OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - Mid-season free agent signings

Raidergoo · 07-08-2008, 03:29 PM

In the draft pool, or Free Agent Pool?

One thing I have noticed in my online league is that if a player gets to Free Agency, that they have fundamental flaws, and bear great risk for the club that will sign them. In the eMLB, the FA pool has a couple of very good 35 year old relievers, a couple of #3 starting pitchers, a 35 year old future HoF 3B who can't play 3B anymore, and so on.

There's a lot of B-level talent to be had, guys that could hit 6th or 7th, and they tend to want the most ridiculous deals (4 years $45 million for .280 and 10 HR), but they do back down from their offers, and I do budget a little bit of cap space to snipe one or two of these guys each season. Two seasons ago, I landed Matt Watson for $3m in Spring Training. He was fantastic, and I spun him in a trade deadline deal for a pitcher who was undervalued. He signed at a 70% discount, primarily because people were afraid of his demands, and afraid of his age. Oops. The next season, I landed Harry Collins in Spring Training for $3.3 million (67% discount from his demands) for one year plus an option. He was supposed to be a fourth OF, but my starting CF had a SEI in the first week of the regular season. He was a fine addition, and I picked his option up recently for 2016.

It is a risk-reward thing. If all of your GM's leave talented players on the board because the risk to themselves is too high, then there's no need to strangle the risk-taking fellow who offers a contract that is "unfair" or "illogical" and gets it accepted. Some of these guys are going to suck, and it will blow up a budget for years.

Sometimes an online league is like being in a league with 20 other guys who have read Moneyball where they don't trust anyone under 30, and don't want to pay anyone over the league minimum. The true maxim of Billy Beane is to find illogically low priced talent and exploit it, not to draft college pitchers and sign hitters that like to draw walks.

This will work itself out, as the teams that fall victim to the late signings will resolve to offer late Wintertime or Spring Training contracts the next batch of players that initially price themselves out of the market.

07-08-2008, 03:29 PM	#2 (permalink)
Raidergoo Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: 39.84 N -84.12 W Posts: 8,327 Thanked 53x in 36 posts	In the draft pool, or Free Agent Pool? One thing I have noticed in my online league is that if a player gets to Free Agency, that they have fundamental flaws, and bear great risk for the club that will sign them. In the eMLB, the FA pool has a couple of very good 35 year old relievers, a couple of #3 starting pitchers, a 35 year old future HoF 3B who can't play 3B anymore, and so on. There's a lot of B-level talent to be had, guys that could hit 6th or 7th, and they tend to want the most ridiculous deals (4 years $45 million for .280 and 10 HR), but they do back down from their offers, and I do budget a little bit of cap space to snipe one or two of these guys each season. Two seasons ago, I landed Matt Watson for $3m in Spring Training. He was fantastic, and I spun him in a trade deadline deal for a pitcher who was undervalued. He signed at a 70% discount, primarily because people were afraid of his demands, and afraid of his age. Oops. The next season, I landed Harry Collins in Spring Training for $3.3 million (67% discount from his demands) for one year plus an option. He was supposed to be a fourth OF, but my starting CF had a SEI in the first week of the regular season. He was a fine addition, and I picked his option up recently for 2016. It is a risk-reward thing. If all of your GM's leave talented players on the board because the risk to themselves is too high, then there's no need to strangle the risk-taking fellow who offers a contract that is "unfair" or "illogical" and gets it accepted. Some of these guys are going to suck, and it will blow up a budget for years. Sometimes an online league is like being in a league with 20 other guys who have read Moneyball where they don't trust anyone under 30, and don't want to pay anyone over the league minimum. The true maxim of Billy Beane is to find illogically low priced talent and exploit it, not to draft college pitchers and sign hitters that like to draw walks. This will work itself out, as the teams that fall victim to the late signings will resolve to offer late Wintertime or Spring Training contracts the next batch of players that initially price themselves out of the market.