"Can no longer afford the contract offered"

[merchant1874]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

They really need to offer more help along the way in offseason or have a more simplified option.

I'm all for realism but you need a sports law degree to understand it.

I realise there are some that have a fair grip on this and it's not really up to them to come on and explain it to the rest of us. Although I would like to say thanks to THREEBS and others for their help.

[Threeebs]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

I think I finally figured out how to do off-season. Don't offer any of your arbitration eligible players contracts at the beginning. Just skip that part. Sign what players you can sign from your own team in that 5-day window before the start of free agency. Then go to free agency and sign the guys you want. Then when the deadline to offer arbitration eligible players comes offer them deals then so you don't lose them.

It just is really stupid that I couldn't sign a single free agent and after the arbitration hearings I still had over 12 mil in available budget.

Your arbitration eligibles are actually already added to your pending offers with what THEY'RE asking for. You just don't see that calculation until you actually offer it to them. I would still hold off on even dealing with them unless you have to many of them and AI is estimating them taking pretty much your whole budget, then you must either non tender them or sign and trade them. Hold off on offering contracts to your renewables as well. They take up budget room and you can deal with them after you sign free agents. They cannot leave unless you don't offer them contracts before the non tender date. Make sure you have a high number on your 40 man. For some reason any kind of spendings are related to your 40 man roster. The more players you have on it. The more you can spend.

[joshopsu]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

I'm about the hit my offseason after work today. It sounds like we are supposed to get as close to the real deadlines as possible. For example, hit up potential free agents in the first 5 days. Sign other teams' free agents after the 5 days. Don't offer arbitration until the deadline. Don't offer contracts to the renewal guys until the deadline. And of course keep your 40 man roster 35+.

This is my guess based on what people are saying. It's like the game doesn't want you to jump too ahead of the deadlines.

[Threeebs]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

I'm about the hit my offseason after work today. It sounds like we are supposed to get as close to the real deadlines as possible. For example, hit up potential free agents in the first 5 days. Sign other teams' free agents after the 5 days. Don't offer arbitration until the deadline. Don't offer contracts to the renewal guys until the deadline. And of course keep your 40 man roster 35+.

This is my guess based on what people are saying. It's like the game doesn't want you to jump too ahead of the deadlines.

Yes, and remember if you have too many arbitration eligibles that are asking for lots of cash, that may be a reason why you still cannot sign any free agents. If you want to see how much they're asking for offer arbitration and it will be added to your pending offers total. Then back out and re-load the game so it isn't actually offered anymore. I tend to use a lot of save points in the offseason for experimenting. Every offseason seems to bring a new challenge. Also, remember that every additional player on your 40 man roster gives you at least a million more dollars to offer to free agents.

[AUTiger1]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

Yes, and remember if you have too many arbitration eligibles that are asking for lots of cash, that may be a reason why you still cannot sign any free agents. If you want to see how much they're asking for offer arbitration and it will be added to your pending offers total. Then back out and re-load the game so it isn't actually offered anymore. I tend to use a lot of save points in the offseason for experimenting. Every offseason seems to bring a new challenge. Also, remember that every additional player on your 40 man roster gives you at least a million more dollars to offer to free agents.

I only had 4 arb guys which wasn't that bad. But I was finally able to have an offseason where I was able to sign free agents. I think it was all about that 40 man roster deal. The only way to sign free agents is to have a full 40-man roster.

[lucidhope]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

Here is a silly question...how do renewable contracts work? At what day are you able to renew them?


Also - your minors guys that are free agents...are they also renewable if there is nothing that says they are? Thanks.

[Threeebs]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

Here is a silly question...how do renewable contracts work? At what day are you able to renew them?

Also - your minors guys that are free agents...are they also renewable if there is nothing that says they are? Thanks.

Players that are renewable are players on your 40 man roster that haven't either gained 3 years of major league service time or two years and I think around 128 days of service time (Super 2). You can renew their contract, if expired, for at least 80% of what they previously made. In The Show, if you offer renewables a contract for pretty much anything, they'll take it. But if they don't take the offer before the 15th of February, you can then renew the contract.

Yes, your minor leaguers that aren't on your 40 man roster are also renewable and you can offer them pretty low contracts as well. There's no limitation in these cases as to how low of a contract you can offer them. However, there is no option to renew their contracts on the 15th of February.

[lucidhope]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

Players that are renewable are players on your 40 man roster that haven't either gained 3 years of major league service time or two years and I think around 128 days of service time (Super 2). You can renew their contract, if expired, for at least 80% of what they previously made. In The Show, if you offer renewables a contract for pretty much anything, they'll take it. But if they don't take the offer before the 15th of February, you can then renew the contract.

Yes, your minor leaguers that aren't on your 40 man roster are also renewable and you can offer them pretty low contracts as well. There's no limitation in these cases as to how low of a contract you can offer them. However, there is no option to renew their contracts on the 15th of February.

So, as to the minor guys, no other team can sign them, but you need to sign them to a contract because there is no offer to renew them? Thanks for the answers!

[Threeebs]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

So, as to the minor guys, no other team can sign them, but you need to sign them to a contract because there is no offer to renew them? Thanks for the answers!

Another team can only sign them if you fail to offer them a contract by the non tender date or you offer them a contract and a message comes up after simming a day or so saying, " so and so is no longer interested in your offer...", and you don't re-offer them a contract by the non tender date once again. If the non tender date has passed and then they decide they no longer like your offer, They are still under your control because you passed the non tender date already. But you must re-offer this player a new contract before the last day to offer contracts or he will become a free agent. Usually if you re-offer them a contract with about 20 thousand dollars more tacked on, they'll eventually take the offer.

[joshopsu]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

Yes, and remember if you have too many arbitration eligibles that are asking for lots of cash, that may be a reason why you still cannot sign any free agents. If you want to see how much they're asking for offer arbitration and it will be added to your pending offers total. Then back out and re-load the game so it isn't actually offered anymore. I tend to use a lot of save points in the offseason for experimenting. Every offseason seems to bring a new challenge. Also, remember that every additional player on your 40 man roster gives you at least a million more dollars to offer to free agents.

Can't you just pretend to go make a long term offer to him, see what he's asking for, then back out of that screen without actually making an offer?

[AUTiger1]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

I was happy to finally figure this thing out. It's all about the 40-man roster from what I could gather. But I ended up doing exactly what I hoped I could and that was sign some veteran players who were at the end of their career to add to my younger players to make a deep run at the playoffs. I'm thrilled with my lineup.

1. Tim Bliss - RF (myself)
2. Joe Mauer - C
3. Paul Konerko - DH
4. Justin Morneau - 1B
5. Josh Willingham - LF
6. Stephen Drew - SS
7. Jeff Keppinger - 2B
8. Grady Sizemore - CF
9. Derek Jeter - 3B

Konerko, Drew and Jeter were all adding in free agency in the off-season and I also added Jason Kubel to the bench and Tim Hudson to the pitching staff. Hudson and Jeter have declined to only be a 71 and 70 rating but I don't care. But I was able to get all of them for less than 1 mil on the first year of their deals. I did 2-year deals with all of them with club options for year 2. Seems to be cheaper that way. One of my arb players was Jordan Zimmermann who was asking for $9.5M but had actually won $11M in arb during one of my messed up attempts at the offseason. So I took that knowledge and locked up up long-term to a 5 year deal for around $44M and that allowed me to make his salary for this year only $7.9M. I ended the off-season with around 8 mil in available funds but then went and beefed up my scouting.

[admiralwilco]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

You know what would have made it a lot simpler? If the figure that a player submitted for arbitration was displayed somewhere. This is what happens in real life and it is what helps players and teams avoid arbitration. The player and team exchange figures at the same time and they usually meet somewhere in the middle before the hearing.

The allowance for signing minor league and bench players is just mind boggling though. Since this game does not include a min. MLB salary, the assessment for any open roster spot should be 30k. There was nothing in the game that tells the player that there is a minimum amount from your budget that is allotted to each roster spot and how much that minimum is.

[JayD]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

I don't know why but when I set the contracts and free agents to Auto I see them signing free agents and then when I switch them to manual I try to sign the same free agent for the same salary and it tells me that I can no longer afford the contract offered, what the hell!

[Threeebs]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

Can't you just pretend to go make a long term offer to him, see what he's asking for, then back out of that screen without actually making an offer?

Whatever he's asking for though is usually always different than what he's asking for in arbitration. It's a weird thing but that's why it's just easier to offer arbitration to him, see what he's asking for then back out and re-load your franchise. You can also see what he will accept in a contract by offering him deals until his interested level is fairly full, like just over 3/4 of the bar usually.

[HighCmpPct]

Re: "Can no longer afford the contract offered"

I was happy to finally figure this thing out. It's all about the 40-man roster from what I could gather. But I ended up doing exactly what I hoped I could and that was sign some veteran players who were at the end of their career to add to my younger players to make a deep run at the playoffs. I'm thrilled with my lineup.

1. Tim Bliss - RF (myself)
2. Joe Mauer - C
3. Paul Konerko - DH
4. Justin Morneau - 1B
5. Josh Willingham - LF
6. Stephen Drew - SS
7. Jeff Keppinger - 2B
8. Grady Sizemore - CF
9. Derek Jeter - 3B

Konerko, Drew and Jeter were all adding in free agency in the off-season and I also added Jason Kubel to the bench and Tim Hudson to the pitching staff. Hudson and Jeter have declined to only be a 71 and 70 rating but I don't care. But I was able to get all of them for less than 1 mil on the first year of their deals. I did 2-year deals with all of them with club options for year 2. Seems to be cheaper that way. One of my arb players was Jordan Zimmermann who was asking for $9.5M but had actually won $11M in arb during one of my messed up attempts at the offseason. So I took that knowledge and locked up up long-term to a 5 year deal for around $44M and that allowed me to make his salary for this year only $7.9M. I ended the off-season with around 8 mil in available funds but then went and beefed up my scouting.

Yeah but have you gone through spring training yet since you signed them?

Cause if you haven't then you'll probably be looking at like 50-60 something overalls.