Quick question to anyone who might be able to give me advice offhand. I just discovered an IFA that I know I want. My team isn't going anywhere, I have tons of prospect money in my budget, and the guy is an MVP bat. However, I'm in a world where there is a cap on prospect budget transfers, so there is a max-out point. Anyway, I transferred enough money into my prospect budget to offer as much money to the guy as I could, but there's a problem: we just had our draft yesterday (during the AM cycle) and I've got $7 million tied up in a guy I specifically drafted so that he wouldn't sign (I want the Type D pick). His mother has already contacted me to tell me that he doesn't want to sign, and (knock on wood) I'm sure it's only a matter of time before they make that decision final.

The question is: when WILL they make it final? I am going to need that $7 mil if I'm going to outbid everybody for this IFA. Essentially I believe I have 2 options:

1. Wait out my draft pick's response and hope this IFA is still there when I get my cash back.

2. Withdraw my offer from my draft pick and forfeit the chance to get the 7th overall pick next year (something I will do if I absolutely have to, because if there's a guy as good as this IFA in next year's draft, no way he stays on the board until the 7th pick).

Obviously I'd much rather do #1. Does anybody know when this guy's mother is going to get back to me about this deal? Could it be tonight? Tomorrow night? I am very cautious about waiting more than 2 days, because during that time I believe this IFA may sign somewhere else. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

Could be at the end of the season. If you don't have the blue X or a new demand, you won't get the pick.

Hmm so it's that variable? I guess the real question, then, is how early CAN they respond? Basically is it worth sweating it out for the next two days so I can maximize my chances to do #1 before pulling the plug on this guy's contract offer? Or if there no chance at all that this prospect will get back to me, meaning I may as well pull his offer now and engage in a bidding war for the IFA?

He WILL get back to you, eventually.

I've had holdouts respond as early as next day, and as late as around two weeks or so. Most likely (my experience) is expect to wait around a week or so.

Cannot remember a guy holding out until near the end of the season, but that's not to say that it couldn't happen.

I had one accept my offer with maybe a half dozen or so games in the minor league season. I'm obviously assuming they will reject in the same time period.

But, to the best of my knowledge, there is no way to determine when they'll respond.

Alright, thanks... I guess I'll sweat it out for a couple of days and hope for the best.

I'd try to increment him up rather than offering your max off the bat. You'll get the messages from him and can prolong the period of time before he accepts a contract. You should have your $7M back long before this scenario plays out.

Quote: Originally posted by torrone on 5/25/2010I'd try to increment him up rather than offering your max off the bat. You'll get the messages from him and can prolong the period of time before he accepts a contract. You should have your $7M back long before this scenario plays out.

Doing this would lead to him not only probably losing the prospect but also losing out on the compensation pick next season.

So, yeah, great advice all around.

Tropicana, maybe I missed something, but isn't he talking about incrementing the IFA up as opposed to throwing max money at him off the bat, hopefully extending the negotiation phase for the IFA until he gets the $7MM back for the draft pick?

Assuming I didn't misunderstand him, that is a great idea. It may not work, but it's certainly the best way to go.

He was talking about the IFA, not the draftee - So it was good advice

Already chickened out and pulled the draftee's contract so I could keep bidding on this IFA. Figured I'd rather have this guy's Pujols-like bat in 3 or 4 years than whoever I would have gotten with the 7th pick next year.

Thanks everyone for the advice!

No comp picks for you, you realize that, right?

worst case scenario here is you lose out on the IFA, and you can go back and re-offer the pick his demands, and then get the 7a pick next season. Not a terrible deal

Quote: Originally Posted By tecwrg on 5/26/2010
No comp picks for you, you realize that, right?

Yes, it's a tradeoff I'm willing to make. I took over a team that had already budgeted terribly (so I couldn't see most prospects), and of the top 2 prospects I saw in the draft, one of them went 1st overall (so I couldn't have gotten him anyway) and the 2nd best still ended up falling to me in the comp round. So I have no regrets about drafting a risk guy with my top overall pick, since I ended up saving the money I needed to sign this IFA (the bidding is already up so high I wouldn't have been able to afford him without my 1st round money) and I would have just ended up taking the guy I'm already getting for $6 million less.

So, losing that comp pick seems like a more than reasonable price for getting a guy whose projected hitting ratings are 86/93/82/81/83.

Quote: Originally posted by movet22 on 5/26/2010worst case scenario here is you lose out on the IFA, and you can go back and re-offer the pick his demands, and then get the 7a pick next season. Not a terrible deal

OK, this time...he won't get the picks. This time I am right. If you pull the contract at any point in time, and then re-offer it, you will not get the compensation.

Although the guy might sign...not likely if it's the mom agent, but I guess it is theoretically possible...