Rules, Regulations, & Procedures Discussion

[Odenville Odenators (Kevin)]

Before we begin the draft I would like to have a 2-3 week period where GMs can review and critique the Rules, Regulations, and Procedures of the league. I ask that you please post any questions or concerns in this thread so we can track any proposed changes.

Much of this league will be run as a democracy where your opinions all matter in shaping the league framework. If any proposed changes to the league format are in need of modification, addition, or deletion we will take them to a vote.

Thanks for your help in shaping this league!

[Odenville Odenators (Kevin)]

In addition to rules discussion, I want to take a second to explain some of my rationale behind establishing the rules in the manner that they have been chosen.

My overarching goal for this league is to make a system that incentivizes success. I feel that by offering payouts to all playoff teams and by designing the consolation bracket as a competition it will encourage teams to strive to always build the best team they can.

The second goal I have for this league is that our rules allow flexibility for building teams and allows sustainability of success.By giving minor league players cheaper 4 year contracts we will reward teams who draft and scout trades well. In addition, by limiting contract length via the initial contract assignment, only allowing 1 year free agent deals in season, and having a Contract Years maximum we will ensure that each off-season there will be a large Free Agent pool to choose from to build a winning team.

I also want this league to be deep, but not overbearing. I hope that the rules that have been put in place can be adapted to quickly, but do not constrain teams from building their teams in any manner they see fit. I also do not want a confusing system that becomes tedious to owners. We are all paying for this league , so why not make it as enjoyable as possible?

Finally, the scoring system and player initial Salaries. I put in considerable research on scoring systems and have settled on what we have now to be the best system for our league. Pitchers and Hitters are very much equal in terms of production. In fact, a team of average players at every position (9 Hitters and 7 SPs) would score 3,177 points on offense and 3220 points with Starting Pitching. This system is also rewards points for those areas which the player has control over (e.g. Home-Runs for Hitters and not RBI or Runs).

The initial Salaries required me to pull out some of my old stats books from college! I started with looking at the total points accrued by all hitters and pitchers available and tried to balance salaries with the assumption of spending 57% on Hitters and 43% on Pitchers (Most teams will likely carry 17 Hitters and 13 Pitchers) I also adjust salaries so that teams should still have ~20-30M left after the initial draft to spend on their final 5 slots and in season Free Agency. By making the starting salaries a little lower than the cap allows for this will account for the natural inflation that will occur when Free Agency starts to really matter.

I hope this explanation gives some insight into my perspective on the league. As always I welcome and questions or concerns with this rationale so long as we are building the best possible league!

[Denver YikYaks (Mike)]

Some ?s on FA/Contracts:
1. When a contract expires, does the player automatically go into the bidding pool or can he
be signed by the team who owned him at his current value (i.e., salary he would have
based on performance)?

2. Can contracts be extended (e.g., from a 3-yr to a 4-yr)?

[Odenville Odenators (Kevin)]

Nov 6, 2013 20:24:49 GMT -5 Denver YikYaks (Mike) said:

Some ?s on FA/Contracts:
1. When a contract expires, does the player automatically go into the bidding pool or can he be signed by the team who owned him at his current value (i.e., salary he would have based on performance)?

2. Can contracts be extended (e.g., from a 3-yr to a 4-yr)?

Great Questions!

1) Yes, in the off-season following a players Last Year under contract they are then classified as an unrestricted free agent and will be available to the highest bidder in free agency. Right now there are no plans for contract extensions to be granted.

2) No, the only times a contract length is assigned is either following the initial draft or following signing a player in Free Agency. Teams will have a period after the draft to assign their contracts. Additionally, following the winning of a player in free agent bidding, teams are required to state in a post the length of the contract for the player won.