Is Free Agency really this broken?

[cmutat17]

Re: Is Free Agency really this broken?

Ok so I know they changed a lot of the rules on free agency etc on the game so I made a save just before all the offseason stuff and signed guys and simmed the offseason. I didn't have any money to sign anyone from free agency so I just tried to resign all of my guys.

I'm playing as the Reds, for context, so I go to sign guys like Billy Hamilton and a few young pitchers since they are still under team control and not yet at arbitration. I offer them all contracts, none of them sign the contract by the end of the off season.

Instead of being able to sign them at 80% of their previous salary or higher they leave. I think "ok well I have $30M available despite the game saying I didn't have any money to sign guys, so I'll just try to sign them in spring training."

Here's where it got interesting. I go to sign Billy Hamilton, he asks for 1.1M a year, I thing, ok well lets see how many years I can lock him up. He signs for 1.1M a year to a 10 year deal. At first I think this is just a fluke or he just wants to play baseball. Then I go to sign a couple of young MLB pitchers, 500K a year for 10 years, signed...probably did that same contract successfully with about 8 guys.

Its not just the guys I let go, its ANYONE. Jimmy Rollins, 4M a year, 10 years, yes sir. Verlander, 6M a year, 10 years signed. As long as I can press left and afford their 1 year minimum I can press left again to change it to 10 years and get them to sign for that price. I recorded a video of this if no one else has seen it.

Are you still playing MLB 14?

[ktd1976]

Re: Is Free Agency really this broken?

I actually replied, you might have missed it:

The 26 year old was a 68 overall, B potential with 2 years of MLB time (however it appears he was on the bench).

I'll add some more too

Looking him up now, 3B - 62/66 Contact, 41/47 Power, 56 Vision 42 Disc (maybe that's it), 27 clutch 24 bunt 24 D Bunt, 71 Durability. He's an average fielder, his stuff is 57, 63, 60 and 54.

So no, he's nothing to write home about but given that he plays 1B, LF and RF he was a decent pickup for a bench option.

The last few seasons he's hit between .260 and .280 again most of that from the bench but looks like he got some start time the previous season as he is closer to 500 ab there. After my test I went back and signed him to a 1 year 500K deal but as I said, I could have locked him up for whatever.

I agree that isn't a great example but I just found a pitcher I evidently did this with (probably one of the first before I started realizing what happened and started testing).

27 years old, he's a 78 overall Starter. I won't go through all of his attributes but he's got great stamina and good (high 60s - 70s) on his attributes such as hitting and Ks. Last season he was 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA and 160 Ks. He had agreed to a deal that would only pay him 750K a year for 10 years!

I can see how that would work out for him, but if I start and go 12-8 with a 3.20 ERA and my agent gets me a deal like that on the open market I'd fire the guy...unless I knew it was a fluke.

<B>The thing is though, anyone on the FA come the start of spring, I can press left until I get their 1 year willing to sign price. Then I can press left again and go for 10 years at that price...or any other year at that price.</B>

I guess it isn't really broken but if, like in past games, a team gets too many good prospects and needs to cut one, locking up a 60 overall early 20 something A potential guy for 10 years at league minimum is deal most GMs would JUMP on simply because you can leave him in the farm system if you want or just cut him and happily pay the couple million to let him walk.

Maybe I'm over thinking it or maybe I've played too much OOTP lately lol.

Most free agents, at the beginning of spring training, aren't going to be worth a crap anyways, or went unsigned FOR A REASON, with a couple exceptions (IE Rafael Soriano this year, but he still only signed a minor league deal...there is a reason for that) So of course they are going to accept a 10 year deal. It doesn't sound broken to me.

The question is, why on earth would you offer someone like that anything but a one year deal?

[bigd51]

Re: Is Free Agency really this broken?

Most free agents, at the beginning of spring training, aren't going to be worth a crap anyways, or went unsigned FOR A REASON, with a couple exceptions (IE Rafael Soriano this year, but he still only signed a minor league deal...there is a reason for that) So of course they are going to accept a 10 year deal. It doesn't sound broken to me.

The question is, why on earth would you offer someone like that anything but a one year deal?

This right here is your answer. It's not broken. They're actually doing exactly what they would do in real life. Correct me if I'm wrong, but contracts in baseball are fully guaranteed and if you sign a 35+ year old player to a 10 year contract worth 4 mil a year, he can sit on his couch and collect 4 mil a year until he's 45 without even being on the team.

If that's how it works, why would any baseball player pass that up?