Atlanta Braves attend the FanSided Faux Winter Meetings

PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 21: Pitcher Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants watches from the dugout during the fourth inning of the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 21, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 21: Pitcher Madison Bumgarner #40 of the San Francisco Giants watches from the dugout during the fourth inning of the MLB game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field on June 21, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – OCTOBER 09: Josh Donaldson #20 of the Atlanta Braves hits a solo home run against the St. Louis Cardinals during the fourth inning in game five of the National League Division Series at SunTrust Park on October 09, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

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.

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