57.3- My FA Forecast

[chicoruiz]

I've been at this point many times before. The stages of the free agency process are familiar to me. Here's what's gonna happen in each sim:

Arb-FA Filing Sim- I make what I consider generous offers to a number of fine players. I walk around whistling a happy tune till the next sim, thinking about how these guys are really going to help my team take a step forward.

FA Sim #1- (crickets)... Hey, those offers went through, didn't they?

FA Sim #2- (more crickets)... A few unimportant "Minor League Helper" free agents may come sheepishly into the fold.

Winter Meetings/Rule 5/FA Sim #3- The major free agents I've made offers to either make outlandish counter-demands or show up in the forums "league chatter" as having signed with someone else. I try to convince myself that the guys I took in Rule 5 are difference-makers.

FA Sim #4- I make the annual decision: Overpay for the second-rate talent that's still out there, or dumpster dive for a couple of cheapos I can at least dream on.

And yet, I still feel the euphoria I always feel at this point. Maybe this time I'll be able to sign the guys I want to sign. I'm sure Wile E. Coyote always feels like this time is the time he'll catch the Road Runner, too...

[Jwalk100]

Don't we all do this?

[trmmilwwi]

Kinda feels like groundhog day.

[Trebro]

I feel you. I'll add one more: last sim before spring training where i inevitably wait too long to try to sign a guy when I really did have the money so now its on to Plan C. I have really gotta stop doing that.