You had your chance!", etc. Has anyone ever had a guy like this change his mind before the end of the season? Or am I pretty much going to have to wait until the offseason and compete with the rest of the league for his services? It's mid-July, so if there is no hope of him changing his mind, I may trade him at the deadline. But if there is a chance of him changing his mind, I'll probably risk it and hold on to him. Any insight into this would be greatly appreciated. Kenn

10-10-2005, 01:03 PM	#2
endgame Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 16,842	I recall, perhaps incorrectly, in the past I had at least one occasion where a player came back to the table. I think I had made the original offer very early in the season, however, and waited until nearly the end of the year before a second attempt was possible. Often with borderline cases, I wait until I get an email request from them asking to consider an extension. Historically, in those case, the chances have been good that they sign reasonably. I don't jump right on it, but do open the door within a week of receiving their mail. Another tactic you may consider is letting him enter the FA market, but issue no bid on him until as late as possible in the process -- watching the signings log and the offer made listings after each and every round. Based on interest shown him initially and throughout the signing period, his likelihood of hanging around for the best offer changes. I've managed a couple of bargain snags on players I couldn't afford to resign using this process and signing them toward the end of the FA period for a good share less than originally requested while they were on the roster. All perception though, no hard data. On that note, you wouldn't really want to know with any certainty about the chances, would you? Isn't part of the mystique of negotiating and the game itself all about the relative unpredictability? Your thought may be a catch-all path: trade him and then wait for the FA market, unless the recipient is able to sign him to an extension. You find that out on August 1st, if I recall. __________________ "Try again. Fail again. Fail better." -- Samuel Beckett _____________________________________________

10-10-2005, 04:00 PM	#5
endgame Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2002 Posts: 16,842	SandMan has an interesting concept on handling your situation. If you elect to utilize that method I'd add the suggestion to capture the Offers Made log before the FA period ends. With no actual proof of any correlation, I have as well used a similar method, but made sure I acquired players (of lower expense) that the team who eventually signed my target had expressed interest in -- if that makes sense. __________________ "Try again. Fail again. Fail better." -- Samuel Beckett _____________________________________________

10-11-2005, 04:34 AM	#7
bjkach Minors (Single A) Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 85	I had a weird situation with my top power hitter, James Hendricks. During the first half of the season, Hendricks was poised to smash the league HR record which was either 58 or 59 (he had 35 entering July), so I tried to re-sign him because his contract was up at the end of the year. We negotiated for a while, but nothing got done. The problem was my team was in contention at the time and I didn't want to trade him, so I decided to ride it out and hope for the best at the end of the season. Suddenly, Hendricks broke his ankle "diving" for a fly ball (still don't know how that can happen) on the fourth of July and missed nine weeks. I altered my lineup to a more speed and small ball style and we went hot and cold for a while (moved within a 1/2 game of first at one point) before eventually fading away. During the stretch run, I get an e-mail from Hendricks saying he wanted to stay and negotiate a new contract. I signed him for 5 or 6 years at 9 million per. I was offering 12M during the first negotiation, which he rejected! Needless to say, I'm really looking forward to free agency this winter because the extra money I saved can now help me land the league's top all-around hitter (Hedricks' average is around .240) and pitcher! The weird part about all this was the first negotiations came before 6.5 came out and the e-mail was sent after. I didn't approach him after 6.5. Maybe that had something to do with it, I don't know. But I'm happy as hell nontheless. Last edited by bjkach; 10-11-2005 at 04:37 AM.

10-11-2005, 11:07 AM	#8
ctorg Global Moderator Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Queens, NY Posts: 9,848	From time to time, guys have come back to the table for me. Usually I have to offer a lot more money. And it usually takes time, too. Like, if he rejects an offer in June, try again at the end of the year. __________________ My music "When the trees blow back and forth, that's what makes the wind." - Steven Wright Fjord emena pancreas thorax fornicate marmalade morpheme proteolysis smaxa cabana offal srue vitriol grope hallelujah lentils

10-10-2005, 03:31 PM	#3
SandMan Hall Of Famer Join Date: Aug 2003 Posts: 2,946	Another thing to keep in mind is that sometimes if the player ison your team and he syas he will test the free agent market and says you had your chance, he will reply with the dreaded "I don't like your organization" message. Also, if you trade him he again may give you this message. What I do is sign a few players in the FA draft that I don't need or want and trade these players for the one player I want. I do this alot with the players that don't want to sign for me. It is risky though because sometimes the AI wont do the trade, but what I do is if the player I want is a 5 star stud, I will try to sign 2 or 3 players that are 3 or 4 star players, take this and throw in a little cash. It looks like you are trading 3 players plus cash for 1 but you are actually just trading the cash for the player because you don't need the other players anyway.......Do this earlier rather than later in the draft or you may get stuck with players you don't need. This only happened to me once or twice in probably 50 trades.....

10-10-2005, 03:39 PM	#4
Jason Hall Of Famer Join Date: May 2002 Posts: 3,847	I think I've had it happen twice in all the time I've been using v6. One time I gave a shoot for the moon contract (the max I'd be willing to pay) and he took it. The other time they said again they were going free agent.

10-11-2005, 02:44 AM	#6
SDtwin Major Leagues Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: San Diego Posts: 406	wait until after the playoffs, with out advancing the season and try again. I think that ha worked for me sometimes

10-11-2005, 01:17 PM	#10
freew Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Apr 2002 Posts: 41	A couples times after I had a player refuse to continue negotiations I offered him something like $999,999,999 over 99 years just to see what would happen. One player refused the offer (!) and one accepted the offer ( of course I took the offer off the table and really made him mad) __________________ Directory of OOTP online leagues: http://sim-leagues.com

10-11-2005, 01:30 PM	#11
kennkerp Bat Boy Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Toledo, Ohio Posts: 9	Thanks everyone! I'm glad to know that it is at least possible. It's still Mid-July, so I'll hold on to him and hope he comes back to the table in Sept. And hopefully I'll still be in a pennant race at that time as well!