Building A Strong Franchise

Dactyl · 03-23-2008, 06:05 AM

I am having a problem building a strong franchise with Trading set to Hard. I can't seem to build a franchise that wins. I tend to get mired in a series of .500 seasons. The draft is a crap shoot and, since I tend to play with teams that have Above Average or less markets, the good free agents are usually too expensive. Needless to say, it's hard to get good talent through trades.

I used to play with Trading set to Average, but that proved to be too easy. Within a couple of seasons, I was pretty much winning my division every year. If I had a need, it was almost always easy to make a trade. In particular, I could trade away a guy who was coming up on his free agent season for some talented young guy.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to build a franchise that contends regularly at this Trade setting? I feel like I must be doing something wrong. BTW, I play with coaching and scouting turned off.

SandMan · 03-23-2008, 09:18 AM

With trading set to hard it is very difficult to get a "good" deal when trading. It is possible to trade an aging, high priced guy for a cheaper player that is younger but he will not be of the same quality. I trade the older player and then with the money saved between the two contracts invest in players in the free agent pool.

An example of a trade I just made was a $10M player who was 32 wanting a 3 year deal for $14M per season. I sent him and a young player that I know would never make the big leagues on my roster for a $5.2M 29 yo player with not as much power but a decent player to have on the team. He had 2 years left on the contract so I was set at the position and saved $8.8M which I used to offset a FA signing of a SP that I signed for $16.6M. I seldom build a team from the draft and trade most of my young players to get experienced players, even if I am only "renting" them for a few years. I hardly ever sign a player over 33 and I start trading players at about 30-32 years of age - even if I lose a little value on the deal (I make up for it in the FA pool).

Summarized, I trade the aging superstar for a star player who is younger, invest the savings into a FA that fills another void. I seldom have great players at every position. I usually have 2 or 3 stars-superstars, 3-4 good players and 1 or 2 spots on the roster that need improvement (1 star players). My pitching staff is usually strong and where I make most of my FA investments but I usually only have 2 very good starters, 1 or 2 that are good and the 5th slot is usually a cheap player. I don't invest a lot in MR and closers.

I don't dominate in any league using this strategy, but I make the playoffs more times than not. Usually I win 85-92 games in 162, which is good enough in most seasons (30 teams in league, mlb style structure).

conception · 03-23-2008, 04:51 PM

I still found things easy on "Hard". You will never get equal value when trading a player in the majors for another, but it is very easy to get the AI to fork over loads of prospects from their lower levels. Usually I can get more in deals like this than will be "busts" so things work out pretty well.

Metsvir2 · 03-23-2008, 08:57 PM

Well with my inaugural draft and the way i played, i was able to win it all. What i did is the team i had to win it all, EVERYONE is back for my defend it.

I use the draft to stockpile depth and replacements and have only signed 1 free agent in my dynasty, my gold glove shortstop i wasn't able to agree to terms during resigning

I see it like this. I won it all with everyone on that roster, i will not screw that and the opposition has to adjust to me, not the other way around. Until i don't win it all in a season, i will not sign an outside free agent. And judging by my start in Year 2, it's not looking promising to sign outside free agents

Dactyl · 03-23-2008, 10:48 PM

conception, I've tried your approach and it sometimes works, but there's a problem with it. When you rely on piling up prospects like that, it takes four or five seasons for it to pay off, but I often find that I get fired before then. Of course, I could enter commissioner mode and get my job back, but I don't want to do that. It's like taking a mulligan.

Metsvir2, I'm guessing you're playing the Mets, who I find generally win the Eastern division in the first few years. That gives you a big leg up in creating a strong franchise, but if you have set trading to Hard, you will see the problem down the road. You won't be able to afford all your talented young players and you'll find that you have a hard time trading them for equal value.

Metsvir2 · 03-23-2008, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dactyl

Metsvir2, I'm guessing you're playing the Mets, who I find generally win the Eastern division in the first few years. That gives you a big leg up in creating a strong franchise, but if you have set trading to Hard, you will see the problem down the road. You won't be able to afford all your talented young players and you'll find that you have a hard time trading them for equal value.

Does it matter if it's real or fictional players. I use fictional players. Either way, i have my way around that, only if i don't defend the title.

darkcloud4579 · 03-24-2008, 12:39 PM

With fictional, you can't just win on "knowing the names" and have to get to know the league for a little while. Looking at ratings isn't hard either, but it minimizes the shorthand a bit.

Metsvir2 · 03-25-2008, 01:27 AM

By the way, even though i've never traded in my franchise yet, my settings are

Frequency Average
AI Very Hard
Favors Prospects

Also my AI's weight to ratings is 32-32-32-4

Metsvir2 · 04-08-2008, 08:52 PM

Update

I won back to back titles with everyone who won it for me last year, with the exception of leaving my FA to be lefty long man spot starter off the playoff roster in favor of a younger callup lefty who's better than him right now.

Honolulu Blue · 04-09-2008, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dactyl

I am having a problem building a strong franchise with Trading set to Hard. I can't seem to build a franchise that wins. I tend to get mired in a series of .500 seasons. The draft is a crap shoot and, since I tend to play with teams that have Above Average or less markets, the good free agents are usually too expensive. Needless to say, it's hard to get good talent through trades.

I used to play with Trading set to Average, but that proved to be too easy. Within a couple of seasons, I was pretty much winning my division every year. If I had a need, it was almost always easy to make a trade. In particular, I could trade away a guy who was coming up on his free agent season for some talented young guy.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to build a franchise that contends regularly at this Trade setting? I feel like I must be doing something wrong. BTW, I play with coaching and scouting turned off.

A few random suggestions from someone who's had modest success:

1) Try looking at the trading block. Most of them will either be overpriced or underpowered, but sometimes there are some good and useful players there. You can often get them for a song, especially if they're looking to dump salary.

2) Yes, the draft is a crapshoot, but I play with feeder leagues. With feeder leagues you get the stats and those help a lot. Those, along with the stars (I've hidden the potential ratings), help make the draft a lot less bewildering.

3) My basic strategy is somewhat different than Mr. SandMan's above, which shows there's more than one way to play the game. I prefer to build through the draft, with the occasional trade and/or FA signing to get the last pieces to the puzzle. And I usually have stronger hitters (relative to the league) than pitchers/fielders. We do agree on our wariness about aging players.

Who Killed Kenny? · 04-09-2008, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dactyl

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to build a franchise that contends regularly at this Trade setting?.

Cheat?

bosunmate · 04-09-2008, 02:57 PM

What I do is I control everything on my team, but I let the computer make and react to trades. That way you can't cheat the computer. But remember if you have players you really like make them untouchable. The computer makes some real stupid moves, but it sure is harder to win.

jm47048 · 04-09-2008, 05:25 PM

I saw someone who mentioned ratings. Ratings are good to give you a general idea, but you really have to watch the stats. If the ratings are not accurate, say for a bad scout or whatever, then you really need to see what the player is actually doing over a 2-3 year period. Then, when he is up for free agency, or available for trade, go after him.

teak88 · 04-09-2008, 06:37 PM

I've been playing since v2 or 3; switched from BBM. Frankly, much as I like it, I find it a bit too easy in solo play; I always am in the play-offs by Year 3 and 4 yrs out of 5 thereafter; progress in play-offs is hit & miss; probably win the WS 1 year in 5. Here's what I do...

- start w/ real rosters ; all levels of minors; no ghost players. (I like to start w/ real rosters because it simplifies the first couple of years by knowing who's who; eventually you learn the fictitious players but don't have to all at once)

- set the AI at it's hardest level; trade freq = avg; rookies & veterans equal

- I pick a crummy team in a crummy mkt. For a league I just started for 2008, I chose Florida

- I hire the best scouts I can; always upgrading them

- then I gut the team by trading solid players for prospects. Exception being if the team has an under 25 star (like Florida's Hanley Ramirez).

- I focus on SPs and Power Hitters

- I also keep an eye on the waiver wire. For some reason, there are usually a slow drip-drip of good prospects being put through waivers

- Also, there are often some anamolies in the FA mkt, ie, good prospects that have been cut for some reason

- I also stock up on young players w/ a couple part-yrs in majors w/ good Contact Potential if they will accept Minor Lg contracts. They end up being good spare/bench players who work cheap

- Finally, I always check the FAs in the last weeks of spring Trng. There are usually a few good players, sometimes stars, who will sign for a yr for $1mm or less.

By Yr 2, I always have one of the top minor lg systems. And am in the play-offs in 3.

It's always worked. I sometimes try to find ways to make it even harder. Turning Stars off makes it harder and slower, but I figure irl the coaches/scouts would have a shorthand way of telling you who the prospects are, so I end up turning them back on

Try it and see if it works!

03-23-2008, 06:05 AM	#1 (permalink)
Dactyl Minors (Single A) Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 55	Building A Strong Franchise I am having a problem building a strong franchise with Trading set to Hard. I can't seem to build a franchise that wins. I tend to get mired in a series of .500 seasons. The draft is a crap shoot and, since I tend to play with teams that have Above Average or less markets, the good free agents are usually too expensive. Needless to say, it's hard to get good talent through trades. I used to play with Trading set to Average, but that proved to be too easy. Within a couple of seasons, I was pretty much winning my division every year. If I had a need, it was almost always easy to make a trade. In particular, I could trade away a guy who was coming up on his free agent season for some talented young guy. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to build a franchise that contends regularly at this Trade setting? I feel like I must be doing something wrong. BTW, I play with coaching and scouting turned off.

03-23-2008, 08:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
Metsvir2 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 57	Well with my inaugural draft and the way i played, i was able to win it all. What i did is the team i had to win it all, EVERYONE is back for my defend it. I use the draft to stockpile depth and replacements and have only signed 1 free agent in my dynasty, my gold glove shortstop i wasn't able to agree to terms during resigning I see it like this. I won it all with everyone on that roster, i will not screw that and the opposition has to adjust to me, not the other way around. Until i don't win it all in a season, i will not sign an outside free agent. And judging by my start in Year 2, it's not looking promising to sign outside free agents __________________ Metsvir franchise OOTP 2007/8 Year 1 - 101-61 World Series Champions OOTP 9 Year 2 - 70-31 NL East lead by 19 games

03-25-2008, 01:27 AM	#8 (permalink)
Metsvir2 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 57	By the way, even though i've never traded in my franchise yet, my settings are Frequency Average AI Very Hard Favors Prospects Also my AI's weight to ratings is 32-32-32-4 __________________ Metsvir franchise OOTP 2007/8 Year 1 - 101-61 World Series Champions OOTP 9 Year 2 - 70-31 NL East lead by 19 games

04-08-2008, 08:52 PM	#9 (permalink)
Metsvir2 Minors (Single A) Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 57	Update I won back to back titles with everyone who won it for me last year, with the exception of leaving my FA to be lefty long man spot starter off the playoff roster in favor of a younger callup lefty who's better than him right now. __________________ Metsvir franchise OOTP 2007/8 Year 1 - 101-61 World Series Champions OOTP 9 Year 2 - 70-31 NL East lead by 19 games

04-09-2008, 05:25 PM	#13 (permalink)
jm47048 All Star Starter Join Date: Oct 2004 Posts: 1,190	I saw someone who mentioned ratings. Ratings are good to give you a general idea, but you really have to watch the stats. If the ratings are not accurate, say for a bad scout or whatever, then you really need to see what the player is actually doing over a 2-3 year period. Then, when he is up for free agency, or available for trade, go after him. __________________ The New York Yankees World Series Champions 1923, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1956, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1977, 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 American League Champions 1921, 1922, 1923, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1932, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1947, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003

03-23-2008, 09:18 AM	#2 (permalink)
SandMan All Star Starter Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Kenosha, Wisconsin Posts: 1,869	With trading set to hard it is very difficult to get a "good" deal when trading. It is possible to trade an aging, high priced guy for a cheaper player that is younger but he will not be of the same quality. I trade the older player and then with the money saved between the two contracts invest in players in the free agent pool. An example of a trade I just made was a $10M player who was 32 wanting a 3 year deal for $14M per season. I sent him and a young player that I know would never make the big leagues on my roster for a $5.2M 29 yo player with not as much power but a decent player to have on the team. He had 2 years left on the contract so I was set at the position and saved $8.8M which I used to offset a FA signing of a SP that I signed for $16.6M. I seldom build a team from the draft and trade most of my young players to get experienced players, even if I am only "renting" them for a few years. I hardly ever sign a player over 33 and I start trading players at about 30-32 years of age - even if I lose a little value on the deal (I make up for it in the FA pool). Summarized, I trade the aging superstar for a star player who is younger, invest the savings into a FA that fills another void. I seldom have great players at every position. I usually have 2 or 3 stars-superstars, 3-4 good players and 1 or 2 spots on the roster that need improvement (1 star players). My pitching staff is usually strong and where I make most of my FA investments but I usually only have 2 very good starters, 1 or 2 that are good and the 5th slot is usually a cheap player. I don't invest a lot in MR and closers. I don't dominate in any league using this strategy, but I make the playoffs more times than not. Usually I win 85-92 games in 162, which is good enough in most seasons (30 teams in league, mlb style structure).

03-23-2008, 04:51 PM	#3 (permalink)
conception Major Leagues Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 317	I still found things easy on "Hard". You will never get equal value when trading a player in the majors for another, but it is very easy to get the AI to fork over loads of prospects from their lower levels. Usually I can get more in deals like this than will be "busts" so things work out pretty well.

03-23-2008, 10:48 PM	#5 (permalink)
Dactyl Minors (Single A) Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 55	conception, I've tried your approach and it sometimes works, but there's a problem with it. When you rely on piling up prospects like that, it takes four or five seasons for it to pay off, but I often find that I get fired before then. Of course, I could enter commissioner mode and get my job back, but I don't want to do that. It's like taking a mulligan. Metsvir2, I'm guessing you're playing the Mets, who I find generally win the Eastern division in the first few years. That gives you a big leg up in creating a strong franchise, but if you have set trading to Hard, you will see the problem down the road. You won't be able to afford all your talented young players and you'll find that you have a hard time trading them for equal value.

03-24-2008, 12:39 PM	#7 (permalink)
darkcloud4579 Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: All over the place.. Posts: 4,699	With fictional, you can't just win on "knowing the names" and have to get to know the league for a little while. Looking at ratings isn't hard either, but it minimizes the shorthand a bit.

04-09-2008, 02:57 PM	#12 (permalink)
bosunmate All Star Reserve Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Canada Posts: 696	What I do is I control everything on my team, but I let the computer make and react to trades. That way you can't cheat the computer. But remember if you have players you really like make them untouchable. The computer makes some real stupid moves, but it sure is harder to win.

04-09-2008, 06:37 PM	#14 (permalink)
teak88 Minors (Double A) Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 108	Too easy... I've been playing since v2 or 3; switched from BBM. Frankly, much as I like it, I find it a bit too easy in solo play; I always am in the play-offs by Year 3 and 4 yrs out of 5 thereafter; progress in play-offs is hit & miss; probably win the WS 1 year in 5. Here's what I do... - start w/ real rosters ; all levels of minors; no ghost players. (I like to start w/ real rosters because it simplifies the first couple of years by knowing who's who; eventually you learn the fictitious players but don't have to all at once) - set the AI at it's hardest level; trade freq = avg; rookies & veterans equal - I pick a crummy team in a crummy mkt. For a league I just started for 2008, I chose Florida - I hire the best scouts I can; always upgrading them - then I gut the team by trading solid players for prospects. Exception being if the team has an under 25 star (like Florida's Hanley Ramirez). - I focus on SPs and Power Hitters - I also keep an eye on the waiver wire. For some reason, there are usually a slow drip-drip of good prospects being put through waivers - Also, there are often some anamolies in the FA mkt, ie, good prospects that have been cut for some reason - I also stock up on young players w/ a couple part-yrs in majors w/ good Contact Potential if they will accept Minor Lg contracts. They end up being good spare/bench players who work cheap - Finally, I always check the FAs in the last weeks of spring Trng. There are usually a few good players, sometimes stars, who will sign for a yr for $1mm or less. By Yr 2, I always have one of the top minor lg systems. And am in the play-offs in 3. It's always worked. I sometimes try to find ways to make it even harder. Turning Stars off makes it harder and slower, but I figure irl the coaches/scouts would have a shorthand way of telling you who the prospects are, so I end up turning them back on Try it and see if it works!

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