How to save my 30-56 expansion team

[DHangelfan]

Is there any hope for me? The talent available in the expansion draft meant my best player is Arraez of the Twins. My second best player is Eddie Rosario. My best pitcher is Trevor Richards, who currently has a 6.00 ERA. All have performed pitifully. All of my starting MLB players are essentially MiLB players. I don't have any minor league teams until next year, and in baseball you can't trade for draft picks.

No teams want my terrible players, so I can't trade for any prospects of note.

And my team market is tiny because I chose my local home town, combined with an owner that's trying to turn a profit. My entire budget is only $93 million.

I'm currently 30-56. My entire pitching staff is dead tired because we get blasted so often, they can't get off the mound.

I don't think this team can be saved.

How would you all attack this?

EDIT: My #2 overall drafted catcher has decreased in his first development. I don't know if that's because he's sitting around not playing, but it's not looking good boys. Pray for me.

[CBeisbol]

Sounds like a challenge. I almost said "fun challenge", but...

I've never done an expansion draft, but I've read a couple people say that there are no minors for a season. That seems exactly backwards

You don't have a AAA team?

What happens if you get players injured? You only have a 25 man roster?

[Curve Ball Dave]

Have your scout start checking out potential top draft picks for the next year's draft,, and take a look at the upcoming free agents see if there might be some guys who will be an upgrade and willing to sign. Beyond that, running an expansion team is tough and requires a lot of patience.

[DHangelfan]

Originally Posted by CBeisbol

Sounds like a challenge. I almost said "fun challenge", but...

I've never done an expansion draft, but I've read a couple people say that there are no minors for a season. That seems exactly backwards

You don't have a AAA team?

What happens if you get players injured? You only have a 25 man roster?

So, I have no idea why, but my for the first 3rd of the season, my MiLB team was empty. I hated that, so I hired Paul DePodesta as my assistant GM, and told him to run my MiLB operations.

He then proceeded to hire a full MiLB roster.

But, they don't play! That's the crazy part. They just sit around.

Now, my MLB team is also -$31 million right now and I haven't done a thing. I can't tell why I'm so over budget. I haven't even spent any money.

I need to stare at the finances screen and check it out.

Anyone looking for a challenge, this appears to work well.

[DHangelfan]

Another idea boys. Since I can't have my new draftees play MiLB ball right now, on account of my teams not playing, have about I bring these 17 year olds up for a trial by fire?

I can always send them back down, I guess.

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by DHangelfan

So, I have no idea why, but my for the first 3rd of the season, my MiLB team was empty. I hated that, so I hired Paul DePodesta as my assistant GM, and told him to run my MiLB operations.

He then proceeded to hire a full MiLB roster.

But, they don't play! That's the crazy part. They just sit around.

Now, my MLB team is also -$31 million right now and I haven't done a thing. I can't tell why I'm so over budget. I haven't even spent any money.

I need to stare at the finances screen and check it out.

Anyone looking for a challenge, this appears to work well.

Something seems wrong.

You can post a screen shot of your accounting page

[ohiodevil]

Originally Posted by DHangelfan

Another idea boys. Since I can't have my new draftees play MiLB ball right now, on account of my teams not playing, have about I bring these 17 year olds up for a trial by fire?

I can always send them back down, I guess.

If your minor league teams are not playing, sounds like you did not regenerate the schedule for the minor leagues. When did you expand the league? If you did this just after starting a new game, then that would be the cause of those schedules not being made for your minor league teams.

Best practice has been sim the first season (so in this case, sim the 2020 season) and then do the league expansion on the first day of the offseason. This way you would be able to participate in real free agency and make sure that all the leagues are set up the way you want.

As for your finance issue, are you playing in commissioner mode? It will allow you to go over budget. And if I recall, the devs purposely have expansion teams have lower budgets so they do not go out and sign all the big time free agents when they first start out. Over time your owner will give you a bigger budget.

[ohiodevil]

But to answer your original question, when playing as an expansion team you need to have patience....you are not going to be good for at least the first three seasons in existence. Over that time, you should be looking at finding prospects to develop and look to find a core of guys to build around.

Everyone has their own approach to this, but with every version since 15 or 16, this was something that I always end up doing and those saves are usually are the games that I end up playing the longest and most often.

My last attempt at an expansion team (in OOTP20) I ended up playing as the Indians GM until 2024, then I expanded and took over the Charlotte franchise. Over the first three seasons, I only will sign guys 30 and up to no more than a 2 year deal with the intention to try and move them at the trade deadline to get prospects to help with the rebuild. I build exclusively through the draft and trading for prospects and the occasional 26 - 30 year old free agent. I finished in 5th place (AL East) every year those first three seasons (thanks to being in the same division with Baltimore and Toronto). But in 2028 I had everything fall into place and won the World Series. I am in the 2033 season now and as you can see from the attachment we are going in the right direction thanks to an owner who is willing to spend some cash, although he has cut my budget the last two seasons, so I feel a rebuild on the horizon.

So long story short, you need patience with an expansion team, but the great thing about OOTP is you can always go back and start a new league once you get more comfortable with all the settings and little quirks the game has.

[Syd Thrift]

Originally Posted by DHangelfan

Another idea boys. Since I can't have my new draftees play MiLB ball right now, on account of my teams not playing, have about I bring these 17 year olds up for a trial by fire?

I can always send them back down, I guess.

If you bring up players who aren't ready for their level, you can stunt their development. That applies doubly to the major leagues.

[DHangelfan]

Originally Posted by Syd Thrift

If you bring up players who aren't ready for their level, you can stunt their development. That applies doubly to the major leagues.

Woops. Well, I just traumatized a high school kid.

[DHangelfan]

Originally Posted by ohiodevil

If your minor league teams are not playing, sounds like you did not regenerate the schedule for the minor leagues. When did you expand the league? If you did this just after starting a new game, then that would be the cause of those schedules not being made for your minor league teams.

Best practice has been sim the first season (so in this case, sim the 2020 season) and then do the league expansion on the first day of the offseason. This way you would be able to participate in real free agency and make sure that all the leagues are set up the way you want.

As for your finance issue, are you playing in commissioner mode? It will allow you to go over budget. And if I recall, the devs purposely have expansion teams have lower budgets so they do not go out and sign all the big time free agents when they first start out. Over time your owner will give you a bigger budget.

Wait, I have to tell it to generate schedules?!

You're joking.

[mgom27]

You can Trade Draft Picks in Game.

[ohiodevil]

Originally Posted by DHangelfan

Wait, I have to tell it to generate schedules?!

You're joking.

This was why I asked when you expanded your league. Did you do it before you started the 2020 season using the standard roster set or did you do it later? The game comes with the real schedules from each league, and if you expanded before the 2020 season, it has no idea that there are new teams so it probably has continued to use that same schedule (for minors) every year after. So if your AAA team is in the IL for example, go to the League Structure setting for the IL and click on Generate Schedule and it will take care of it...and then do this after each season is finished. But make sure not to do this until the season is over.

These are the little quirks that still need to be worked out, but there are work arounds to them....not ideal but they work. I thought there was an Expansion tutorial post some where on the boards that should probably be added to the manual or made "Sticky" in the New To Game forum.

[progen]

This is generally the only way I play the game. But I always sim at least 5-8 seasons to build up some history, then I add two expansion teams. Almost always the Montreal Expos in the NL East, and the Mexico City Diablos in the AL West.

I then have the expansion draft, which usually takes place right around free agency in November. Depending on my mood, I may do as little as 35 rounds, sometimes up to 50. Regardless, after that I look at free agents, and then Rule V draft for players to be at the MLB level. The other part of course, is if you want to fill all your farm systems right away. I generally don't do that. At the AAA and AA level, I'll have a dozen or so, more in AAA. Doesn't much matter to me on the lower levels the first year or two. They will be filled by my draft choices through the years, and other youngsters I sign. Not sure if this helps, but just the way I play the game.

And the game will automatically add minor league teams to your parent team.

[jimmysthebestcop]

Originally Posted by ohiodevil

This was why I asked when you expanded your league. Did you do it before you started the 2020 season using the standard roster set or did you do it later? The game comes with the real schedules from each league, and if you expanded before the 2020 season, it has no idea that there are new teams so it probably has continued to use that same schedule (for minors) every year after. So if your AAA team is in the IL for example, go to the League Structure setting for the IL and click on Generate Schedule and it will take care of it...and then do this after each season is finished. But make sure not to do this until the season is over.

These are the little quirks that still need to be worked out, but there are work arounds to them....not ideal but they work. I thought there was an Expansion tutorial post some where on the boards that should probably be added to the manual or made "Sticky" in the New To Game forum.

Yup nailed it. Expansion team before you play out the 1st season in a default setup is bad news bears too many weird glitches. It should really be greyed out or prompt saying you need to sim 1 year first.

It's an offseason move. Just like you can't add another league. The default starts opening day regular season and not in the offseason.

[Leo_The_Lip]

Originally Posted by jimmysthebestcop

Yup nailed it. Expansion team before you play out the 1st season in a default setup is bad news bears too many weird glitches. It should really be greyed out or prompt saying you need to sim 1 year first.

It's an offseason move. Just like you can't add another league. The default starts opening day regular season and not in the offseason.

Allow me to verify this. If you expand before the 2020 season starts, your expansion level minor league teams will NOT have schedules--until 2021.

So simming a few seasons and then expanding is the way to go.

Also, there is nothing you can do to be competitive (except for cheating) in the first season or two of an expansion franchise. Check out the entire history of expansion teams if you doubt that.

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by Leo_The_Lip

Also, there is nothing you can do to be competitive (except for cheating) in the first season or two of an expansion franchise. Check out the entire history of expansion teams if you doubt that.

This is not true

First, one can't "cheat" in their own game

Second, one could, for example, decrease the number of players a team is allowed to protect. This would give the expansion teams access to better players, while also weakening the existing teams - making expansion teams more competitive.

[DHangelfan]

Originally Posted by ohiodevil

This was why I asked when you expanded your league. Did you do it before you started the 2020 season using the standard roster set or did you do it later? The game comes with the real schedules from each league, and if you expanded before the 2020 season, it has no idea that there are new teams so it probably has continued to use that same schedule (for minors) every year after. So if your AAA team is in the IL for example, go to the League Structure setting for the IL and click on Generate Schedule and it will take care of it...and then do this after each season is finished. But make sure not to do this until the season is over.

These are the little quirks that still need to be worked out, but there are work arounds to them....not ideal but they work. I thought there was an Expansion tutorial post some where on the boards that should probably be added to the manual or made "Sticky" in the New To Game forum.

I'll check, but thank you! I was working yesterday, but I'll play around with it today and see how it works.

I appreciate the advice!

I'm fairly certain I started with the regular settings, so it didn't generate me an MiLB schedule for my teams. Which didn't have players even at the start.

But, never to fear, I'll experiment and see what's up.

Thanks!

EDIT: By the way, what're the odds my owner fires me for setting the modern single season loss record? lol

[DHangelfan]

Originally Posted by progen

This is generally the only way I play the game. But I always sim at least 5-8 seasons to build up some history, then I add two expansion teams. Almost always the Montreal Expos in the NL East, and the Mexico City Diablos in the AL West.

I then have the expansion draft, which usually takes place right around free agency in November. Depending on my mood, I may do as little as 35 rounds, sometimes up to 50. Regardless, after that I look at free agents, and then Rule V draft for players to be at the MLB level. The other part of course, is if you want to fill all your farm systems right away. I generally don't do that. At the AAA and AA level, I'll have a dozen or so, more in AAA. Doesn't much matter to me on the lower levels the first year or two. They will be filled by my draft choices through the years, and other youngsters I sign. Not sure if this helps, but just the way I play the game.

And the game will automatically add minor league teams to your parent team.

Thanks! I'm curious what realistic settings would be.

Do you have to manually generate your MiLB schedules every season?

[progen]

Originally Posted by DHangelfan

Thanks! I'm curious what realistic settings would be.

Do you have to manually generate your MiLB schedules every season?

No, the game will generate the minor league schedules. At least, I've never had an issue with that.