What's the best way to "cut the fat" when you've got a 36 year old SP with a $13MM contract on a team you inherited? I could really use some extra payroll room to get a couple players that won't have a 7.50 ERA come season's end!!

Well if he's that bad, you're SOL. If he has any skill at all , you might try and trade him for little, maybe you throw in a good prospect.

If it's his last season, my advice would be to just eat the deal and let him walk at season's end. A lot of guys may take his contract off your hands if you throw in a legitimate prospect, but you'd be mortgaging your future for short-term salary relief, IMO.

You can waive him and pray someone will take him. .

You can try and trade him for almost nothing and add a major league prospect into the mix to entice the other owner to accept the deal.

Quote: Originally Posted By plague on 5/27/2010You can waive him and pray someone will take him. .

You can try and trade him for almost nothing and add a major league prospect into the mix to entice the other owner to accept the deal

Deals like this will get shot down in some worlds. It comes down to the other owner "buying" a prospect for the price of the duds contract.

I wouldn't include a prospect to lose a contract. It's a dynasty game. You can deal with a bad contract. You can't recover lost talent.

Quote: Originally posted by MikeT23 on 5/27/2010I wouldn't include a prospect to lose a contract.   It's a dynasty game.  You can deal with a bad contract.  You can't recover lost talent.

While that is a valid statement, I am not adverse to moving a prospect to help get a bad contract o my hands. That being said, I would NEVER move anyone of any real value. I have found that, as long as the big contract doesn't suck, most guys won't screw you and ask for a good young guy in return. I usually am asked for someone with a major flaw that an owner wants to take a flyer on, or a RP who is a AAAA guy.

What I am trying to say is that the little amount of talent needed to move a guy with a bad contract, can in some cases be worth the sending of a prospect to spice up the deal.

I would give away a prospect if you were looking at a multi-year contract. If it is just this season only, you will have to account for the contract when you budget anyhow so just deal with it. Also, check for options -- you may get lucky and find out you have an option you can decline.

Speaking of which, I have no problem at all with giving away a prospect in order to move a bad contract. I know some people frown on it, but I think it is a legitimate tool to help rebuild a bad franchise...and one that I used several times in my WKRP thread (though once again they were always multi-year deals I was moving)

MT22, by "prospect" I meant someone who has legit value. I can't imagine anyone taking 13m in contract for a defensive catcher.

cshewood, every situation is different. I understood the contract to be one season only although he didn't say as much. I guess, if 2-3 years were on it, I'd be forced to move a prospect. On an inherited team, you can only budget 14m in training. A 36 y/o is likely to take a huge ratings dump between seasons and be impossible to move in year 2-3 of that deal.

Quote: Originally posted by MikeT23 on 5/27/2010I wouldn't include a prospect to lose a contract.   It's a dynasty game.  You can deal with a bad contract.  You can't recover lost talent.

depends on the prospect and the contract...

if this were a 13m a year guy who had 4 years on his deal i would give up a fringe prospect (i.e. future ML utility guy) if i had exhausted all possibilities to get rid of him

Why would anyone take on 4/52 for a utility guy?

to get rid of 13m/4 years of trash I would give up a top prospect - thats a huge chunk of money.

That's what I'm thinking. Who wouldn't trade a utility guy to lose a turd eating up 7% of your budget for a full, real-life calendar year?