Financial Dilemma

legofarley · 11-23-2012, 03:03 PM

I have two veteran outfielders on my team and I'm running a small market team. The bottom line is that i will have to trade one of them by the end of the season to keep my finances in the black.

RF Bryan Phillips is 33 years old and has been playing on my team since its inception - 13 years. He has five all star appearances and a Glove Wizard award. His career numbers are .322/.381/.436 with 1767 hits, 83 HR's, 595 RBI's. With his career average over .300 he only needs 34 hits to solidify his spot in the Hall of Fame. He also holds the single season and career stolen bases records (65 single season/ 537 career). But, he only stole 9 bases last season. Phillips is earning $2.9 million each year.

LF William Jones is 29 years old and has been on my team since his rookie year - 7 years. He has five all star appearances and a Glove Wizard Award. He is one of only two Rookie of the Year winners my team has had. His career numbers are .315/.389/.571 with 806 hits, 151 HR's, 492 RBI's. He's averaging 24 HR's per year. He will earn $1.4 million this year and is up for free agency next year with a minimum asking price of $1.8 million per year.

I wanted to see what you guys all thought. Should I keep the sure HOFer, or should I keep 24 HR's per year?

EvilGenius · 11-23-2012, 04:33 PM

I say trade the older one if you can .... a decision I would make based solely on age. He's a sure bet for the HOF, a distinction that means nothing as far as the game is concerned -- its not going to help your fan base or anything, thus a total non-factor in the decision making process.

But his age may make a trade for top prospects difficult. His skills will be declining shortly, and every team you shop him to knows it.

So, that leaves investigating how value the younger one can bring in. He's in his prime, you might be able to swing a monster deal in your favor. As much as it would hurt to part with him, deals like that shouldn't be passed up if they come along (and that's a big IF since they're so rare).

In fact, if he really does get you a lot in return, I would even consider parting ways with both of them.

Obviously, my loyalty to my players is nil. I'm reminded of a reliever I once had on my team for a mere two seasons. I play out every game and make every in game substitution. I realized when I started shopping him around in the off-season that mentally I was calling him by the wrong name the whole time.

The point being, when I'm making lineups and/or substitutions, all I care about is the skill on the field. The name on the back of the jersey means nothing to me. I'd trade Jeter for your grandmother if I thought your grandmother had a decent curveball. Winning will get back any fans who get upset.

rpriske · 11-23-2012, 04:53 PM

You gave career records. You can't really judge them now based on career records.

Thay are both really, really cheap for thier apparent production, but it is hard to tell without current numbers.

Honorable_Pawn · 11-23-2012, 05:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilGenius

He's a sure bet for the HOF, a distinction that means nothing as far as the game is concerned -- its not going to help your fan base or anything, thus a total non-factor in the decision making process.

To the OP: I completely disagree with the above quote.

For me, I am more concerned with immersion and storylines than I am in having a .950 WP% and taking home 90 of the last 100 championships. I try to win championships, true enough, but I never ever sacrifice a good story or a good memory just for the sake of "winning."

I say write up a short story just about that guy only. Give him a personality and a story. Then share that story with the community. A dynasty report doesn't have to be millions of pages of stats to be entertaining. It could be one single thread.

I think if you did all of this you would find a way to keep him on your team so the only Hall-of-Famer in your entire team history retires in your uniform. To me, tradition and history are much more important than winning in and of itself. This alone is a good enough reason to keep him around.

Winning does not necessarily mean taking home the championship every single season. That would suck and I am totally glad that I do not just try to maximize numbers in an engine that is esentially nothing more than a glorified random numbers generator.

Nothing sounds more awful to me than a roster full of three to four year rent-a-dudes just so I can dominate an already easy game time and time again. Ugggh.

legofarley · 11-23-2012, 07:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EvilGenius

I say trade the older one if you can .... a decision I would make based solely on age. He's a sure bet for the HOF, a distinction that means nothing as far as the game is concerned -- its not going to help your fan base or anything, thus a total non-factor in the decision making process.

The name on the back of the jersey means nothing to me. I'd trade Jeter for your grandmother if I thought your grandmother had a decent curveball. Winning will get back any fans who get upset.

The age factor is the only thing that made me consider trading him. He is the only member of the inaugural season team left. The comparison of Jeter to grandma is a bit extreme, but hilarious.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpriske

Thay are both really, really cheap for thier apparent production, but it is hard to tell without current numbers.

They're not really cheap. My league is based on a financial model that is 10% of modern MLB finances. My entire team budget is $14 million.

legofarley · 11-23-2012, 08:06 PM

@Honorable Pawn:

I too am a big fan of savoring the history and stories involved with the game. I'm in a situation where I have $14 million to run the entire team, smallest in my league. I have five guys on my team making more than $1 million per year. Two are the outfielders mentioned in the OP. Another is a three-time pitcher of the year winner and the only guy in my league to ever throw a perfect game. He's also the only one to have two pitching triple crowns. Number four is a pitcher who leads the league in career shutouts and is on my ace's tail for many other records. And number five is the only guy on my team to win a Batter of the Year award, which he did twice. All of them are allstars.

The main reason why I'm so attached to Phillips is because he's the last remaining guy from the inaugural season team.

Now that I'm thinking about it, I suppose I have a third option. I could trade away my number two pitcher, and then I'd be able to pay for both of my star outfielders.

I'll let you all know how it goes. Thanks for the responses.

dawg_gone · 11-23-2012, 11:03 PM

That's not a financial dilemma -- that's a moral dilemma.

Here's what I would do. I would gather the team together at home plate, tell them thanks for the memories, but I'm not going to sit idly by while you two/three/25 break my heart, and anyway I just got a better offer from the evil big market competitor up the road, so see ya, hope to beat ya!

And ride off into my new job on a Harley.

legofarley · 11-24-2012, 01:45 AM

I decided to trade my #2 pitcher and keep both of my star outfielders. I'm probably going to play one more season with the team I have, then I'll pull a Miami Marlins and liquedate. Thanks to everyone for your responses.

11-23-2012, 03:03 PM	#1
legofarley Major Leagues Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 460	Financial Dilemma I have two veteran outfielders on my team and I'm running a small market team. The bottom line is that i will have to trade one of them by the end of the season to keep my finances in the black. RF Bryan Phillips is 33 years old and has been playing on my team since its inception - 13 years. He has five all star appearances and a Glove Wizard award. His career numbers are .322/.381/.436 with 1767 hits, 83 HR's, 595 RBI's. With his career average over .300 he only needs 34 hits to solidify his spot in the Hall of Fame. He also holds the single season and career stolen bases records (65 single season/ 537 career). But, he only stole 9 bases last season. Phillips is earning $2.9 million each year. LF William Jones is 29 years old and has been on my team since his rookie year - 7 years. He has five all star appearances and a Glove Wizard Award. He is one of only two Rookie of the Year winners my team has had. His career numbers are .315/.389/.571 with 806 hits, 151 HR's, 492 RBI's. He's averaging 24 HR's per year. He will earn $1.4 million this year and is up for free agency next year with a minimum asking price of $1.8 million per year. I wanted to see what you guys all thought. Should I keep the sure HOFer, or should I keep 24 HR's per year? __________________ El Jimbo - OOTP fanatic since V. X & Official Fan of Justafan

11-23-2012, 08:06 PM	#6
legofarley Major Leagues Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 460	@Honorable Pawn: I too am a big fan of savoring the history and stories involved with the game. I'm in a situation where I have $14 million to run the entire team, smallest in my league. I have five guys on my team making more than $1 million per year. Two are the outfielders mentioned in the OP. Another is a three-time pitcher of the year winner and the only guy in my league to ever throw a perfect game. He's also the only one to have two pitching triple crowns. Number four is a pitcher who leads the league in career shutouts and is on my ace's tail for many other records. And number five is the only guy on my team to win a Batter of the Year award, which he did twice. All of them are allstars. The main reason why I'm so attached to Phillips is because he's the last remaining guy from the inaugural season team. Now that I'm thinking about it, I suppose I have a third option. I could trade away my number two pitcher, and then I'd be able to pay for both of my star outfielders. I'll let you all know how it goes. Thanks for the responses. __________________ El Jimbo - OOTP fanatic since V. X & Official Fan of Justafan Last edited by legofarley; 11-23-2012 at 08:08 PM.

11-24-2012, 01:45 AM	#8
legofarley Major Leagues Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 460	I decided to trade my #2 pitcher and keep both of my star outfielders. I'm probably going to play one more season with the team I have, then I'll pull a Miami Marlins and liquedate. Thanks to everyone for your responses. __________________ El Jimbo - OOTP fanatic since V. X & Official Fan of Justafan

11-23-2012, 04:33 PM	#2
EvilGenius Minors (Double A) Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 153	I say trade the older one if you can .... a decision I would make based solely on age. He's a sure bet for the HOF, a distinction that means nothing as far as the game is concerned -- its not going to help your fan base or anything, thus a total non-factor in the decision making process. But his age may make a trade for top prospects difficult. His skills will be declining shortly, and every team you shop him to knows it. So, that leaves investigating how value the younger one can bring in. He's in his prime, you might be able to swing a monster deal in your favor. As much as it would hurt to part with him, deals like that shouldn't be passed up if they come along (and that's a big IF since they're so rare). In fact, if he really does get you a lot in return, I would even consider parting ways with both of them. Obviously, my loyalty to my players is nil. I'm reminded of a reliever I once had on my team for a mere two seasons. I play out every game and make every in game substitution. I realized when I started shopping him around in the off-season that mentally I was calling him by the wrong name the whole time. The point being, when I'm making lineups and/or substitutions, all I care about is the skill on the field. The name on the back of the jersey means nothing to me. I'd trade Jeter for your grandmother if I thought your grandmother had a decent curveball. Winning will get back any fans who get upset.

11-23-2012, 04:53 PM	#3
rpriske Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Spencerville, ON, Canada Posts: 26,772	You gave career records. You can't really judge them now based on career records. Thay are both really, really cheap for thier apparent production, but it is hard to tell without current numbers.

11-23-2012, 11:03 PM	#7
dawg_gone Minors (Double A) Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Oklahoma City Posts: 106	That's not a financial dilemma -- that's a moral dilemma. Here's what I would do. I would gather the team together at home plate, tell them thanks for the memories, but I'm not going to sit idly by while you two/three/25 break my heart, and anyway I just got a better offer from the evil big market competitor up the road, so see ya, hope to beat ya! And ride off into my new job on a Harley.