Free Agents

[Deleted]

It has been brought up that the free agents that are available in auctions are getting thinner in our league.  And I know there are going to be highs and lows with the free agent classes each year.  But a thin free agent auction is not good as well.  There are less impact players available and makes it harder especially for rebuilding teams to get impact players to make their teams competitive. 

Kansas City brought up an idea to make all Free Agents be put into auction.  So if you have a rookie like Wander Franco or any other rookie, you would get the 3 rookie contract years and the 3 or 4 arbitration years until he becomes a free agent in real life.  Right now, you would have a choice to keep them at their real life contract, give them a 1YR QO, or decline them and put them in auction and be eligible for the discount.  So in theory, that team could own Wander Franco as long as they wanted if they are willing to pay them the real life contract.  Leading to that player essentially never being available in free agent auctions. 

The new proposed idea would be after the 6 years of rookie and arbitration contract years, he would be a UFA and be placed in auction where you would be eligible for the 20% discount.  That would make every player that is over 6 years of MLB service to be on our own 3-year deals.  Essentially these players would be available every 3-4 years depending on options.  

If this rule was changed, the rule would be in effect NEXT offseason.  I feel like this is a big league rule change so you would have a year to adjust or plan for.

I have listed the positives and negatives.  If you have any thoughts, comments, or questions please post.  Like always, be respectful to each other. 

Positives 
It would keep a cycle of free agents that are available in this league.  They would always be on a 1-4 (depending on options) year cycle.
It would add to the free agent pool.

Negatives
Qualifying Offers would only be used for arbitration players since every free agent would be a UFA.  

[Deleted]

Another idea would be with the free agents: If you decline them, you are eligible for the discount. If you give them a QO, you get them for one more year at $12M or $15M a year, but the next year you don't get the discount. It would let you choose if you want to gamble and get a discount, or keep them for one more year at a cheaper rate.

[Oakland Athletics]

I'm a flip flopper...I initially didn't like the KCR idea, then I agreed that it was a good idea...

Now I think of my devers/tucker/o'neil/etc. I like the thought of being able to keep my nucleus that I put together for a very long time.

While I like to keep my "homegrowns", I also voted to increase the QO, and if it comes to a vote to freeze the cap increases going forward for a while I will also vote to freeze that with the thought that those two moves could have a positive outcome on increasing the free agency pool.

[Deleted]

Or if someone else has any other ideas on how to increase the free-agent pool you can let us know.

[Arizona Diamondbacks]

I just posted a question in the other thread and then read this , if we were ever to pay a real life salary for a player the 3 mil a year increase would help

[Colorado Rockies]

I think that the real life contracts are not good for the league.
I also really like that the maximum of 4 years (3 plus one option year) that it keeps the league interesting as exciting players cannot stay with a team for an eternity. I would love to move away from real life contracts and not allow them to be accepted again. Just for the competetive nature of this league it would be a huge benefit.

[Arizona Diamondbacks]

Oct 8, 2021 6:37:42 GMT Colorado Rockies said:

I think that the real life contracts are not good for the league.
I also really like that the maximum of 4 years (3 plus one option year) that it keeps the league interesting as exciting players cannot stay with a team for an eternity. I would love to move away from real life contracts and not allow them to be accepted again. Just for the competetive nature of this league it would be a huge benefit.

I see the point here and don’t necessarily disagree , however not all real life contracts are bad …. Take Ozzie albies for example , luv his real life contract as in this league he likely would have gone for way more and I got him for pennies , and look at tatis too , how much would he cost at auction and I got him for pennies really as well

also I think the potential of accepting a real life contract makes me have to budget money better in anticipation , for example I see guys trading away future cash , and my thought for my team is if I trade away that cash and then ( Robbie ray ) busts out like he did I may not have the money to pay him later ….. so I really feel having to manage all the different scenarios in this dynasty league financially separate it from other leagues in a good way. This is a serious league that requires a lil deeper thought and strategy , I luv ideas to help make the league better , but I don’t wanna see us dumb it down to make it easier to manage. This league should present a challenge to us as managers , otherwise it’s just a keeper league that uses money for rental players , it’s a dynasty league that should be managed as a project for now and long term 

just a couple cents 👍

[New York Mets]

Is there a way to do it where if we accept the real life contract, it’s only for the first 3/4 years of that contract? That way we avoid guys like Acuna, Trout, Tatis, etc. being signed for 10+ years for way less than what they would go for on auction here. Then once those first 3 years of the real life contract are up, they become an UFA, but the hometown discount still applies?

[Deleted]

Oct 8, 2021 15:58:07 GMT New York Mets said:

Is there a way to do it where if we accept the real life contract, it’s only for the first 3/4 years of that contract? That way we avoid guys like Acuna, Trout, Tatis, etc. being signed for 10+ years for way less than what they would go for on auction here. Then once those first 3 years of the real life contract are up, they become an UFA, but the hometown discount still applies?

That would be an idea.  It would be a good compromise.  It would also help from players that have these long term deals that are not as productive towards the end of the contract.