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Post by David_ExposGM on Apr 16, 2018 6:23:29 GMT -5
One additional note before we get the new season underway. I again had a player that, to this point, had big potential, drop completely off the map. He is now just taking up space and likely will be among the first to be DFA'd should something better (internally or externally) need a spot. Another of the thing I did this off-season, was take some of my budget and divert a little more to player development. I am hoping that will allow the overall to catch up with the potential on this team filled with it. Because apparently when you get near the age of 29/30, if you haven't developed, you face the fate seen above. This is the Expos plight. Waiting on potential. And yes, I realize watching the "stars" is not the be all/end all when evaluating a player and your roster, but I do use it as an overall snapshot of where most player are at the moment and tend to hold the ones that have the upside, all other things (like performance) being equal. This dude just seemed to pass his "best before" date when the calendar clicked over to 2046. Too bad!
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Post by David_ExposGM on Apr 16, 2018 6:36:47 GMT -5
Oh, and then there is this... The predictions always reflect the "Pre-Season" rosters of course, but these are interesting. PIT is no surprise and will again be the team to beat. PHIL had a very off year this past season. To rebound with 78 wins would be a pretty solid season. MTL is "better", but even with 75 wins I would remain disappointed in our 2046 season. I have long targeted .500 and feel better this year, than any other, about actually having a chance to attain that goal. NYM will need counselling if they are looking up at the rest of the NL East at ANY point this coming season. Poor Fin!
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Post by BlueJaysGM_Fin on Apr 16, 2018 7:23:33 GMT -5
Oh, and then there is this... The predictions always reflect the "Pre-Season" rosters of course, but these are interesting. PIT is no surprise and will again be the team to beat. PHIL had a very off year this past season. To rebound with 78 wins would be a pretty solid season. MTL is "better", but even with 75 wins I would remain disappointed in our 2046 season. I have long targeted .500 and feel better this year, than any other, about actually having a chance to attain that goal. NYM will need counselling if they are looking up at the rest of the NL East at ANY point this coming season. Poor Fin! hahaa. Nothing to see here, move right along. lol Every start of a season i go in thinking I have a good team, and every season i say to myself 'It's baseball, so don't be surprised if you end up last, you shmuck'. Maybe this is the year? lol Good luck to you, David!
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Post by David_ExposGM on Jun 9, 2018 11:49:56 GMT -5
HUGE NEWS in Montreal!
The Expos have been sold!
After many years of my trying to show him a profit, and finally doing so over the past couple, Russell Knight Jr. has sold dad's team to a new owner, Francisco Gonzalez 48.
The key take-aways:
- He starts as "Ecstatic!" I hope that serves me well in the short-term?
- Already he has added money to the team, taking the budget from $70M to $78M, which gives me a little more to play with as we continue to build a team for Montreal.
- I am a little apprehensive about the "Involvement" quality being "Meddling"! I have seen these types do some odd things in the past. Hopefully he will let me do my thing, but I will have to be prepared for "input"?!?
Here's the situation as we enter the off-season (with more to come as we move along to 2047).
As we years past, the owner has chosen to take a substantial chunk of the money (totally his right to do so) generated in Montreal, now that there is a bit more. I like to think this was Knight Jr. taking his last kick at the profit can. That's the RED number above.
The pleasant surprise in all of this is the top number. The fact we now have $78M to utilize in building this team is huge. YES, our budget is STILL lowest in PBL - Ugh (tied with Toronto - baseball in Canada is tough) - but at least we have taken a step in a positive direction!
And if you care to compare to your own situation, that leaves us a budget of $9.8M with which to work. Again, while it's certainly not big bucks, it is very positive. I plan to use it wisely.
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Post by BlueJaysGM_Fin on Jun 10, 2018 19:45:36 GMT -5
Oh, and then there is this... The predictions always reflect the "Pre-Season" rosters of course, but these are interesting. PIT is no surprise and will again be the team to beat. PHIL had a very off year this past season. To rebound with 78 wins would be a pretty solid season. MTL is "better", but even with 75 wins I would remain disappointed in our 2046 season. I have long targeted .500 and feel better this year, than any other, about actually having a chance to attain that goal. NYM will need counselling if they are looking up at the rest of the NL East at ANY point this coming season. Poor Fin! Just another ho-hum reason not to buy into the 'Pre-season Predictions'. Finished with 94 wins.
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Post by David_ExposGM on Jun 10, 2018 20:24:59 GMT -5
Oh, and then there is this... MTL is "better", but even with 75 wins I would remain disappointed in our 2046 season. I have long targeted .500 and feel better this year, than any other, about actually having a chance to attain that goal. Just another ho-hum reason not to buy into the 'Pre-season Predictions'. Finished with 94 wins.
I actually try and take inspiration from them (at this point). I only managed 71 Wins! Grrrr...
We are, after all, on the opposite ends of the spectrum (at the moment).
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Post by BlueJaysGM_Fin on Jun 10, 2018 20:30:41 GMT -5
Just another ho-hum reason not to buy into the 'Pre-season Predictions'. Finished with 94 wins.
I actually try and take inspiration from them (at this point). I only managed 71 Wins! Grrrr...
We are, after all, on the opposite ends of the spectrum (at the moment).
You have already proven your chops as a great GM, with turning the Angels into a top contending club. I have no doubt you will do the same in Montreal.
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Post by David_ExposGM on Jul 5, 2018 6:39:17 GMT -5
Thought it would be a great time to provide a little update about the Montreal franchise.
We are now into Spring Training 2047, when the thoughts again turn to:
Winning the Division! A berth in the Wild Card.
A winning record. OK, not losing 100 games again...
The big off-season news was the new team owner. As I mentioned in the previous update, he does come with the "Meddling" trait and it's a little frightening that, at age 48, he may "meddle" for some time. On a team that is desperately trying to get it's head above the financial waters, I hope that does not cause us any hardship. We'll see. And do NOT worry, the minute I see any "meddling" I will provide a specific update of how, when and a guess at why, it occurred.
The one thing the new, young, owner has in common with my previous owner is frugality.
I liked to think that my previous owner was simply tired of losing money hand over first, year after year, and keep taking his share once we achieved some level of annual profitability. I believe the attached numbers are those of the previous owner, but you can clearly see what we are up against in Montreal, still.
While we brought forward just over $11M from last season, no small feat given the money we're working with as a "tied for lowest" budget team, and we received a pretty decent level of revenue sharing support of $4.7M, the previous owner took his last kick at the can before selling, byt liberating just under $11M.
That leaves me with a starting balance of just over $5M to play with this season. It's not much, but at least it's a GREEN number and that bodes well for the new year.
While I am not a fan of the new owner already scheduled to take out almost $20M, if we can perform on the field and start to win a little bit more, maybe things will finally start to turn for us. What is not seen (and it's REALLY early), is the fact that the Expos project budgets of $84M and $87M in the next two years!
I have been excited before at the prospect of seeing my budget increase year-over-year and I am usually disappointed by the end of the season, as the projection narrows and eventually ends up just being an extension of the current year, but not since I arrive here have I seen those kinds of numbers (and yes, I can hear the chuckles from afar, from the the EIGHT teams that have in excess of $200M budgeted for this season).
Again, if we can assemble a team that will win more consistently, maybe good things are about to happen? Small steps!
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Post by Commish_Ron on Jul 5, 2018 11:55:41 GMT -5
I have some theories with handling budgets with frugal owners. Curious to hear how they mesh with yours.
It seems that budgets are tied more closely to revenue than anything else. While I do think a frugal owner will slow down budget increases to some degree I think the more significant number is revenue. So wins always matter, ticket sales always matter.
The largest impact of a frugal owner seems to be starting cash. PBL allows a max cash carry over, but a frugal owner will cut you off well lower. To me, money back to the owner is a wasted resource. Might as well set barrels of cash on fire. It does not seem to have any impact on an owner's mood or budget.
If my theories are correct, a common "mistake" I see many rebuilding teams make is to cut their spending to almost zero and allow the owner to pocket huge sums of cash. With small market, frugal owner teams I attempt to balance the budget as close to zero as possible while still staying in the green. A perfect season to me is revenue about $2 million over expenses. I invest heavily in player development and scouting and if I have any funds left I love to spend on veteran free agents that will accept short term contracts. Especially ones that provide leadership to control the locker room or popularity to put butts in the seat.
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Post by David_ExposGM on Jul 12, 2018 7:12:01 GMT -5
2047 - The Next Level Expos!
Let's see if we can kick this up a notch in 2047. After what seems like years and years of scrimping, saving, economizing and rebuilding, I really and truly hope we can take things to another level this season in Montreal.
In the off-season I was asked about: SP Theron LAW SP Dennis MEYER
CL Charlie ARENAS 3B/SS Michael FLAGELL * And there were some other discussions (more me trying to package a few of my youngsters into something - more to clear some 40Man space as it gets a little crowded as everyone develops, to whatever degree, at about the same time. I consider it, finally, a good problem to have.
My answer, in each case, was that it was time to see if we could win more than we lose and not continue the endless cycle of rebuilding by moving good young talent for good, even younger talent, that will not get us to where we want to be for yet another season or two. We'll see if my thought process pays off?
I talked a lot about my "Owner" in the last update and I certainly don't want to focus on him again as you might feel I am a little obsessed with that facet of the game. I like the dynamic, but will instead focus on finances this time around.
It would be GREAT to have stacks of cash with which to play in the off-season or even during the season. THAT is not in the cards in Montreal. I have mentioned before (not complaining, just citing the obvious) that we are a budget team/market.
Here's what we are perpetually up against, for the time being, in Montreal.
Our budget is $78M, which, as you can see, ties us with the Toronto Blue Jays as the lowest in PBL. Baseball north of the border is tough in 2047 it would seem. That is a number that we "hope" we can try and manipulate over the coming seasons, but it has basically hovered around that number for years now.
The other key factors in our market - size, fan loyalty and interest. These numbers are a little tougher to move (but related).
The market size will hopefully expand over time, but that will be the slowest progression of course. I have seen worse. In fact I have managed in worse, having had a franchise in a "TINY" market (which I think is about as low as one can go in OOTP). But I expect very slow progress in this area. Count yourself LUCKY if you have an Astronomical (or even Big) market!
Fan loyalty will come with some sustained success. Again, I hope we will make some progress in this area this season. If we can finally get past the .500 threshold, then maybe this will start to climb?
Fan interest is also related to winning, but I also went out of my way to sign some players that would hopefully give us a boost in this factor (popular and more, captains, etc.). So far, not much of one. Winning will hopefully magnify the effect over time.
And, not afraid to reveal the finances of our squad (to also show the challenge of spreading what little money we have effectively), here's our outlook for the season, with some key focal points highlighted.
A quick summary of the yellow squares top to bottom.
Budget of course, as shown earlier.
As you can see we carried some money into the current season and benefited from some revenue sharing money (again). Our owner - and, like I mentioned in the last post, I think is the last gasp of the last dude - took out some funds and then sold the team. I really hope this is less of a factor going forward as it frankly did not matter how much money I did or did not have, the bank account seemed wiped out each season.
That leaves us with a starting balance of just under $10M as seen.
Outside of young, and/or budget, players (and a scout) how I choose to spread around my money for this season is seen in the third box down. Modest scouting (I still question the value, but...), some money with which to draft as we will still draft pretty high, and then some development money.
I put as much as I felt I could into development, to continue to give my young talent a boost, but also leave a cushion so that I would both be profitable and have some cash in case an opportunity presents itself, to sign an upgrade or pick one off the waiver wire.
I enter this 2047 season showing profit once again. Not quite as much as last season, but profit!
Let's hope that WINNING a few more games is the end product of what I have done this off-season (and the past few). We are excited about the new baseball season in Montreal.
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Post by Sean_RedsGM on Jul 12, 2018 8:24:28 GMT -5
I think you're focusing too heavily on profit.
Yes, making a profit is a good thing. However, it looks like you left $11 mil or more unused from your budget last season. So basically you threw that money away.
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Post by David_ExposGM on Jul 12, 2018 8:45:29 GMT -5
I think you're focusing too heavily on profit. Yes, making a profit is a good thing. However, it looks like you left $11 mil or more unused from your budget last season. So basically you threw that money away. Where do you see that number Sean? Please explain. While I am highlighting the finanacials with the post, I am simply trying to be green so that my budget actually goes up. In past, being red has caused it to drop and/or remain the same. My other focus, as mentioned, is actually trying to win more (with the resources I have). Hope that comes around this season and all things finally start to rise!
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Post by BlueJaysGM_Fin on Jul 12, 2018 10:50:23 GMT -5
2047 - The Next Level Expos!
Let's see if we can kick this up a notch in 2047. After what seems like years and years of scrimping, saving, economizing and rebuilding, I really and truly hope we can take things to another level this season in Montreal.
In the off-season I was asked about: SP Theron LAW SP Dennis MEYER
CL Charlie ARENAS 3B/SS Michael FLAGELL * And there were some other discussions (more me trying to package a few of my youngsters into something - more to clear some 40Man space as it gets a little crowded as everyone develops, to whatever degree, at about the same time. I consider it, finally, a good problem to have.
My answer, in each case, was that it was time to see if we could win more than we lose and not continue the endless cycle of rebuilding by moving good young talent for good, even younger talent, that will not get us to where we want to be for yet another season or two. We'll see if my thought process pays off?
I talked a lot about my "Owner" in the last update and I certainly don't want to focus on him again as you might feel I am a little obsessed with that facet of the game. I like the dynamic, but will instead focus on finances this time around.
It would be GREAT to have stacks of cash with which to play in the off-season or even during the season. THAT is not in the cards in Montreal. I have mentioned before (not complaining, just citing the obvious) that we are a budget team/market.
Here's what we are perpetually up against, for the time being, in Montreal.
Our budget is $78M, which, as you can see, ties us with the Toronto Blue Jays as the lowest in PBL. Baseball north of the border is tough in 2047 it would seem. That is a number that we "hope" we can try and manipulate over the coming seasons, but it has basically hovered around that number for years now.
The other key factors in our market - size, fan loyalty and interest. These numbers are a little tougher to move (but related).
The market size will hopefully expand over time, but that will be the slowest progression of course. I have seen worse. In fact I have managed in worse, having had a franchise in a "TINY" market (which I think is about as low as one can go in OOTP). But I expect very slow progress in this area. Count yourself LUCKY if you have an Astronomical (or even Big) market!
Fan loyalty will come with some sustained success. Again, I hope we will make some progress in this area this season. If we can finally get past the .500 threshold, then maybe this will start to climb?
Fan interest is also related to winning, but I also went out of my way to sign some players that would hopefully give us a boost in this factor (popular and more, captains, etc.). So far, not much of one. Winning will hopefully magnify the effect over time.
And, not afraid to reveal the finances of our squad (to also show the challenge of spreading what little money we have effectively), here's our outlook for the season, with some key focal points highlighted.
A quick summary of the yellow squares top to bottom.
Budget of course, as shown earlier.
As you can see we carried some money into the current season and benefited from some revenue sharing money (again). Our owner - and, like I mentioned in the last post, I think is the last gasp of the last dude - took out some funds and then sold the team. I really hope this is less of a factor going forward as it frankly did not matter how much money I did or did not have, the bank account seemed wiped out each season.
That leaves us with a starting balance of just under $10M as seen.
Outside of young, and/or budget, players (and a scout) how I choose to spread around my money for this season is seen in the third box down. Modest scouting (I still question the value, but...), some money with which to draft as we will still draft pretty high, and then some development money.
I put as much as I felt I could into development, to continue to give my young talent a boost, but also leave a cushion so that I would both be profitable and have some cash in case an opportunity presents itself, to sign an upgrade or pick one off the waiver wire.
I enter this 2047 season showing profit once again. Not quite as much as last season, but profit!
Let's hope that WINNING a few more games is the end product of what I have done this off-season (and the past few). We are excited about the new baseball season in Montreal.
I'm going to say what you shared last year, with me. Let's hope the Pre-season predictions are wrong for your club! statsplus.net/paramount/reports/news/html/leagues/league_100_preseason_prediction_report.html
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Post by David_ExposGM on Jul 12, 2018 10:58:18 GMT -5
Eeek... Didn't think to look at those predictions. I may need to edit my last post! Maybe I am more suited for a "Short-A" position?
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Post by Sean_RedsGM on Jul 12, 2018 14:55:54 GMT -5
I think you're focusing too heavily on profit. Yes, making a profit is a good thing. However, it looks like you left $11 mil or more unused from your budget last season. So basically you threw that money away. Where do you see that number Sean? Please explain. While I am highlighting the finanacials with the post, I am simply trying to be green so that my budget actually goes up. In past, being red has caused it to drop and/or remain the same. My other focus, as mentioned, is actually trying to win more (with the resources I have). Hope that comes around this season and all things finally start to rise! Last year your budget was $70 mil. You had $54 mil in expenses, and generated $75 mil in revenue. So budget wise, it appears you didn't spend roughly $15 mil that your owner allocated for you to spend. Then, you made a $5 mil profit so you ended the year with $20 mil in cash. Owner then takes his cut to knock it back down to $10 mil of starting cash or whatever. So the point I'm making is that you're kind of shooting yourself in the foot, because your owner is seeing money not being spent.
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