Get the ASB 2005 Trade & Prospect Trailers off WP (6/7mb)

Arbitration/Free Agency

Baseball doesn't end once the season is over.... it is only the beginning.

One of the most important aspects of All-Star Baseball is free agency. You have the opportunity to re-sign players from your club or look to replace them with the best available free agent talent in the league. Keep in mind that if you look outside of your team's players first, when you come back, they might have been signed out from under you. View what the player wants, make your offer, and try to negotiate a deal. If you don't want your player to reach free agency, then be sure to check his contract status before the off-season and try to hammer out a deal before it's too late.

You will also notice that some of your free agents are arbitration-eligible. This can be a great way to keep a player on your squad for one more year without having to negotiate a long-term contract. You'll see the number of points the player is asking for, and you can counter that offer with what you think the player is worth. The fate of the deal is then placed in the hands of an arbitrator, who views the player's performance and makes the final decision.

Future Prospects

There are two ways of checking the stars of tomorrow through out the league. The prospect book contains lists of the best prospects in the game, both on your team and others. Players are broken down into lists of top prospects in both the high and low minors, as well as by position and organization.

The prospects in the book are just names on paper.... if you want to see them in action, make sure to play the Future's Game during the All-Star Weekend. Here you can test that young gun from your minors against the best up and coming players, and also scout players who might become the future cornerstones of your organization through trades and free agency.

Trading Players

There's two ways to trade players in All-Star Baseball during franchise play. The first is the "Trade Players" option in the GM Office, where you can propose trades for specific players. You can trade any combination of players, up to 3 per team. Things to keep in mind are roster integrity and available points.

You can also trade players via the "Trading Block". Here you can put players on the block, and see what offers other teams bring to the table. You can search available positions, experience levels, and salary values. This can be a great way of rebuilding your team with young talent or seasoned veterans... don't forget to watch those salary points and that players with 10/5 status have the option of rejecting the trade.

Related articles, Click here!