here was the final answer i was given from admin:

1/25/2010 9:22 AM Customer Support

There were several teams that were bidding on this particular player. We never disclose who is the leading franchise in the negotiation process so you could have been bidding against other franchises that had better coaching staffs or better suited ballparks.

so here's what i think they're saying (without actually saying it).

i offered fuller a max deal, putting me in the lead (as i was when i initially offered him the max)

another team with a better hitting coach, ballpark factor and previous season's record (and possibly his former team, as i understand that counts for something) then offer fuller the same deal. the mystery team(s) are now in the lead for fuller.

i see that my max contract wont be enough, and i pull out of the bidding, blowing my cash on another player.

the mystery team(s) offer is pulled

detroit comes in with their max bid and is now the lead dog, eventually landing fuller after a "real life" day or two.

sound about right, or did i miss something? i think the only detail i would wonder about is if detroit was in the lead for fuller as soon as he placed his bid. austin maybe you can shed some light on that if you don't mind. did your max offer put you in the lead right away, or was it not enough at first but you it on the table and once the mystery team pulled its offer, that made you the leading offer?

As soon as I offered the max with the NTC and player option, it said I was in the lead, and I never received an e-mail stating otherwise... my last correspondence with Fuller:

"I knew you were the kind of guy that’s not afraid to spend money. You’re tops on our list for now."

Before that, after I had offered 107, I received, "My client and I are interested in what your franchise has to offer, but you’d better be ready to up your offer if you really want my client." at 11:09 A.M on 1/18. Not sure how your scenario would work unless there was a glitch in the system that sent me the wrong e-mail.

hmmmm. so i guess myself and this other team must have had max offers in before yours. i pulled out seeing i was outbid and at some point shortly after (or possibly at the same time) the other team pulled out, opening the door for you. jonas was on the right track after all.

oh well, i guess that's how it goes sometimes. i just wanted to make sure i didnt get boned but it appears that my eagerness to spend my cap space is what did me in. thanks for the insight austin.

I am sure I have the max bid on a FA, along with another owner. Our pitching coaches are both rated 87. The only main difference is I am in a better pitchers park, than he is. But last season he won more games. So basically it is a flip of the coin?

Whoever has the #1 bubble beside the player has the #1 bid, and if nothing else changes, that's who he'll sign with.

So if I offer the max deal, and I don't get the little number one on my ping pong paddle, am I done? I would like to use the $110 mil and go after someone else if I know I am toast.

Quote: Originally Posted By e_mandat on 1/21/2010i drafted Ken Holbert over fuller for the guy who was wonderin

That's very interesting. Personally, I would prefer the guy who has the superior defence and can play SS but Holbert is a marginally better hitter so I can't really argue the choice.

Quote: Originally Posted By jrnyfan01 on 4/08/2010
So if I offer the max deal, and I don't get the little number one on my ping pong paddle, am I done? I would like to use the $110 mil and go after someone else if I know I am toast.

Depends. If you have already hired coaches (hitting and fielding if you are going after a position player, pitching and bullpen if you are going after a pitcher), then you should probably move on, because your position will most likely not improve. If you have not hired those coaches yet and have a chance to hire a better coach than you had last season (last season's coaches are used as tie-breakers until you hire a coach for the current season), then you still may be able to win the tie-breaker.

Who is leading amongst multiple max offers definitely can change as coaches are hired. I have first-hand experience with that situation.