Simulated third base acquisition
I tried to formulate a mock deal for Starling Marte and made what I considered a fair offer based on the team’s simulated ask. Marte is 31 with two years of control, and the Pirates simulated GM asked for a Major League-ready pitcher and a catcher.
Initially, I offered Touki Toussaint. John Ryan Murphy and Alex Jackson. He said he was intrigued by the offer but had much better offers from the Phillies and Mets simulated GMs. I took that to mean a second pitcher, but the trade looked like becoming a blind bidding contest, and I moved on. He received four minor league prospects from the Phillies and sent the $2M.
I tried hard to get the Marlins to talk about a simulated deal for Brian Anderson. I made two offers, but they refused to deal without being blown away. I decided I was out of wind, and contact the Royals sim-GM about Hunter Dozier, he rebuffed a well above value offer and an invitation to tell me what he wanted.
I discussed Eduardo Escobar with the Diamondbacks, but the simulated GM wanted Ender Inciarte, and at the time, I still lacked an outfielder to back up in center field if I moved Inciarte.
I believed the Josh Donaldson bidding war would escalate, so I stayed out of it and placed a two-year $13M simulated bid for Didi Gregorius to play third. That looked like being the answer until I saw my offers for TOR starters vanish into idiocy; more on that another time. This morning the Donaldson bidding seemed stuck at a simulated two years and $40M. I used the freed-up cash to bid four years and 88M
I felt pretty safe at that level; then, the other bidder tried to sneak in-front at the wire. I had one chance to bid, and even then, he could counter, but I wanted JD at this point and offered a simulated four years at $25M and won.