Contract extensions not working well

[Ragin Cajun]

Basically, I cannot EVER unoffer anything a player is looking for.

With Mickey Mantle, I offered him a 6 year deal worth 70.8 mill (11.8mill per season). I also had a 2mill potential bonus is he wins the MVP award. He was asking for a 3 year deal at 11.88mill per season.

So, my offer is $80,000 less per year, but can pay him up to an additional $10mill in bonuses over the five years. He turned it down.

It's great that EVERY player has a request but it seems that is a rock solid number as I have yet to get a player to take ANYTHING under their stated number.

[SackAttack]

Are you talking about contracts in general, or specifically extensions?

Contracts, I can get them for under market, but I haven't done much extension work yet.

[Ragin Cajun]

Extensions.

FYI: I thought maybe the he didn't want more than the 3 years he was asking for. So I dropped it to three years he wanted and at a value of 35,350,000; he's asking for 35,190,000. More money than he wants, and he STILL doesn't take it. Argh!

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Ragin Cajun

Extensions.

FYI: I thought maybe the he didn't want more than the 3 years he was asking for. So I dropped it to three years he wanted and at a value of 35,350,000; he's asking for 35,190,000. More money than he wants, and he STILL doesn't take it. Argh!

I've been able to sign players to less than what they were asking, but it all depends on the player. Greed rating plays into it I believe.

As far as your specific offer in your first post, no player in his right mind is going to count bonus as gaurenteed value to the contract. A two million dollar a year bonus for winning the MVP over three years is unrealistic. No matter hwo good the player is, 99% of the time he's not seeing a dime of all of the bonus money. It's out of his control. Players have won the triple crown without being given the MVP before.

You are making a blanket statement that the "value" of the deal is what he's asking for. It isn't. Look at this another way, if you offered that deal and he hit FA and was offered one with the same dollar value as your deal in the contract years as opposed to the bonus, which would he take?

[Raidergoo]

Baseball players like their money guaranteed.

I find bonus money helpful when chasing an FA several teams want and everyone is offering the same package of years/cash.

[Ragin Cajun]

Well, he got 6.4mill in arbitration and missed out on 11+mill per year. So you think that getting 80k less per year but almost 12mill a year is not good enough? He also passed up the offer that was guaranteed MORE than he was asking for.