How to maximize budget/cap space resigning players?

[mrbill]

Here's my issue, the salary cap is $100m, I made $110m last year, should make that or more, and I have $20m in cash.

Assuming no salary increases for continuing arb, generous arb for new players, and me letting one expensive vet walk, I should be able to sign everyone else and be at exactly $100m next year. That's my spreadsheet calculation of my payroll.

But, I have two players left asking for 8m and 11m and I only have 1.3m left to offer. It seems my owner failed math as I can't offer players contract extensions that would put me over about $80m in projected salary for next year.

What can I do about this? Can I cut people that I won't resign, will this change later in the season? I'm basically completely F'ed by the game for no good reason.

[mrbill]

Dola,
It looks as though I can get to 100M in available extension money, if I cut everyone. So, reading through posts, it seems my owner budgets out a ridiculous amount of money for players in arbitration?

I attempted to research this and cut everyone who was arbitration eligible, and that still didn't get me any extra budget overall.

The only thing I can imagine is that my owner is also reserving budget for possible FAs currently in arbitration (that are sure things for FA assuming they play the season out), so I am reloading and testing that.

And now... that test. I cut the two SP that are still technical arb eligible but definitely will be FAs at season's end. That got me $14m to spend on extensions. If I cut people that the owner secretly projects to have higher arb estimates than last year, I can get my $$ for extensions + obligations + arbitration awards that won't go down much (because they just don't, despite much lower estimates) = 104 mil!

So, my owner has just built in arbitration estimates to everyone who has even a remote possibility of getting arbitration. I guess once all my guys hit the 6 year mark, they'll revert to FA and I can spend that estimated money on actually signing people.

It's a weird system but I guess that's how it goes.