Horrible idea.  Nothing more than gaming the system to get a comp pick. 

Type A is Type A.  Not Type A when they're good, and Type B when it's more convenient.

Plus, the HBDPA would oppose this to the death.

How about letting me upgrade my FA to Type A?   That way, if someone signs him, I get a comp pick.  If not, he'll ask for a reduced salary and I can get him back on the cheap!!!!

This will . . .

Definitely happen.

Posted by MikeT23 on 9/29/2010 10:50:00 PM (view original):
How about letting me upgrade my FA to Type A?   That way, if someone signs him, I get a comp pick.  If not, he'll ask for a reduced salary and I can get him back on the cheap!!!!

Cute. I take it you don't want to spring it on them till he's signed?

Mostly I'm just seeking to get the player back cheaply much like the OP wants to manipulate the game to get comp picks.

Posted by tufft on 9/30/2010 1:47:00 PM (view original):
>> HBDPA would oppose this to the death <<

What's this?

another joke.  Hardball Dynasty Players Association, which doesn't exist.

It's not entirely arbitrary- it's far from a perfect system but it Type A players do tend to be better than Type B's.

An option to change Type A designation to Type B is silly and pointless.  At least half the teams in the league wouldn't have to give up a 1st rounder to sign him.  If the guy's not worth a cheap contract and a 2nd or 3rd rounder to 16+ owners, he's probably not getting signed as a Type B either.

Posted by tufft on 9/29/2010 5:25:00 PM (view original):
Give owners an option to downgrade a Type A FA to a Type B FA.

I've had 2 cases in 2 seasons where a 30+ yr old player was made a Type A FA.

Last season, the player was very good, but nobody wanted to loose the high draft pick.  Minutes after the cutoff (draft day), he was signed.  Great move on the part of the owner that signed him, but it seems to defeat the intent of the comp draft pick system. Top draft picks are much more valuable in this game than they are in the real world.

Season just rolled, and I've got a situation that I'll bet will play out the same way.  (I can't believe this guy is a Type A, but there it is.)

Would be cool if we could downgrade players like that to Type Bs.  More good players like this would be signed for the full season.  This makes the word more competitive.  And my rebuilding team would probably get a comp draft pick. Few all-stars at the bottom of the first round, but every role player would help my rebuilding efforts at this point.

Here's the thing - in this situation, you're basically wanting compensation for a player that you apparently didn't want back under any circumstance. That's not how draft pick compensation is supposed to work, and not how it works in MLB. In MLB, if a player is Type A or Type B, his former team has to offer him arbitration to be entitled to compensation if he signs elsewhere. So, if the player feels he can't get a better deal elsewhere, he can accept arbitration and he is then considered sign by his old team and they have to work out a contract or have a 1 year deal assigned by an arbitrator.

Given how HBD is currently setup, Type A/Type B designation should probably go away sometime not too long after the main free agency period, because by that point if he hasn't signed elsewhere and you haven't re-signed him, you obviously don't want him back, and it seems to me like the same thing as an MLB team not offering a departing free agent arbitration.