Quote Originally Posted by Fritz View Post
So for a simplistic financial conservative like me, roster bonus = good because you're not living on credit, and signing bonuses pushed ahead = bad because then in 2026 you're paying for something that you bought in 2022 that you may not even have any more.

Simplistic, I know. But you helped me understand the concepts, so thank you.
True, but in the short term, there is benefit - just like buying a house or car to use your credit analogy. Is it a good thing to have to walk or ride a bicycle until you can pay cash for a car?

And consequences? Yes, but ...... You can count on the cap going up, which enables if not cooking it per se, pushing things on down the road over and over and over, and benefiting every step of the way. The consequence might be not being able to afford quite as much as some other team for a free agent, but going overboard like that might be overpaying and not wise anyway. The successful teams generally push the cap to near the limit and are generally glad they did.