I always lose out on FA pick-ups and am not sure if it is because most leagues' weekly day schedules expire at 3:30 a.m. my time (i.e., someone awake at that time just adds a few dollars to my bid and get the FA), or if there is something else I should be aware of?

Seems like it would be nice to receive a notice if a FA you have given an offer receives a better deal from another team (especially something nominal >10%), and you get a chance to match or both teams provide a best and final offer?

Maybe I am missing something or maybe I am just complaining since I've never landed a FA over a max 70 rating. Any advice?

You can't see other FA offers until the stage actually runs - any 'pending offers' that you see were the offers as of the previous stage. There is no advantage or any additional information you have if you make an offer 5 minutes after the previous FA stage is run or 5 minutes before the next one is run - the offers you see may have been changed or may even have been withdrawn by the time you see them.

Thanks - I think this is a great simulation game and appreciate all of your work in putting it together - I have only recently started playing and it is really the only frustrating part of the game. I just need to be a better manager and not so stingy I guess. ;)

Free agency in this game is a subtle art. The best way to attract free agents is to offer them more bonus money, but this can also stick you in a situation where you have guaranteed contracts that you might not want for more than one or two seasons. So there is value in being stingy, especially if you can build a team through the draft.