SIM COMPLETE - 90-91 Off-Season 3

[Pat]

#1 or #2 starter on most staffs.

[Pat]

"Ton" was an exageration...."front-line" probably was too...

I should have said, "there is some pitching available."

[BradZ]

"Ton" was an exageration...."front-line" probably was too...

I should have said, "there is some pitching available."

That's one of the quickest back-pedals I've seen in some time. We may all be a bit rusty due to the long layoff.

[Dave]

I definitely don't think the FA system in this league is "just like real life." I'm not sure what the answer to that is, but the FA classes in the BLB are routinely filled almost entirely by players past their prime who demand way more than they're worth. The second part may be indicative of real life MLB, but certainly not the first part. Show me the Carl Crawford and the Jayson Werth in this year's BLB FA crop. I'm not seeing them. I understand that players that good rarely become free agents in real baseball before they've had their best years "sapped" from them, but it does happen. And it seems to never happen in the BLB.

Case in point, I was practically forced to keep Artie Ward around on a $10M arbitration deal, even though he doesn't play a position of need on my team and isn't near a $10M/year hitter. But I knew nobody remotely as good would be available on the FA market, so I kept him. And surprise, nobody remotely as good is available. So it's kind of an ongoing cycle, in that nobody any good ever becomes a free agent because everyone knows nobody any good will be a free agent.

If this hasn't been the case during the last few years while I wasn't in the league, feel free to step in and correct what I'm saying. But it was the case before I left and it's the case now, so that's really all I have on which to base my opinion.

[Lintyfresh85]

No, you seem to be right.

[Pat]

I think it's pretty easy to write off the BLB Free-Agents as "old and overpaid," but there have been plenty of big FA moves of the years...

Windley in '81. He was in his mid-20s, got a seven year, $100+ mill deal. Was a three time All-Star for the Bandits. McEvoy in '87. Still in his pitching prime (33) and put together two huge years in D.C. He was then flipped for two really good prospects. Gugs in 88. Was a bit older, but had a pretty good year. "Hotwire" in '88. Only 25-years-old, pitched well for Wilmington. Guardamagni...Harcourt in Virginia...Latham in Baltimore...there have been a ton of good CL/MR/RP signings...

[BradZ]

Kirby and Tesina were still in their prime when they left via FA.

The biggest difference in our little world and MLB is the lack of player agents who steer the majority of their big name clients to always file free agency when their service time allows. Agents like Boras almost never "allow" their top players to sign an extension with their original club without taking them to the market first which makes for more top tier talent switching teams (read: going to the Yankees or Red Sox).

[Spear]

Our owner wants us to aim for the playoffs but I don't see that as a realistic option.

Unless those demands go down over the offseason, I don't think we'll be a big player in the free agency market this year.

[Jistic]

Dante Geake was a HUGE pickup for us in our 1986 championship year. He had a great year and was 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA in the post season that year. I think we voted him playoff MVP.

[funclown]

Dante Geake was a HUGE pickup for us in our 1986 championship year. He had a great year and was 4-0 with a 1.16 ERA in the post season that year. I think we voted him playoff MVP.

No one asked about your team history jerk.

[Jistic]

No one asked about your team history jerk.

There will come a time when you can't rely on having the #1 farm system handed to you. And you'll have to put on the daddy pants and make a real personnel move. Watch and learn.

[Jake]

The biggest difference in our little world and MLB is the lack of player agents who steer the majority of their big name clients to always file free agency when their service time allows. Agents like Boras almost never "allow" their top players to sign an extension with their original club without taking them to the market first which makes for more top tier talent switching teams (read: going to the Yankees or Red Sox).

Agreed, on top of the fact that we have some financial balance so most teams can afford to keep their studs after arbitration.

[Carlos]

The case still stands, however, that old players ask for way too much.

I don't think it's a BLB thing either. I think it's an OOTP issue. Players simply don't realize that they are 38 years old, declining, and should ask for less just to have a job.

It's backwards. There are some decent veterans out there that could help a few teams. But, who is going to give a 38-year-old declining outfielder $20 MM to hit like a better minor league player?

There are stars in the league that make much much less. Much less. And they have gone through free agency. Romo alone was signed last offseason and didn't demand anything as outrageous and he hit .270 with 20+ hrs and 100 RBI along with 100 BB. Would you rather give him $20 MM or someone who is gonna hit .250 with 14 HR and 70 RBI?

[Delandis]

The inflated salaries wer a necessary and expected evil when we decided to lessen the margin between the haves and have-nots.

[Matt]

First week FA demands are always ridiculous...in every league I've ever been in. They are shooting for the moon.