THE OFF-SEASONThe four months between the World Series and Spring Training are some of the busiest for General Managers. EXPIRING CONTRACTS After the World Series ends, you can use the Summary Page to view your Top 5 Expiring Contracts (note that players who are eligible for Arbitration are also included on this list). To Negotiate a Contract Extension, click on a player's name to open their Scouting Report and click the "Negotiate" button (if this button is grayed out, the player is under contract for at least one more year). If you are unable to come to an agreement with a player that is listed as "Eligible for Arbitration", you will still be allowed to go to Arbitration instead of releasing the player from your team. Once you have renewed any contracts you would like to renew, choose "Play Until Free Agent Period" from the Play Menu. This will also automatically bring up the Arbitration Dialog for every player on your team that is eligible for arbitration. FREE AGENTS Use the Free Agent Dialog to see a list of available free agents. Like the Roster Dialog, the Free Agent Dialog lets you sort players by over 100 different stats. Click the top of any stat column to sort by that stat. Right-click on the list of players for a menu that changes the stats displayed. Selecting a player will update the "Rumor Mill" at the bottom of the Free Agent Dialog to let you know if any player is close to signing a deal with another team. As time passes during the off-season, players will lower their asking price until they are signed by a team. If you would like to test your luck, use the Play Menu to simulate part of the off-season (such as one month). Then return to the Free Agent Dialog to see which players are still available. Use the Play Menu to advance the calendar through the off-season until Spring Training. |
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