does anyone know what circumstances leads to this scenario?

I've seen it usually with older players, in their 30s,

Doesn't a promotion just trigger another rating development checkpoint, meaning it's not the promotion that changed the ratings? The ratings had slipped already and the promo just revealed it? That's my understanding of ratings changes.

Posted by minus55 on 5/10/2020 10:13:00 AM (view original):
Doesn't a promotion just trigger another rating development checkpoint, meaning it's not the promotion that changed the ratings? The ratings had slipped already and the promo just revealed it? That's my understanding of ratings changes.

I believe this is accurate. You'll also see it if you sign an older free agent and when you assign him his rating drops. Or if you move a post-injury recovery player who'd received a ratings boost. The regression shows up.

My case is a 26 year old.
rule 5 pick, offered back, denied - so i placed him in AAA, then called him up for expanded rosters.
Looking back - it looks like the 'promotion' was right after Spring Training, which technically is AA (previous franchise) to AAA (my franchise)
Either way ratings took a hit at the time, but looks most ratings have normalized to pre promotion.

OK so I guess that's Theodore McKinley... I suspected he might have low Patience but no, it's 98. So I would guess that the Offer Back and Decline messed with him, which makes me wonder if that happens to every player like that. It does essentially mean the player was offered to the league twice at minimum salary and no one wanted him.

Posted by damag on 5/11/2020 12:21:00 AM (view original):
OK so I guess that's Theodore McKinley... I suspected he might have low Patience but no, it's 98. So I would guess that the Offer Back and Decline messed with him, which makes me wonder if that happens to every player like that. It does essentially mean the player was offered to the league twice at minimum salary and no one wanted him.

Yeah that is right.
It is my first time seeing it.
Thanks for the information.