Hey everyone,

I'm at an interesting crossroads with my SD team. After 10 of the best seasons I have probably ever had with this team (9 Division titles, 5 WS appearances, 1 WS championship) it looks like this team can hold on no longer as my all stars are getting older and there is no youth to take over.

Johan Butcher is by and far the best pitcher I have ever had. He's having a down year but still has an ERA below 3 and his W/L is suffering because the team can generate no offence. I'm sure I could get a decent return for him (He is 36 and its WIS so I don't expect I would get top talent, but would get 'GOOD' talent') but I'm more of a real life 'legacy' owner. Even if I'm out of the playoffs I try to win every game. I want Butcher to retire in SD and maybe go for 300 wins.

I'm just curious which direction everyone goes with this? You're not going to sway my decision (unless you are in Riley and offer me the farm) but its a cold December morning. Lets start some conversation.

I would personally hold onto him. I did something similar to get my closer to be the world’s saves leader.

I mean the game is what it is, by not trading him for a decent haul, you are essentially prolonging the rebuild. I do wish that there were certain incentives put in place for the game to promote hanging on to vets. Some sort of loyalty or leadership ratings that veteran players can generate for their team. Heck, would be nice that keeping a player on same team for his whole career would yield an above average coach or something along those lines.

I’ve done the opposite and moved a guy I could have conceivably kept off of a rebuilding team to improve his shot at 300 wins/3000 Ks and another WS title. Improved his HoF case and I re-signed him to a 1 year deal at age 41 so he could retire with his old team.

Posted by yumen442 on 12/21/2022 11:11:00 AM (view original):
I would personally hold onto him. I did something similar to get my closer to be the world’s saves leader.

How did he do in the Hall of Fame voting, if you've already had it? I've found that in Cobbfather RPs get little to no love in Hall voting. The All-Time saves leader just retired (3 seasons ago) and he's yet to get in. He was close this year with 15 votes, but still just short. He leads the #2 in saves by over 100. The league seems to favor Ws and Ks and HRs for position players (no SS currently in the Hall)

I am curious how picks 1-25 from that draft are doing.

Keep him unless somebody gives you better than the type A situation. The best type A situation is the 17th overall pick and the 33rd overall pick. If someone offers more than that in value, take it. If someone doesn't offer at least that in value, keep him.

At a certain point, you need entertainment value outside of wins and losses. If keeping that guy provides you entertainment, then I’d do it.

Posted by pray4pro on 12/23/2022 2:26:00 PM (view original):
At a certain point, you need entertainment value outside of wins and losses. If keeping that guy provides you entertainment, then I’d do it.

Zackly. We all start out wanting championships, but at some point you realize we can't all win, one team out of 32 gets the trophy. If the game was just straight up cookie cutter roster building it wouldn't be fun. And in the playoffs, often the result comes from matchups, luck, figurative rolls of the dice. So I think the most fun we actually get out of this is just seeing team building moves that you make work out the way you hope they will.

With guys like that when I know my team is no longer going to be competitive, I let them go to free agency or trade them to a team that should get them some more wins and chances at championships, then when my team is a celler dweller and they are in their Twilight I sign them back for the last couple years

Posted by pray4pro on 12/23/2022 2:26:00 PM (view original):
At a certain point, you need entertainment value outside of wins and losses. If keeping that guy provides you entertainment, then I’d do it.

I also agree with this. I just started playing Gridiron and it seems that many folks that are successful at the higher levels know that, in order to win a title, you have to take a systematic, cookie-cutter approach involving a red-shirt senior QB. Once a QB gets so good, he just does not throw interceptions. However, RBs will still fumble no matter how elite they get. I would bet that grinding out recruitment of the same players every year and running the same system every year would get pretty monotonous.

So, for entertainment value, some of the vet coaches in Gridiron stop the cookie-cutter madness and experiment -- recruit no RBs or WRs and just TEs, QBs, and OLs. Then they just run with their QB every single play. The OL and TE's just block. It's like the ole GB sweep, but with the QB instead of a halfback or running back. Some will draft a bunch of top line RBs and red shirt two of them every season and always have three upper classmen playing in the wishbone.

Posted by dschang on 12/21/2022 11:43:00 PM (view original):
I am curious how picks 1-25 from that draft are doing.

I meant to respond to this earlier but now I actually have time. (due to my SD team disappointing me this season)

Notable season 45 draft picks ranked 1-25:

Ender Cruz picked 6 - Potential hall of famer

There were some good players like Byan Offerman , Kendres Conception, and Paul Gyorko but I think Johnan was probably the best.

Now, that being said, he was good before but there were many seasons he'd break his arm 20 games in and I'd keep him on the DL until the playoffs rolled around. He wasn't born, he was constructed.