Not sure this is a question that can be answered, but...if you have a good veteran player who is at the end of the contract (over age 32) is it better to let them go to Free agency or to resign them (assiming they are someone you likely want back). These would be for players who are willing to resign

I can see pros and cons to each, but was wondering if anyone had given this much thought

In the past, I used to just let them go to to FA. Generally, their ratings will inevitably decline a bit and thier asking price the next season will be less than it is at the end of the prior season. Could save some salary that way. Or their ratings would decline so much I would not want to sign them.

But is it beter to sign them if yu have a high training budget? My assumption is that their ratings decline less if they are signed because they are "covered" under your budget, but I dont know if that is the case vs what the dependency is on makeup - or both.

Again, not sure if there is a way to tell what is right, but would like to get thoughts of some experienced owners.

For me, it depends on what they are demanding and how important they are to the team. You can usually tell if the player is going to remain steady, take a small hit or a big drop based on the previous couple seasons and their age.