BTV fans, the time has come to change the way we operate. Beginning in early May, access to our Trade Simulator, Trade Boards, and Comments sections will no longer be free, as in the past (see below for details on why). Instead, we will be introducing a new subscription tier, called Pro, which will enable full access to these site features.

You’ll now have three choices of subscription tiers:

• Pro, which provides access to our Trade Simulator, Trade Boards, and Comments, as well as Articles and Podcasts, for $24.99 per year. (That averages out to a little over $2 per month.)
• Front Office, which offers all the above plus an ad-free experience and several more features, including our Value Matcher and historic trade values, for $39.99 per year (the equivalent of a little over $3 per month).
• GM, which offers all of the above plus future trade values, future free agent values, future extension values, player rankings, team values, and team rankings, for $59.99 per year (the equivalent of about $5 per month).

 

After early May, free content for non-subscribers will be limited to two teams in our simulator (pre-selected), plus Articles and Podcasts.

To ease the transition, we are happy to offer 10% off in May to all new subscribers (to any tier).

Also, beginning in early May, we will be updating our numbers for the first time this season. So if you want to see how the values have changed on all major-league players, you’ll want to subscribe. And because of our recent technology upgrades, we will be updating these values faster and more frequently, so all subscribers will see these updates more often, all through the season.

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As the founder of this site, I’ve been pleased with its growth and the value it brings to the baseball community. In the five years since its launch in 2019, our goal was to establish a following, and build credibility in our player and trade valuation model.

I think we’ve done that. We have a robust audience, validation from the industry, and a track record of correlation to the markets.

However, on the business side of things, the revenue model is challenging. As this article from the founder of Fangraphs points out, digital ad rates have fallen in recent years, so it’s difficult to run a website when advertising is the main source of revenue. That’s especially true of one like this, which occupies a niche. We’re not trying to make a killing here – just trying to pay the bills and keep our heads above water.

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So that’s why I’ve made the decision to transition more towards a subscription model, which means charging for access to the most popular sections of the site.

To be clear, I feel strongly that it’s worth the price. As many of you have often told us, there’s no other trade valuation tool like it available to the public. It’s the only place to create trade proposals that are realistic, then to get feedback on them and discuss them. And our track record of correlating to the market speaks for itself, as you can see here.

We’ve also had validation from MLB front offices, top sports agents, and baseball’s best journalists that our model is successful, and used by many in the industry.

So I hope you subscribe – at whichever level works for you. 

Thanks for your support, both through the years, and from here. My team and I love working on this site, and hope, with your help, we can continue to do so. Please reach out to us at baseballtradevalues@gmail.com with any questions.

 

John