I traded for <a style="color:black;" href="http://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Popups/PlayerProfile.aspx?pid=1726735" target="_blank">Ivan Blanco</a> many seasons ago. I have since arbed him twice with the intention to sign him LT this preseason before his 3rd arb, as I do with all my star players. But for some reason Blanco is ******, and filed for FA, saying I should have signed him when I had the chance. I've never seen a guy bolt after 2 arbs before, only 3. Anyone have a reason?

This has nothing to do with arb, as he's a 10-year veteran.

He's an 87 OVR.  He's chasing the money.

Did you try to negotiate an extension last season?

What tec said. Players are only arbitration eligible following major league seasons 3, 4 & 5. Meaning your guy hasn't been eligible since the start of Season 14 in that world. And it looks like you signed him to an extension at that time, to avoid the 3rd arb session and lock him up long-term. Once that happens, arbitration is never an issue for that player again.

There's no way you dont understand how arbitration works after 33 seasons of HBD...     

One would think, but his question indicates otherwise.

Yeah, I guess I'm a dick.  But I've never had a guy bolt after 2 arbs before. Must have been the extension I gave him last year. My own fault for not locking him up at the end of last season. i've just never seen a guy bolt after 2 arbs before.

He didn't bolt after 2 arbs. Once you sign him to an extension, he's no longer an arb guy.

Although, if you signed a guy to a 2 year contract after their first arb year, would they be an arb eligible guy at the end of the contract?

Don't know that you're a dick but it seems like you're missing something.   He signed a 5 year deal with you after arb.  At that point, arb has nothing to do with what he's doing. 

Posted by details5252 on 7/2/2012 4:12:00 PM (view original):
He didn't bolt after 2 arbs. Once you sign him to an extension, he's no longer an arb guy.

Although, if you signed a guy to a 2 year contract after their first arb year, would they be an arb eligible guy at the end of the contract?

No.  In that situation, all you've done is bought out the final two arb years.  Then the guy becomes a FA.

Posted by isack24 on 7/2/2012 4:18:00 PM (view original):

Posted by details5252 on 7/2/2012 4:12:00 PM (view original):
He didn't bolt after 2 arbs. Once you sign him to an extension, he's no longer an arb guy.

Although, if you signed a guy to a 2 year contract after their first arb year, would they be an arb eligible guy at the end of the contract?

No.  In that situation, all you've done is bought out the final two arb years.  Then the guy becomes a FA.

Sorry, meant to imply the first year he was eligible for arb. IE, sign a contract for ML years 4 and 5. Is he arb eligible after year 5?

Posted by torrone on 7/2/2012 4:06:00 PM (view original):
Yeah, I guess I'm a dick.  But I've never had a guy bolt after 2 arbs before. Must have been the extension I gave him last year. My own fault for not locking him up at the end of last season. i've just never seen a guy bolt after 2 arbs before.

Arbitration isn't something you just get to do 3 times to a guy at any point in his career.  He was arb eligible after his 3rd, 4th, and 5th full seasons.  If you sign him to an extension after having taken him to arbitration 2 times, you don't get the 3rd arbitration at the end of the contract.

Good question.  Yes, he would arb-eligible.  The MLB CBA provides that all players with more than three but less than six years of ML experience are arb-eligible.

Typically, guys don't actually go to arb.  Instead, they sign one year deals to avoid arb.  This wouldn't really be any different except that two years are being bought out at a time.

Don't know that I've ever heard of a team doing that.

Teams do occasionally buy out a player's arb years just for cost certainty purposes (usually with young All-Star types who can be harder to project), though they would generally prefer to get some potential FA years in that deal.  The Phillies gave Cole Hamels a 3 year deal for his first 3 arb years, for instance.  (He was a Super 2, so he had 4 arb years)  It's also to some extent an attempt to generate goodwill - don't know how well that works.

It would be pointless in HBD, and I think most if not all arb-eligible guys demand 3 years or more in their LT requests anyhow.

Thanks Al. That's the answer I was looking for. I obviously should have offered him a contract extension before the end of last season. He's been a very good player for years and plays 160+ games almost every year. He's 33 now and is asking $7.7M/3. He's a Type A so I can try to re-sign him or take the pick if the bidding gets too high.

Here's an interesting case:  I messed up with LarryFlood and failed to put him on the 40-Man during his 6th year. So he wend FA and demanded $4.2M for 4 years.  He was a fairly productive 1B, playing primarily against RHP for his 1st three years.  I moved him down this year due to acquiring a 1-yr guy in a trade.

Flood is now on my arb list for next year, even though his contract is up, and evidently will be mine again if I want him.  He's not on my FA list for next year as I thought he would be.

moe