I don't know of a way to trick the system, but I do know that if the player has the right combination of high patience and/or low temper - they will allow a 3rd arb and sign long term. I would recommend giving him his demand in that 3rd year just to be safe....

Arb him but stay on the arb page when done. Then go to the "long-term" option to add 5 years.

29	CHR	MikeT23	MLB	$6.4M	1/9/2014
30	CHR	MikeT23	MLB	$5.6M	1/9/2014
31	CHR	MikeT23	MLB	$9.2M	1/9/2014
32	CHR	MikeT23	MLB	$9.7M	1/9/2014
33	CHR	MikeT23	MLB	$10.9M	1/9/2014
34	CHR	MikeT23	MLB	$10.5M	1/9/2014

I'm missing something. What does Arbing and then signing for 5 years do? Does it give you a 6th year you signed the player for?

Yes. All 6 of my contract years listed were done on one day.

If I remember correctly, it doesn't increase their chance of signing if you still take them to arb 3x though, which is what I think ab is really asking.

It allows you an extra year of control. You get your 3 min salary(4 if you do the stupid 20 game wait), 3 arb and 5 LT. That's 11-12 instead of 10-11.

Yeah but does it actually increase your chances of keeping a player after the third arb? Usually after a third arb the player (unless very high patience) says "you took me to arb three times, I'm filing for free agency". Does this make that player a "I'd like to stay if you show me the money" player if you do it through that screen alone?

LT demands tend to increase for players as they move through their arb-1, arb-2 and arb-3 years. This loophole allows you to lock in a player LT after their third arb, but at the demands they are issuing after their arb-2 season.

You don't worry about whether he'll sign after third arb. He will because you never left the arb screen even though you arb'd him.

Posted by MikeT23 on 4/18/2017 9:20:00 AM (view original):
You don't worry about whether he'll sign after third arb. He will because you never left the arb screen even though you arb'd him.

oooooooohhhhhhh...

That's what ab90 was asking. He's trying to lock his guy down for 6 years in one fell swoop. That's the only way to do it.

I'm not sure why he's concerned about it, I can't imagine he's keeping whichever team this guy is on long enough to see the end of the deal.

That isn't my concern. He asked a question.