I visit this Forum every day and have learned a lot from the often intelligent, sometimes inventive observations offered here since the inception of HBD. Rarely have I had anything constructive to contribute (and after you read this you may decide that I still haven't) but there is one commonly-accepted maxim that I've read here periodically which, in my 41-seasons of experience, is more fiction than fact; that long-term contract demands tend to increase as a player moves from his first through third years of Arbitration.
It would seem to be a logical aspect of the game, or in real life, and perhaps it was asserted in some long-forgotten Dev Chat.
While I have observed some type of variability in either the value of the long-term contract demanded or the length of the long-term contract demanded - or both - for the vast majority of Arb eligible players, for most players their long-term contract demands(value and/or length) remain static or decrease. Fewer players ask for an increasing number of years as they progress from Arb-1 to Arb-2 to Arb-3 and a distinct minority ask for more money as they make that same progression from Arb-1 to Arb-2 to Arb-3.
The most variability that I've observed in terms of the dollar value as players progress from Arb-1 to Arb-2 to Arb-3 is $200,000, in either increase or decrease.... so minimal as to be almost insignificant
I've never put this into a spread sheet, nor saved any screen captures to provide evidence of this. Since I conducted Arbitration hearings for 2 or 3 seasons their non-realized long-term demands are not often discernible from their player cards. All I have by way of evidence are my old-skool, long-hand notes which I've meticulously kept since Season 10 of my time in World Bench (the only World I've played in, I was here in World Bench at its inception and now am in the midst of its 41st season). My records from the pre-historic seasons (1-9) have gone missing.
Below are a selection of 25 players and their long-term demands; 12 players from the Medieval seasons (S11-S20) and 13 players from the Modern Era (S32-S40), ranging from utility players to award winners and eventual Hall of Famers. I'm not certain how well this will format but I'll wing it (and maybe edit for formatting).
Note; demand decreases highlighted in
green, demand increases highlighted in
red. Static demands are not highlighted.
Player Profile: Charles Priest - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S39 $3.8M/2 yrs S40
$3.5M/2 yrs
Player Profile: Ben Radinsky - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S38 $4.2M/2 yrs S39
$4M/2 yrs
Player Profile: Arodys Mantalban - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S37 $6M/4 yrs S38 $6M/
5 yrs
Player Profile: Ricardo Tarasco - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S36 $5.8M/4 yrs S37 $5.8M/4 yrs S38 $5.8M/
3 yrs
Player Profile: Morgan Fox - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S37 $5.8M/4 yrs S38 $5.8M/
3 yrs
Player Profile: Benji Barajas - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S35 $5.8M/3 yrs S36 $5.8M/3 yrs S37 $5.8M/3 yrs
Player Profile: Bobby Decker - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S34 $4.2M/1 yr S35 $$4.2M/
2 yrs S36 $4.2M/2 yrs
Player Profile: Thumper Sisk - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S33 $2M/1 yr S34
$1.6M/1 yr S35 $1.6M/1 yr
Player Profile: Wilfredo Olivares - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S34 $5M/4 yrs S35 $5M/
2 yrs
Player Profile: Harry Marquez - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S34 $7.1M/5 yrs S35
$7.25M/
4 yrs
Player Profile: Adys Johnson - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S34 $7.25M/4 yrs S35 $7.25M/
3 yrs
Player Profile: Larry Haney - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S32 $8M/4 yrs S33
$8.1M/4 yrs
Player Profile: Leon Milledge - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S32 $6.875M/4 yrs S33
$6.8M/4 yrs
Player Profile: Ernest Jones - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S18/ $4.9M/4 yrs S19
$4.86/
3 yrs S20
$4.6M/
2 yrs
Player Profile: Benito Espinosa - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S18 $5.2M/2 yrs S19 $5.2M/
4 yrs S20 $5.2M/
3 yrs
Player Profile: Jim Hand - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S18 $7M/4 yrs S19 $7M/
3 yrs
Wesley Costello
S17 $2.8M/1 yr S18
$2.6M/1 yr S19
$2.2M/
2 yrs
Player Profile: Juan Cairo - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S17 $7.5M/3 yrs S18 $7.5M/
4 yrs S19 $7.5M/4 yrs
Player Profile: Bert Manning - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S16 $3.2M/1 yr S17 $3.2M/
2 yrs S18
$3M/2 yrs
Player Profile: Sam Bravo - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S15 $7.75M/5 yrs S16
$7.5M/
4 yrs
Player Profile: Alex Osuna - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S14 $7.3M/4 yrs S15
$7.5M/4 yrs
Player Profile: Will Kerr - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S14 $5.6M/5 yrs S15
$5.4M/
2 yrs
Player Profile: Magglio Flores - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S14 $6.9M/4 yrs S15
$7M/4 yrs
Player Profile: Dwayne Lombard - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S13 $5M/5 yrs S14
$4.8M/4 yrs S15 $4.8M/4 yrs
Player Profile: Steve Barber - Hardball Dynasty Baseball | WhatIfSports
S11 $3.6M/4 yrs S12 $3.6M/
2 yrs S13
$3.4M/2 yrs