Trading Block...I have to ask

[greenngold01]

I'm very liberal with my trades, I don't mind when the A.I. does something seemingly strange, IRL weird deals happen all the time.

But I must ask, what's going on with the trading block? It's mid May in my franchise and A.J. Burnett is on the block. He is 5-0 with a 1.88 ERA. On top of that, he is locked in for the next four years on his contract. Let's strip away the name "A.J. Burnett" since the game views him as "Player 984350928" and all the real life news stories surrounding him. WHY would you EVER trade away a pitcher that dominating? Or believe you would want to trade that pitcher away? The Yankees are also in first place, 5 games above Tampa, without any glaring needs.

For the record, I entertained the idea of seeing how far this could go, and I obtained him straight up for Ryan Ludwig, who was hitting .255, 1 HR and 9 RBIs. And thats hitting infront of Pujols and Holliday. So to sum it up, Team A (in first place) traded an ace away for a backup outfielder (since all three starters are better rated than the player they obtained, both in rating numbers and statistical numbers for the season.)

I think I'm looking forward to OOTPXI

[BatsareBugs]

Re: Trading Block...I have to ask

In previous additions, if a team had a balanced or normal strategy/philosophy on the season, they would always put their best rated starter, reliever, and position player on the block along with a few fringe minor leaguers. Last year we saw more teams either fall into the playoff push mode or the rebuilding mode. Under playoff push, the team puts out its prospects with the highest potential on the block while under rebuilding mode, they put veterans with high contracts (usually highest rated) on the block.

Every team would put players on the block, but rarely would trades be made with those players (despite rumor mill interests).

[bobeureally27]

Re: Trading Block...I have to ask

I noticed this also - Teams putting up key players when they are in good standing - also, very early in the year (as well as late in the year). I also saw the same thing with Burnett at the end of my last season. He was like 13-1/CY young candidate and the Yankees were in 1st and he was on the trading block with many teams interested. He didnt get traded (actually no one got traded in my franchise that year which is strange). Also, i am the White Sox and i lost Juan Pierre for 3-4 months so i needed a fast outfielder and offered a prospect for Willie Tavaras (Washington i believe) and the interest was maxed out even when i just offered a minor league player. I tried to adjust it to see what would happen if i offered up by worst minor leaguer and they were still 100% interested in that deal. Tavaras was not even on the trading block. I am not sure what the deal is here, and im wondering if it has something to do with the patch and not restarting Francise once patch #2 was released. Any ideas?

Are you playing with instant trades OFF? If that's the case, the interest bar is completely irrelevant and has no bearing on whether the trade would be accepted or rejected.

[osubeavs721]

Re: Trading Block...I have to ask

Are you playing with instant trades OFF? If that's the case, the interest bar is completely irrelevant and has no bearing on whether the trade would be accepted or rejected.

thats not true. i play with instant trades off and the bar will fill up accordingly.

[The Chef]

Re: Trading Block...I have to ask

I just think the trading logic in all video games is extremely poor. In my franchise I had become so annoyed with Casey Blake at 3b that I started looking for a replacement and decided that I would pursue Mike Lowell in Boston since they now have Beltre as well. I was able to get Lowell for a 3rd string, career minor league catcher. I didnt pull the trigger and instead threw together a deal consisting of a SP and a middle of the pack prospect for Lowell which seemed extremely fair all things considered.

To the OP, I know it sucks seeing those things but why not just do 30 team control and when things like that happen you can go in and take him off the trading block? If that doesnt work then set them to your profile with trades on manual and then you wont have to worry about it at all.

[findinghomer]

Re: Trading Block...I have to ask

yea very annoying. Personally i check trading block regularly and remove guys that i dont think makes sense to deal.

[Crash1207]

Re: Trading Block...I have to ask

No, as far as i know i set the trades to instant, i.e. no waiting period. and is it odd to get 0 trades in year 1 of my franchise? I'm using 30 team control and did not start fresh after patch 2.

Maybe I'm not understanding your question...you are controlling all 30 teams and you are wondering why there weren't trades?

[countryboy]

Re: Trading Block...I have to ask

the thing is though, is that its not a guarantee that those guys will be traded. Sometimes the cpu will put guys on the block to draw interest and see what teams are willing to trade.

Also..one has to keep in mind that there are several other factors that come into play..such as morale. Or it could be the cpu has a dominating pitcher in the minors they feel comfortable replacing the player on the block with, and are using him to fill other needs.

The cpu knows what he is doing, trust me. We may scratch our heads at some of the moves, but in the end you'll find that 95% of the trades/moves work out for the cpu.

[tessl]

Re: Trading Block...I have to ask

The cpu is programmed to put guys on the trading block who are in the final year of their contract.

[cardsleadtheway]

Re: Trading Block...I have to ask

the thing is though, is that its not a guarantee that those guys will be traded. Sometimes the cpu will put guys on the block to draw interest and see what teams are willing to trade.

Also..one has to keep in mind that there are several other factors that come into play..such as morale. Or it could be the cpu has a dominating pitcher in the minors they feel comfortable replacing the player on the block with, and are using him to fill other needs.

The cpu knows what he is doing, trust me. We may scratch our heads at some of the moves, but in the end you'll find that 95% of the trades/moves work out for the cpu.

I agree with you about players being put on the trading block. In real life, there isn't this magic list we as fans can just check to see who is up on the block. Any player in baseball can be on this block at anytime. The old saying that there is always a price holds just as true in baseball.

As for the rest of the post, I think you are giving the CPU way too much credit. It doesn't know anything, much less what it is doing. There is a programmed algorithm that goes something like "if this, then that". There is nothing anywhere that could lead me to believe that the CPU is putting players on the block to see what kind of deals it can fish out of other CPU or human players. I also do not believe that the CPU will check the stats of their minor league pitchers when considering a trade. Perhaps the potential factor of minor league talent is a part of the algorithm, but I have never seen anything that has led me to believe that stats factor into anything. Free agent type classifications are based solely on attributes, not stats. If you don't believe this, play a whole season on rookie and see if your C overall third baseman that batted .400 with 60 home runs and 120 rbi's is listed as type A. And I have certainly seen a lot more than 5% of CPU trades work against them. Trading away a 13-1 pitcher and bringing up a prospect that finishes 6-12 with a 5+ era certainly isn't what I would call working out for the CPU.

As for the name versus number thing in regards to players, I have thought long and hard about this. While it is impossible for the CPU to view names the same way we do, there really needs to some sort of identifier. Baseball is all about names. Who among us is not infatuated with the names of baseball? When someone says Rickey Henderson, who isn't picturing him with third base over his head? Who doesn't hear the name George Brett and instantly see him running out of the dugout ready to maul the umpire over the "pine tar incident"? Who doesn't remember Mr October's sun glasses? And why is it every SS in the game that does a jumping leap throw make you think of Derek Jeter? People say that baseball is about stats, but stats are worthless when they aren't attached to a name. It is the players that we remember, that our fathers remember, that our grandfathers remember, and that our children will remember, that makes baseball America's past time. So let's figure out a way to make the names in the game as integral to game as they are to us in real life.

[countryboy]

Re: Trading Block...I have to ask

As for the rest of the post, I think you are giving the CPU way too much credit. It doesn't know anything, much less what it is doing. There is a programmed algorithm that goes something like "if this, then that". There is nothing anywhere that could lead me to believe that the CPU is putting players on the block to see what kind of deals it can fish out of other CPU or human players. I also do not believe that the CPU will check the stats of their minor league pitchers when considering a trade. Perhaps the potential factor of minor league talent is a part of the algorithm, but I have never seen anything that has led me to believe that stats factor into anything. Free agent type classifications are based solely on attributes, not stats. If you don't believe this, play a whole season on rookie and see if your C overall third baseman that batted .400 with 60 home runs and 120 rbi's is listed as type A. And I have certainly seen a lot more than 5% of CPU trades work against them. Trading away a 13-1 pitcher and bringing up a prospect that finishes 6-12 with a 5+ era certainly isn't what I would call working out for the CPU.

All I can do is share my opinion based on previous years experience as I've yet to get that far into franchise mode this year to where I could evaluate trades and how successful they are. Last year, I would say that a majority of the trades I saw(my bad for assigning a percentage before, didn't think it would be taken as literal and that is my fault) benefitted the cpu team in some form or fashion. Free up money for FA market, ability to bring up a hot prospect, or whatever it may have been. And yes, I saw trades that the cpu just missed on. Its part of baseball.

I've seen plenty of times last year and am finding it this year, where the cpu has a player on the trade block but doesn't trade them. Why? My guess is to see what is offered...but there's no way of proving that without a shadow of doubt, just as there is no way of disproving it. Unless of course, a developer tell us one way or the other.

[cardsleadtheway]

Re: Trading Block...I have to ask

I thought the trades last year were on the money. I had the PS2 version, so I can't say for sure with the PS3. The only downside for PS2 was that all trades were 1 for 1, 2 for 2, or 3 for 3. In three franchise years, I never saw one trade that I thought was ridiculous. There were a couple of vet for prospect trades, but always from a rebuilding team to a playoff push team. This year the trades seem crazy out of whack. Perhaps this is due in part to the fact that there are a lot of players in their final year. Still, I didn't see this last year in the second year of my franchise. Pretty much every single player in their final year gets traded in every sim I have done. Pre-patch, they would get traded multiple times. I think the logic somehow went a bit over the top this year.

As for the block, well I don't think the CPU is fishing at all. Every player in their final year will be on the block, as I can only imagine is part of the programming. I am not entirely sure how 30 team control works, but perhaps it would be possible to see if in the pending transactions whether or not teams rejecting trades that are not offered by you. Then perhaps you might have a case for fishing.

[Jdurg]

Re: Trading Block...I have to ask

I noticed this also - Teams putting up key players when they are in good standing - also, very early in the year (as well as late in the year). I also saw the same thing with Burnett at the end of my last season. He was like 13-1/CY young candidate and the Yankees were in 1st and he was on the trading block with many teams interested. He didnt get traded (actually no one got traded in my franchise that year which is strange). Also, i am the White Sox and i lost Juan Pierre for 3-4 months so i needed a fast outfielder and offered a prospect for Willie Tavaras (Washington i believe) and the interest was maxed out even when i just offered a minor league player. I tried to adjust it to see what would happen if i offered up by worst minor leaguer and they were still 100% interested in that deal. Tavaras was not even on the trading block. I am not sure what the deal is here, and im wondering if it has something to do with the patch and not restarting Francise once patch #2 was released. Any ideas?

Did you start your franchise before the latest roster update was released? If you did, then the players in your franchise have incorrect potential ratings. That may be why guys are being traded when you wouldn't think they should. It's because the computer is seeing the potential rating of that guy as "not good" and expects him to decline rapidly in attributes so they are trying to get someone with good attributes to replace him. That is most likely what is going on there as I think the potential of a player plays a significant role in the AI's trade logic.

[countryboy]

Re: Trading Block...I have to ask

As for the block, well I don't think the CPU is fishing at all. Every player in their final year will be on the block, as I can only imagine is part of the programming. I am not entirely sure how 30 team control works, but perhaps it would be possible to see if in the pending transactions whether or not teams rejecting trades that are not offered by you. Then perhaps you might have a case for fishing.

actually thats incorrect as not all players in the final year are on the block. In fact, I have several teams that do not have anyone on the block. And just for reference...Beckett for the BoSox and Mauer for the Twinkies(these 2 names were prominent earlier in regards to being on block, traded, or trade waivers and both are in their final year) are not on the block.

Whether the cpu is fishing or not is debatable, but again, just because they put someone on the block does not guarantee they are being traded.

[cardsleadtheway]

Re: Trading Block...I have to ask

actually thats incorrect as not all players in the final year are on the block. In fact, I have several teams that do not have anyone on the block. And just for reference...Beckett for the BoSox and Mauer for the Twinkies(these 2 names were prominent earlier in regards to being on block, traded, or trade waivers and both are in their final year) are not on the block.

Whether the cpu is fishing or not is debatable, but again, just because they put someone on the block does not guarantee they are being traded.

We are seeing two different things then, as Beckett and Mauer are always traded in every sim run I do. Only now after the patch am I seeing Mauer not traded multiple times in a season. I do see Mauer getting put on the block the day after he gets traded to a different team, but he is never traded a second time. I know players put on the block are not always being traded. I have never said otherwise. What I am seeing in all test runs so far is that every player in their final contract year is going up on the block. That leads me to believe it is a part of the programming. I may try to do some extra test runs with various roster updates, since I have only done two different roster sets so far: the stock rosters and the 8/13? rosters. I am waiting for Knight's rosters anyway on top of my test franchise not going as well as I had hoped, so it is not like I have anything else to do, at least as far as the game is concerned.