A debate has been raging in one of my leagues for days on end about the scrubs/AAA trading strategy - MWett & others on one side and chargingryno & others on the other. As a relative newbie, I didn't really know where I stood on the issue, so I undertook some investigative work to determine my position. Thought I'd elaborate on some of my conclusions here. Bottom line up front: I think it probably is gaming the system a bit, I just don't think it alters outcomes in any significant way. Let's explore both sides of a $200k scrub for AAA trade:
Getting the Scrub
1. This player is willing to give up a usable AAA player for a scrub, who is then dropped for WW cash. Trading 6 AAA players will get this player $1.2M in additional WW cash.
2. In an open league where every player starts game where every player starts with the same $80 million and 6 randomly assigned AAA batters and 2 pitchers, this strategy effectively gives this player an advantage by increasing his salary cap to (to whatever $ amount the dropped scrubs equate to).
3. While this may not seem significant, this is a probability-based game and gaining a mathematical edge like that could be important.
4. HOWEVER, a player employing this strategy has to draft more ABs to make up for the fact that he isn't getting several hundred ABs from his AAA. More ABs means more money (or lesser quality players). I took a quick look at a chargingryno team and it looks like he is purchasing somewhere in the neighborhood of 500 more ABs than I typically purchase.
5. IMHO, any advantage gained by the increased salary cap is mitigated by the additional ABs purchased.
6. It all comes down to how he drafted his team and if he sets up his team for his strategy, more power to him.
Getting the AAA
1. This player is probably ecstatic to give up a $200k scrub to get a usable AAA player.
2. He is gaining an advantage over the other players in the league because he is effectively getting 7 AAA players while the rest of teh league is getting 6. Presumably, the AAA player he is trading for is better than at least one of his existing AAA.
3. This does negatively impact the the rest of the league by giving this player an edge with an additional player.
4. AAA talent varies widely and there is certainly luck involved. In my still limited experience, I have had a few teams where I have relied on AAA players quite a bit. Usually I have at least 2 of them with 250 - 300 PAs, and sometimes I'll have one with 350+ PAs. I've had players with an OPS# over .800 who have not performed well at all and I've had players with much lower OPS# have ok seasons.
5. Because AAA players are likely used for 250 or less PAs, the difference between a .300 hitter and a .220 hitter is 20 hits or less. Could it make a difference? Sure. But in my experience so far, it usually doesn't.
Conclusion
The player getting the AAA may gain an advantage, but its so slight that its not worth my time to worry about it. I wouldn't be mad if the new sheriffs in town allowed only AAA for AAA trades, though.