I'm new here. So at the beginning of my first season, I didn't really understand how arbitration worked, and I made the mistake that if you wanted to let an arb player go, you just didn't go to arbitration with them, rather than realizing you had to actually click somewhere to decline offering them anything. Because of this, I ended up resigning a ton of players that I didn't want to keep, and gave them huge raises (Since it gives them 70% of what they want automatically right?) over their previous year's arbitration, despite ratings being almost identical between the 2 seasons. 

As such, if I'm interested in bringing these guys back now for next season in arbitration, but at way reduced salaries, is this now possible? Or will they get the higher salary they made this season?

For instance:

Kenny Boone only made $1.6m in arbitration the year before, he got $6.4m with me when I did arbitration with him. Is there anyway I'll get the arbitrator to give him a figure closer to the $1.6m figure again? His ratings were identical between the 2 seasons, so I'm confused why the previous owner was able to give him such a low salary compared to what I did. I don't think he's worth 6M per year, so I'll have to trade him if I Want anything of value in return. Thanks! 


 Hardball Dynasty – Fantasy Baseball Sim Games - Player Profile: Kenny Boone

No, arb generally increases each season.  Sometimes it stay the same.   You can offer whatever you like but, in all likelihood, he'll ask for 8m or so.

And in arbitration, if you offer him $1.6M when he's asking for $8M, he'll get the $8M salary.  If you don't want him, you have to release him.

bglick, the "70% offer" that you are referring to does not mean that you are paying him 70% of his demand.  It means that you are making an offer equalt to 70% of his demand.

The arbitration process will then decide between the player's demand (100%) or your offer (70%), and will choose on or the other.

My experience is that 70% offers will often lose.  If you're going to arb a player, you should always do the arb yourself rather than default to the auto-arb.

Ive been losing a ton of arb cases lately offering as much as 85%

The arbitration awards seem severely skewed towards players.  I had a pretty decent, not great, 2b - good defense but not good enough to play SS, adequate bat - go from $1.6M to $7.9M.  I offered him $6M and lost.