timf, work the Rule 5 for depth to replace what you will lose with 2 for 1 and 3 for 1 trades. Get youth, use a 4 year (Low A, High A, AA, AAA) plan for draft picks and top prospects, get top 6 yr Minor Leaguers to fill gaps while you build, (at the end of spring, demands go down for free agents), plan the big league contracts you offer so they expire with the arrival of your prospects. When in doubt, go with SS and 3b position players, along with starting pitchers with control and high value pitches. I am sure others have their plan which will work just as well..... if not better :-)

Tim, I had a similar experience with the team I just picked up in MLB. I took over the team during the playoffs and immediately wished I had waited until after rollover. The IFA budget was set at zero, so my first season I have been seeing very few IFAs with my $4M budget. I also had enough tied up in bad payroll that I lost out on bidding for the one really good player that I saw. I finally ended up with one good RP, http://www.whatifsports.com/HBD/Pages/Popups/PlayerProfile.aspx?pid=3032321 and spent what I had on upgrading some minor league personnel so that I didn't want to vomit every time I looked at a minor league box score. Figured there was no sense leaving money on the table.

I figure it has added a year or two to the rebuild time, and I have slowed the promotion rate for the 3-4 prospects I inherited. Still, I am on course to reach my target of 70 victories the first season, and since I am in a good world that doesn't have a dozen tanking teams, I should still get the fourth to sixth pick in next year's draft. It sucks starting off with the extra disadvantage, but it is not the end of the world. Actually the thing that really makes me mad about taking over the team is getting the previous season's 63-99 mark on my record.

Ya Im going to be saddled with a 41 win season for taking over this stinker. I wanted in the world to compete against a buddy but Im paying the price for it. This organization is beyond mismanaged. The other thing is that there are 4 other 100 loss teams in this world so there are alot of tanking, sorry rebuilding, teams in this world. One team actually traded for ML calibre guys and demoted them so his team would suck even more this season.

Took me a while to learn it, but the quality of the world trumps the quality of the team every time.

With $6 mil IFA scouting and a ton of extra IFA cash, any IFA with a $2.5 mil+ bonus demand, just go get him no questions asked.

Work Rule 5 hard, and for a team with a top WW position and lots of holes, that includes working the WW hard for 2 days after Rule 5. It's much easier, in my opinion, to find a second, quality Rule 5 guy by claiming an Offer Back off the WW than by hoping to nab one in the second round of Rule 5 (not that both can't be done).

Look for opportunities to acquire players free/cheap and then deal them. I think you can do better by signing 3-4 of the worst Type A players, the kind hanging around at the start of Spring Training, and then trading them for prospects than you can by keeping your 2nd-5th round picks and drafting prospects. This can also go for the WW, Rule 5, and also if any Type A guys go unsigned until the draft, once they no longer cost draft pick compensation, sign them and trade them.

Arbitration. You don't have a 41-win team with a dozen arb eligible guys who ought to be picked up. Maybe 2-4 are worth keeping, but don't offer arb to scrubs. You can find scrubs making <$500. Cut the rest.

People have told you not to sign any FAs over 32 years old. The one exception I would add to that is if you can sign a Type A or strong Type B to a 1-year deal, do it looking to pick up comp pick(s) next year. Obviously, don't sign a Type A for only this purpose unless you're signing several.

Finally, don't forget the WW once the postseason begins. Teams start making moves to adjust the playoff roster, or to prep for next season, and you should be looking for pieces for next season during this time. For example, a guy is called up for roster expansion, but is out of options. He won't be on the BL roster for his club next season (solid role player, but his team is deep at his position), so he has to be passed through waivers for his team to keep him. If the owner waits until rollover, he probably won't be able to get his player through waivers. So, a lot of owners try to pass these guys through waivers (sometimes revokable, sometimes not) during the playoffs. Be alert and block them. Even if they use revokable waivers, they'll still have to get him through next year, giving you a second shot at the player.

Quote: Originally posted by timf on 1/19/2010
there are 4 other 100 loss teams in this world so there are alot of tanking, sorry rebuilding, teams in this world. One team actually traded for ML calibre guys and demoted them so his team would suck even more this season.

Hate to say it, but you and your buddy should find a better world to play in next season.

In the meantime, do your best to straighten out the team you've got for the next guy, gain some experience and a reputation as a quality owner, and apply to join a quality private world as your current season winds down.

As far as FA age 32 or more, ask yourself, can they still play and contribute if their numbers drop 10 points? Have their numbers started dropping? If they can still play, and numbers have not begun to drop, a 3 year contract to a 32 or 33 year old may work.

Quote: Originally posted by travisg on 1/20/2010

Quote: Originally posted by timf on 1/19/2010there are 4 other 100 loss teams in this world so there are alot of tanking, sorry rebuilding, teams in this world. One team actually traded for ML calibre guys and demoted them so his team would suck even more this season.

Hate to say it, but you and your buddy should find a better world to play in next season.

In the meantime, do your best to straighten out the team you've got for the next guy, gain some experience and a reputation as a quality owner, and apply to join a quality private world as your current season winds down.

Yeah, I wouldn't invest too much time/energy in this world. Or, take over as commish and clean it up.