Expansion

Mister_G · 08-09-2013, 08:08 PM

I've been toying with the idea of expanding the MLB in my head. All I've thought of so far is that I'd like to have one team added to each league and then have four divisions of four teams each, with each division winner making the playoffs.

I just wanted some input on the whole process basically, with a few major questions...

1. What do you think a semi-realistic timeline for MLB expansion is? 2015? 2016? 2020? 2030?
2. What cities do you believe are most likely to get a team, and what do you think would be a good nickname?
3. Within OOTP how would you take care of expansion? (Draft rounds, protected players, budgets, what date during the year would you need to do it to do it without some weird bugs, etc.)

Any suggestions, help, ideas, etc. would be appreciated.

sreem · 08-09-2013, 08:26 PM

I actually tried this once, set it up geographically like football does.

I'm partial to Missoula, MT. Don't ask me why, some sick obsession.

Any way, keep it standard, 30 rounds - less than 3 years protected. I like to set the max picks per team to 3 or 4 to make it more realistic.

Timing is up to you, just depends how many RL veterans and rookies you still want in the game when the expansion draft takes place.

Budgets are set by whom ever the new owner is, and you can go ahead and edit that if you don't like what the AI creates.

Whenever I do an expansion to MLB I set it up the first day of the offseason. Then the AI schedules the draft a couple days after Free Agency begins, that way you don't draft someone that you have to quick negotiate arbitration with or an extension to make sure you don't lose them.

Hope this helps!

Mister_G · 08-09-2013, 09:58 PM

Thanks. I haven't messed around with the expansion feature in awhile, does each team also get an amount of players they can protect? What's the usual for that amount?

sreem · 08-09-2013, 10:41 PM

Yeah, each team has a protection list of 25 players by default when you expand, but you can edit this as well if you want to allow for more or less talent available.

That list is above and beyond the players that qualify for protection based on the # of years they've been in professional ball

Mister_G · 08-09-2013, 10:59 PM

Yeah. So is 25 the number they used when say the DBacks came into the league?

sreem · 08-09-2013, 11:59 PM

Well that's the one area that really varies between RL and OOTP. In real life it was a tiered system that consisted of only 3 rounds. Both the Rays and Dbacks picked 14 players in round 1 (28 total), 14 in round 2 (now 56 total), and 7 in the final round (Grand total of 70 players picked).

For their part, each team got to protect 15 players in round 1, and then add 3 more players to their protection list after each round.

Also, no team could lose more than 1 player per round (hence, each existing team lost 1 player in both rounds 1 and 2).

So, in summary, the league expansion in OOTP is probably the one major flaw when in comes to realism compared to actual real world baseball.

Mr. Baseball · 08-10-2013, 12:41 AM

If you're looking for realistic expansion, don't expand in the next five years. Typically, Major League Baseball will not announce the proposal to expand the league until several seasons prior to the first season in the new city. Expanding as early as 2015 would never happen, due to the economy and the fact that the process of bidding for a team, building a stadium, etc is very drawn out.

Las Vegas has been brought up numerous times in recent discussions, but always seems to be shot down due to the gambling atmosphere. Although I anticipate Major League Baseball to eventually cave in to pressure and sign off on a new in Vegas, it's still more unlikely than other destinations.

A few fun ideas...

Montreal (there have been discussions in the last year about bringing a team back)
Charlotte NC
Memphis TN

EHR · 08-10-2013, 10:55 AM

Here are some very good articles about expansion.
The Next MLB City: "The Top 10" - Beyond the Box Score
Finding a home: The search for the next MLB city (Part 1) - Beyond the Box Score
The Search for the Next MLB City, Part Two: The "Underdogs" - Beyond the Box Score
Search for the Next MLB City, Part Three: "The Dependents" - Beyond the Box Score

08-09-2013, 08:08 PM	#1
Mister_G All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 576	Expansion I've been toying with the idea of expanding the MLB in my head. All I've thought of so far is that I'd like to have one team added to each league and then have four divisions of four teams each, with each division winner making the playoffs. I just wanted some input on the whole process basically, with a few major questions... 1. What do you think a semi-realistic timeline for MLB expansion is? 2015? 2016? 2020? 2030? 2. What cities do you believe are most likely to get a team, and what do you think would be a good nickname? 3. Within OOTP how would you take care of expansion? (Draft rounds, protected players, budgets, what date during the year would you need to do it to do it without some weird bugs, etc.) Any suggestions, help, ideas, etc. would be appreciated. __________________ A man doesn't make mistakes, mistakes make the man @MisterG90

08-09-2013, 08:26 PM	#2
sreem All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 673	I actually tried this once, set it up geographically like football does. I'm partial to Missoula, MT. Don't ask me why, some sick obsession. Any way, keep it standard, 30 rounds - less than 3 years protected. I like to set the max picks per team to 3 or 4 to make it more realistic. Timing is up to you, just depends how many RL veterans and rookies you still want in the game when the expansion draft takes place. Budgets are set by whom ever the new owner is, and you can go ahead and edit that if you don't like what the AI creates. Whenever I do an expansion to MLB I set it up the first day of the offseason. Then the AI schedules the draft a couple days after Free Agency begins, that way you don't draft someone that you have to quick negotiate arbitration with or an extension to make sure you don't lose them. Hope this helps! __________________ "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Except for bears....."

08-09-2013, 09:58 PM	#3
Mister_G All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 576	Thanks. I haven't messed around with the expansion feature in awhile, does each team also get an amount of players they can protect? What's the usual for that amount? __________________ A man doesn't make mistakes, mistakes make the man @MisterG90

08-09-2013, 10:41 PM	#4
sreem All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 673	Yeah, each team has a protection list of 25 players by default when you expand, but you can edit this as well if you want to allow for more or less talent available. That list is above and beyond the players that qualify for protection based on the # of years they've been in professional ball __________________ "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Except for bears....."

08-09-2013, 10:59 PM	#5
Mister_G All Star Reserve Join Date: Jan 2012 Posts: 576	Yeah. So is 25 the number they used when say the DBacks came into the league? __________________ A man doesn't make mistakes, mistakes make the man @MisterG90

08-09-2013, 11:59 PM	#6
sreem All Star Reserve Join Date: Jul 2013 Posts: 673	Well that's the one area that really varies between RL and OOTP. In real life it was a tiered system that consisted of only 3 rounds. Both the Rays and Dbacks picked 14 players in round 1 (28 total), 14 in round 2 (now 56 total), and 7 in the final round (Grand total of 70 players picked). For their part, each team got to protect 15 players in round 1, and then add 3 more players to their protection list after each round. Also, no team could lose more than 1 player per round (hence, each existing team lost 1 player in both rounds 1 and 2). So, in summary, the league expansion in OOTP is probably the one major flaw when in comes to realism compared to actual real world baseball. __________________ "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Except for bears....."

08-10-2013, 12:41 AM	#7
Mr. Baseball All Star Starter Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Mequon, Wisconsin Posts: 1,020	If you're looking for realistic expansion, don't expand in the next five years. Typically, Major League Baseball will not announce the proposal to expand the league until several seasons prior to the first season in the new city. Expanding as early as 2015 would never happen, due to the economy and the fact that the process of bidding for a team, building a stadium, etc is very drawn out. Las Vegas has been brought up numerous times in recent discussions, but always seems to be shot down due to the gambling atmosphere. Although I anticipate Major League Baseball to eventually cave in to pressure and sign off on a new in Vegas, it's still more unlikely than other destinations. A few fun ideas... Montreal (there have been discussions in the last year about bringing a team back) Charlotte NC Memphis TN __________________ Duluth Danger (HBL) Dynasty Report -- Online League Franchise Duluth - 1985/1989 North League Champions!

08-10-2013, 10:55 AM	#8
EHR Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 40	Here are some very good articles about expansion. The Next MLB City: "The Top 10" - Beyond the Box Score Finding a home: The search for the next MLB city (Part 1) - Beyond the Box Score The Search for the Next MLB City, Part Two: The "Underdogs" - Beyond the Box Score Search for the Next MLB City, Part Three: "The Dependents" - Beyond the Box Score