Morale loss for unmet expectations

[dcd111]

One of my players "expects to play in the middle of the lineup", but he's the only player I have with a combination of high contact and speed, so I absolutely need him in the leadoff spot. He would be great in the 3-spot (I assume "middle" means 3-4-5 spots, or does this actually mean 4-5-6?), but it would leave a gaping hole at the top of the lineup. My team is sorely lacking in speed, so my other choices for that spot are 10 or 11 contact (out of 20) and very good speed/stealing, or very good contact and ~10 (out of 20) speed and stealing.

Now, a few weeks into the season, he just "emailed" me asking to be moved to the middle of the lineup. His morale is also "very unhappy".

Of course, he's also a free agent after this season.

Are the consequences of poor morale just going to be a problem in negotiating an extension, or will it also lead to a degradation of his performance this season? How important is it to keep players happy?

[SteveP]

Originally Posted by dcd111

One of my players "expects to play in the middle of the lineup", but he's the only player I have with a combination of high contact and speed, so I absolutely need him in the leadoff spot. He would be great in the 3-spot (I assume "middle" means 3-4-5 spots, or does this actually mean 4-5-6?), but it would leave a gaping hole at the top of the lineup. My team is sorely lacking in speed, so my other choices for that spot are 10 or 11 contact (out of 20) and very good speed/stealing, or very good contact and ~10 (out of 20) speed and stealing.

Now, a few weeks into the season, he just "emailed" me asking to be moved to the middle of the lineup. His morale is also "very unhappy".

Of course, he's also a free agent after this season.

Are the consequences of poor morale just going to be a problem in negotiating an extension, or will it also lead to a degradation of his performance this season? How important is it to keep players happy?

It is difficult to give definitive answers to morale related questions. A player who is angry will be a problem with negotiations for extension versus free agency. Beyond that it gets a bit speculative, especially when it comes to performance. Also you should keep in mind the other parameters in his morale. For example, his reaction to how well the team is doing might offset his unhappiness about his place in the lineup (assuming your team does well, and he cares about whether his team does well). The game is trying to add a flavor of what it is like to manage a bunch of talented young professionals, many with outsize egos. So, I'd approach the problem in the same way you would do IRL, in you were managing an outfit like that.