Signing minor league FA seems like a crazy crap shoot, what am I missing? The only realistic flexibility seems to be offering a ST invite. Clearly any desirable player will get multiple equal offers. I have 7 C in my entire system (2 above HiA, incl ML) and two guys tell me they prefer other franchises with “less depth.” Is there any way to offer a big league deal without paying $327K per year, or even anything better than minor + invite?

Minor with ST invite is the best you can do without offering a ML deal.

If a Big League contract is offered, must the player be paid $327K? I've had other owners tell me you can pay a player less than that, but I've not seen that as something the system allows.

there probably are a bunch of teams with less depth than you, believe it or not. What often happens is that the same bunch of teams with no depth will offer the same bunch of players the same contract, and on signing day as each player picks a team one-by-one the sim logic understands that their depth chart numbers are changing and begins flipping guys into deciding on other teams. So just keep the offers until the end and you could end up getting 1 or 2 of them. Aside from that, ML deal is the best you can do. If nobody signs with you, post in WC that you're looking to make a trade with anybody who has extra guys in their inactives older than 24, and somebody will usually message you and you can work something out that way

Big league is 327k and the player goes on your 40-man immediately, which starts eating his option years immediately. I've only ever used it once, a player I knew would get to the majors for sure.

Pjf is right, keep your offer up and the priority might flip back down to you. Those players don't usually sign till the last afternoon of free agency.

Another reason why other teams have worse depth charts, don't forget owners who totally neglect their minors. They often sign any warm minor league body just to fill out lower level teams.

Thanks for the help, guys.