[URL=http://www.whatifsports.com/hbd/Pages/Popups/PlayerProfile.aspx?pid=1751332]Hunter Osbourne[/URL]

Hes gonna cost me $4.5M for 3 years if I do. If I resign, he will probably be my number 2 or 3 starter. He is a type B FA. I guess, if you guys were in my shoes, what would you do. Let him walk and take the compensation picks or resign?

Your team won 61 games last season, so I'm guessing you're still a few years away from contending. That said, I'd cut bait. No sense committing $4.5 million per year for the next three years on a 32-year old SP who's an average pitcher at best. He certainly doesn't look like a number 2 or 3 starter to me.

if no one signs him, you might be able to bring him back for less. also, you'll only get 1 pick, which i want to mention since you said "picks".

Yea, I knew it was only 1 pick. As it is, my rotation is horrible. I have 3 SP's in the minors w/ projections through the roof but im hesitant to bring them up to early. Im content to ride this year out and most likely be horrible. Im thinking 2 to 3 years and we will be dynamite.

If the minor league SPs are ML ready, bring them up. They will continue to develop as long as they get playing time. If you have an awful ML squad with ML ready studs at AAA, you are opening yourself up to possible tanking accusations.

Quote: Originally Posted By schedule1 on 6/04/2010if no one signs him, you might be able to bring him back for less. also, you'll only get 1 pick, which i want to mention since you said "picks"

+1. He's an average SP or slightly worse, could easily be an SP4 for a championship team... but in the worlds I play in he'd sign late in the FA period for somewhat reduced demands.

Quote: Originally posted by torrone on 6/05/2010If the minor league SPs are ML ready, bring them up. They will continue to develop as long as they get playing time. If you have an awful ML squad with ML ready studs at AAA, you are opening yourself up to possible tanking accusations.

Alright, well, with this being said, what kind of minimum rating should I be bringing my MiL prospects up at? I have a guy ive just called up to AA thats a 70, prj to be an 88. He spent season 1 in Rook and L-A and last year in H-A. Should I call him on up to the Big League club or do you still think its early?

OVR is not a very helpful rating in evaluating players, and it is particularly bad for evaluating SP. For an SP, a 70 can be anywhere from sub-major league to SP2/borderline SP1. An 88 is almost certainly a good major league pitcher but anywhere from Cy Young to mid-rotation is in play.

This is probably where you should get yourself a mentor to help you learn to read ratings. Until you have some confidence that the young players will really be ML-quality, be conservative and just advance them through the minors.

Quote: Originally Posted By hamilton44 on 6/05/2010

Quote: Originally posted by torrone on 6/05/2010If the minor league SPs are ML ready, bring them up. They will continue to develop as long as they get playing time. If you have an awful ML squad with ML ready studs at AAA, you are opening yourself up to possible tanking accusations.

Alright, well, with this being said, what kind of minimum rating should I be bringing my MiL prospects up at? I have a guy ive just called up to AA thats a 70, prj to be an 88. He spent season 1 in Rook and L-A and last year in H-A. Should I call him on up to the Big League club or do you still think its early

First of all, do not listen to anyone that says you are opening yourself up to tanking accusations. Some guys can't separate rebuilding from tanking. As long as you are still trying to win at the ML level you are not tanking. Don't rush prospects for the sake of avoiding being labelled a tanker. A guy currently rated 70 and projected to 88 is not worth wasting in the ML unless your team is a contender. If you have a bunch of these guys and you can sign some really good FA's maybe you consider bringinf your prospects up early but you will have to wait until after the FA signing period to make this decision. I would suggest leaving your guys in minors to develop for at least one more season if not two. If you can manage to get into contention, add those guys to your 40 before roster expansion and then call them up if you need them for a playoff run.

In addition, get a mentor. Go through the list and check each candidates history. I would also suggest you check their forum history as there are some mentors who I would suggest you avoid due to there lack of flexibility in strategies. There are multiple ways to win this game and having a very opinionated mento could lead you down the wrong path. Be careful who you listen to. I was fortunate enough to know a person with alot of experience and he has given me advice from multiple viewpoints and let me decide what strategy fits my phylosophy best. Good luck.