Been playing since OOTP2 - never used finances until now - having a problem - help?

[david limbaugh]

Subject: OOTP26 - Advanced Draftee Signing Not Triggering Negotiation Screen
Dear OOTP Support,
I'm setting up an inaugural 1871 National Association league and want to negotiate signing bonuses with my first-year draft picks. I've enabled the following settings:

Advanced Draftee Signing (Signing Bonus Negotiations): ENABLED ✓
Number of Draft Rounds to Negotiate: 5
Slot Bonus Baseline: $259

After completing my 13-round draft (January 1, 1871), I expected to see a "Negotiate with Drafted Players" screen in the League Menu to submit signing bonus offers for Rounds 1-5.
What actually happened:

No negotiation screen appeared after the draft
Players auto-signed to my roster with default salaries only
No signing bonus negotiation occurred
The "Negotiate with Drafted Players" option never appeared in the League Menu

Questions:

Is there a specific workflow step I'm missing to trigger the negotiation screen?
Should this screen appear immediately after draft completion, or at a specific date?
Is there a known issue with Advanced Draftee Signing in OOTP26 for inaugural leagues?

Any guidance would be appreciated.
Thank you,
Coach Limbaugh

[millhousebc]

Since you are starting an inaugural 1871 National Association league, OOTP automatically applies very restrictive historical rules, including the Reserve Clause Era Rules.
When the Reserve Clause is enabled, it typically dictates that:
1. Drafted players automatically sign to a standard contract with your team (the reserve clause).
2. Free agency is disabled.
3. Modern contract negotiations (like signing bonuses) are also often disabled or bypassed, as the entire concept of a signing bonus negotiation is an anachronism in that era of baseball

[david limbaugh]

Originally Posted by millhousebc

Since you are starting an inaugural 1871 National Association league, OOTP automatically applies very restrictive historical rules, including the Reserve Clause Era Rules.
When the Reserve Clause is enabled, it typically dictates that:
1. Drafted players automatically sign to a standard contract with your team (the reserve clause).
2. Free agency is disabled.
3. Modern contract negotiations (like signing bonuses) are also often disabled or bypassed, as the entire concept of a signing bonus negotiation is an anachronism in that era of baseball

Thank You! Never done this before :-)

[LansdowneSt]

I think you are trying to assign toggles that govern an amateur draft to an inaugural draft. My understanding is that there is no negotiating in an inaugural, they go where picked so the teams are populated.