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michaeltodd2
Joined: 02/20/2018
Posts: 325

Paradise Valley Cubs
III.3

Broken Bat Baseball
I'm kinda stuck, so to speak. I got a team with plenty of decent expensive older bats, middle fielding, and crappy pitching. I'm all full up with fifty players so practically every week i gotta make an important decision as to who do i drop so i can draft a new player. Long term, i know i need to drop some of my more expensive older batters, but these guys are still producing well for me so it's difficult to decide who to let go. I need to drop 1 or 2 of my five best batters with the highest salaries, they are ID#'s 125341, 119472, 134274, 107242, 118121, 149816 and my highest paid pitcher is # 102498,though i'm loathe to drop my pitcher because my pitching is what i'm primarily trying to fix. What 2 players would you drop to make room and even more importantly bring my player salary down? Of course, any overall observations would be appreciated...thank you.
Haselrig
Joined: 04/13/2014
Posts: 2790

Novi Doubledays
IV.8

Broken Bat Baseball
I guess my question would be: why are you using so many older players in LL6?
michaeltodd2
Joined: 02/20/2018
Posts: 325

Paradise Valley Cubs
III.3

Broken Bat Baseball
Yes, i need to cut some as my younger players come up into the majors...who would you cut?
Haselrig
Joined: 04/13/2014
Posts: 2790

Novi Doubledays
IV.8

Broken Bat Baseball
Honestly? If I was in LL6 again, I wouldn't have anybody over 25 on my roster. Winning with veterans at that level is a bit like a sugar high. Eventually, you're going to crash.

If you're a patient person and you expect to be playing this game years from now, I'd suggest building a winner through your minors. Any success you have will be sustainable and you'll be able to continuously add young talent as your guys age and drop off.
Longviewess
Joined: 09/23/2018
Posts: 111

Frederick Keys
IV.5

Broken Bat Baseball
While that is true, the amount of loosing games that path takes will often drive new players/managers away. Most people won't stick around if they have to lose 90+ games for 4-5 seasons before they see any return and can start being competitive.
Haselrig
Joined: 04/13/2014
Posts: 2790

Novi Doubledays
IV.8

Broken Bat Baseball
Yep. That's why I suggested that road if the player is patient and wants to win long-term. It takes persistence to build a perennial winner.

I started by doing the expensive vets thing myself. It's just as frustrating to try to win with players who are aging.
hurstdm
Joined: 01/18/2017
Posts: 576

Inactive

Broken Bat Baseball
I respectfully disagree with the vets thing. Find the best players you can and play them. My farm system was fairly dry when I took over, so I've used SO many geriatric veterans working my way up from VI to III. Teams toss out a lot of 33-35 year olds who are still perfectly capable of giving you a season or two. There's always more of them next year too. You've just got to dig for them in the Free Agent and Waiver market. The Moo Cows are the last hoorah for a lot of old guys.

As for expense, cut the $$$$$ guys and search for someone with similar talent for $. But the cost/benefit analysis can be tough.
amalric7
Joined: 01/20/2016
Posts: 2235

New York Lancers
IV.2

Broken Bat Baseball
@hurstdm - Well I'll respectfully disagree with you. ;)

I think you're the exception, not the rule. Most of us have tried expensive vets at some point, and while it can work for a short time it isn't going to work forever (and feel free to prove me wrong). It took me eight seasons before I promoted out of LLV (for the third time) and didn't drop back down, because I kept trying vets...partly out of choice, and partly out of need. Once I'd built up a decent team through the draft, waivers and free agency - concentrating on players 25 and under for the most part - I kept on climbing. I can still take on a vet when I feel like it, but they're not the heart of my team.

Back to the OP - @Haselrig hit the nail on the head. You played .500 ball at the lowest level in a division with three bots (Riverside's owner just moved but New Braunfels were a bot most of the season). If that doesn't scream "rebuild" nothing does. What are your finances like with all those big salaries (for your level)? I also wouldn't have anyone over age 26-27, allowing for some late developing players to catch fire.

And I'm not on board with 4-5 seasons to turn things around. You should be able to start winning at that level by your second or third season. Building a team is what the game is all about, winning shouldn't be a given, even with all the help and guidance provided in these forums.
dsz071
Joined: 09/12/2015
Posts: 334

Inactive

Broken Bat Baseball
Not that my opinion matters all that much, I've never been above LLIV, and that was back in 2033 with my original team. But I tend to agree with the "go as young as you can in LLVI" group. In my experience with both teams I've had, especially with this one now that I have a BIT more of an idea on what I'm doing, I dumped all the older guys right away but I still had/have to fill holes. Unless I'm doing it completely wrong, it's damn hard to field a winning, sustainable roster. I have never had the best skill/luck/whatever with drafting pitchers so there are always holes for me to fill until my young pitchers come around. I'm starting to wonder if my current group of young pitchers ever will but that's another story. Sorry, didn't mean to ramble so much. Go young as much as you can!
repoman
Joined: 10/09/2017
Posts: 30

Largo Tornados
VI.3

Broken Bat Baseball
It can be done. I'm just here to take on teams down the bottom of the rankings and turn them around over one season. It's a simple process - get a young, cheap, developmental manager to begin; then bring in young players who will only get better or under-developed 26-28 year olds who need as much playing time as they can get.

So far I've done this:-

2034: Corona Condors. The next owner dumped the manager, who now manages in Legends for Waterloo. Can't control everything.
2035-36: Anchorage Aliens. This was one of the worst franchises in the game for a long, long time so took a bit more work. Promoted 2039.
2037-38: Bentonville Raptors. Promoted 2039.
2039: Riverside Highlanders, up against the team in the OP. Know which one I'd rather own at this point given the choice.

And now Longmont, the current second-worst team in the game. You'll see the same process in each case, and although pitching gets harder and harder to improve each time its easy to find better players than these teams had when I took them on - just look at Longmont, a complete roster overhaul bar two decent prospects who may have stunted anyway, given this team had no manager for the previous three seasons!


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