This idea is not fully thought out, but I thought I'd throw it out to get some input from other folks. I'll admit that it is a "dumbing down the game" thing, but hopefully it doesn't dumb it down too much. Read through the entire post before you react.
My suggestion: somewhere between the end of spring training and the start of the minor league season, have SIMMY generate players to fill out minor league rosters; from AAA down to LoA. Guarantee that each level has at least 25 players (13 position players, 12 pitchers). Guarantee that there are a minimum number of players for each role on a team (i.e. at least one position player for each position, 5 SP's, a couple of long RP's and a couple of short RP's). This can also happen for the Rookie League level after the draft and shortly before the start of the RL season. I'd also suggest that SIMMY autosign all draft picks beyond the 5th round who are asking for slot money. Generated players would fill the gaps after all the draftees (including the autosigned round 5 and beyond slot guys) are signed and assigned to RL.
All generated players would make the minimum salary for that level, and the salaries would come out of the franchises player payroll. If payroll doesn't have enough money to cover the generated salaries, auto-transfer from another budget (as it does after arb, if arb puts you over budget).
Example: if a particular level already has 15 players, then SIMMY would only generate 10 and fill in the missing rolls. If you already have 25 or more guys at a level, SIMMY does nothing.
A couple of notes about the generated players:
1) Their ratings would be at a bare minimum for their position. So if SIMMY gives you a generated SS, he is going to be a below average SS, with just the bare minimum defensive ratings to play the position. Likewise with hitting ratings. He's not going to be a talented hitter.
2) Generated players would not see any ratings development/improvement. Ever. Their current ratings at generation time will be as good as they ever get.
3) Generated players will be ineligible to become DITR's.
4) They will be generated with an age that's appropriate for the level they are playing at. So a LoA generated guy might be 19-21 years old or so. The same "rules" that are currently in place for minor leaguers retirements will also apply to them. So a 25 year old generated guy with 4 seasons of experience stuck in LoA might retire.
So what does this accomplish? It addresses the issue of owners not filling out their minor league rosters. Every team will see all their levels filled with 25+ players, with enough position players and pitchers to make the minors somewhat realistic. It also removes the excuses that owners have about how much time it takes to fill their minors. SIMMY does it for you if you don't do it yourself.
What's the downside? It dumbs down the game. But only if you want it to. You can still manage your minors the way you are currently managing them if you wish.
Some might argue "If you let SIMMY generate players and fill out your minor league rosters, then doesn't this kill the draft after the first couple of rounds? Why should I care about promoting my non-prospects above RL level?"
Here's why: generated players will not be as good as drafted players. If you care at all about your minors, you'll still want to promote your drafted players from season to season because they will perform better than the players SIMMY gives you, they'll develop further, and they could become DITRs. If you value minor league success, because reaching the minor league playoffs means more development time for your true prospects, you'll want to promote. If you don't care about your minors, then this doesn't hurt you beyond the extra minor league salaries this will force you to pay.
Comments, criticisms, feedback, suggestions, etc. are welcome.