POST-SEASON EVENTS Part 2 : SEASON WRAPUP
The final thing I will do at the end of the season is what I call my season wrapup. This is the time to take a close look at two different things: major league players that will be free agents and minor leaguers that may need to be added to your 40 man roster to keep them from becoming 6 year minor league free agents.
For my major league team, I check on anyone that is scheduled to be a free agent next season. This is done easily on the Free Agency page by just selecting your franchise and putting the season on next year. I then determine whether or not I want to sign any of these guys to a contract extension right now. There are a few things to keep in mind. First, you don't know at this point if the guy will be a Type A or Type B free agent, so if you decide to let him go hoping for extra draft picks, it is a bit of a crapshoot. The higher his overall rating though, the better chance you have to get those picks.
Second, even if you are certain to get draft picks - would you be better off resigning him and trying to trade him at the start of next season? I have done this a few times and sometimes it comes back to bite you if you cannot move the guy.
Third, what ratings increase/decrease will the guy have in the offseason? I had a 36 year old pitcher on one team that wanted over 8 million. I decided to let him go and sure enough his overall rating took a major offseason hit and at the start of the following season his free agency demand was down to 3 million, a number I was willing to pay him.
Finally, if the guy's overall rating is in the 70s or higher, he will probably refuse to negotiate with you the following season during the preseason day where you negotiate with your own free agents. But you can sign him now, at the end of the season. And you may even be able to get him for just a one year extension as long as his demand for a single year is met. Remember - just because a guy wants a 4 year deal doesnt mean you have to offer him 4. You can offer 1, 2, 3, or even 5 if you want. For the most part, if you give him what he wants for his yearly salary, he will take the deal. EDIT: This is no longer true due to a change by Sitestaff (which I was a part of bringing about -- sorry!). Now, if you want him for less years than he demands, you must up the per-season money.
Once I am done with my major league free agents, I turn my attention to the minors. I am looking here for anyone with 5 or more Pro Years (who will be at 6 after rollover). Any of these guys not on the 40 man roster will become 6 year minor league free agents. Therefore, anyone that is a legitimate prospect that could become a free agent gets added to the 40. I normally end up filling out my 40 with borderline prospects until it is full. No sense in risking losing these guys if I have the chance to protect them now. If I dont have enough spots on my 40 for all the guys I want to protect, I start looking for spots to free up, including looking at veteran major leaguers that are under bad contracts that I may have called up to the bigs when rosters expanded. Designate those guys for assignment now instead of after the rollover, and you free a 40 man spot immediately. Also, if you are short on spots, look for any minor leaguers that may be on the 40 but are there "early" -- they are not going to be free agents. They can be removed to give you a spot for the guy you want to protect.
When it comes to putting guys on the 40, I hear a lot about "oh no, you are going to start running his option clock." I have never and probably will never worry about an option clock running. Once the option clock starts running, all it means is that the guy can have a maximum of 3 seasons (or portions of season) on the 40 man roster but not playing on the big league squad. Most prospects will not see the 40 until they have at least 4 years of pro service. Add to that 3 more "option" years and that gives you 7 seasons to get the guy into the big leagues. Anyone that doesn't make the bigs in 7 pro seasons probably never will. And even if you run out of option years, they only need to clear waivers to get sent back to the minors -- and odds are that a guy with 7 pro season who is not good enough for the bigs will either clear waivers or be no big loss if he is claimed.
Once I have my 40 man roster set and all free agents signed, it is simply a matter of sitting back and waiting for the playoffs to end and rollover to come along.
In Cincinnati, my best pitcher, Clarence Smith, is a free agent after the season. While he was decent, he wasn't great and I therefore choose not to resign him. His overall rating is 72, which may net me a Type A or B pick. If it doesn't, I will consider trying to make him an offer on Re-sign free agents day, though at 72 overall he may refuse to talk. He is not so good that I would be upset if I lost him with no compensation, and I don't really want to enter any big contracts so I let him go. All other free agents to be are let go as well.
In the minors, I have 6 or 7 guys that needed to be added to the 40, including a couple of pretty nice looking pitching prospects. Luckily, I have plenty of room and even protect a couple of borderline prospects. With that complete, my season is done and now I just sit back, keep an eye on the Waiver Wire, and wait for the season to end and next season to begin.
As the world is still only in the divisional playoffs round, it may be a while until my next post, so until then, Dr. Johnny Fever will be spinning records with the latest rock and roll hits. Take it away Johnny!