It will be interesting to see how it works out.  You'll either have folks stick around because they know going in that it may take 3-4 seasons to get to a point of competing, or you'll have folks bail because they know they'll have to pump $100 into their team before they can win.  Even tougher may be recruiting someone to take over a team that has little talent and no immediate way of acquiring talent.

Obviously it will appeal to some and not to others, but if a talent gap ever develops (or exists from the onset), it will be tough to turn around since teams will keep their best free agents and let the scraps go.  

Good luck with it, though.  I like the idea of a league that prohibits trading (obviously, since we're close to launching one).

if you're dealt such a bad hand that you (legitimately) finish in the bottom 5 for 3 straight years, you deserve 3 quality players in the draft. that said, 3 players alone have never before won a championship. i think we're way too worried about worst case scenarios here. the committee will insure that everyone is fielding their best possible competitive team. if not, you will be warned in season, and then replaced if it ever happens again.

 These are all the problems that I've enlisted.

And here's one more:

Because of the still somewhat random nature of the draft, it is entirely possible that you won't have players capable of playing at a position even well down the road in this thing. You don't have complete control over who you select, and just because someone is listed  as an SS, that doesn't mean they are an SS.  And the thing is, this has NOTHING to do with your skill as a drafter.  If we were drafting live it would be different. But since we don't, it is still a problem.

Being able to utilize FA after the FA period ends or even after ST ends...I don't understand what the problem with that is.

Well my point is no matter where you draw and how many wins you finish with in S1, you're probably going to hover right around that number again in S2.  There won't be a ton of quick upward mobility without trades and FA to help accelerate the process.  So if my organization is generated with all of its talent in the low minors, I'll be augmenting it with (potentially) 2+ studs per year for 3+ years.  And the things that might break up this super-team down the line (players testing FA no matter what, too many $7M+ contracts on one team) are non-issues in this world.  Just food for thought--I would need some other rule preventing this (not sure what) before I would consider the league.  The idea sounds fun in theory but I worry about in execution.

Posted by soursurfer on 2/7/2011 3:30:00 PM (view original):

I do wonder a bit about the catch-22 for teams that get bad draws.  I have no manner by which to improve my team other than the draft and IFA, a process that will take about 4 seasons to reap any benefits from.  Because I have literally nothing to work with and no means of bringing in outside talent (as you describe it, empiire), I budget low and pay my players much less than I would have to in a normal league.  Therefore I attack IFA every year, draft in the top 5 for 2-3 seasons.  Not really sure how I could be accused of tanking because I'm playing the best talent available to me--it just sucks.  Come Season 5 or so however, I am flush with young talent, whose salaries will never spiral out of control as they hit arb/FA/etc.  How is this scenario avoided?

Almost every case where you are dealt a bad ML team you will be given a great batch of prospects and vice versa.. I have NEVER seen a team completely destroyed from day 1 season 1 with NOTHING to build on. Sure it may take some time but that's the breaks.. The good teams will go down the rankings each season as the bad teams move up due to better draft picks etc.. 

Posted by tropicana on 2/7/2011 4:04:00 PM (view original):
 These are all the problems that I've enlisted.

And here's one more:

Because of the still somewhat random nature of the draft, it is entirely possible that you won't have players capable of playing at a position even well down the road in this thing. You don't have complete control over who you select, and just because someone is listed  as an SS, that doesn't mean they are an SS.  And the thing is, this has NOTHING to do with your skill as a drafter.  If we were drafting live it would be different. But since we don't, it is still a problem.

Being able to utilize FA after the FA period ends or even after ST ends...I don't understand what the problem with that is.

I do agree here.. We need to place a time frame where you can sign your FA's and after that point they are fair game. A player that is really good may sit there because the current franchise has no need for him. The best thing I feel could happen so nobody gets compensation would be after the Amateur Draft.. Nobody gets compensation for you signing their player(s). 

Posted by tomhighway on 2/7/2011 4:34:00 PM (view original):

Posted by soursurfer on 2/7/2011 3:30:00 PM (view original):

I do wonder a bit about the catch-22 for teams that get bad draws.  I have no manner by which to improve my team other than the draft and IFA, a process that will take about 4 seasons to reap any benefits from.  Because I have literally nothing to work with and no means of bringing in outside talent (as you describe it, empiire), I budget low and pay my players much less than I would have to in a normal league.  Therefore I attack IFA every year, draft in the top 5 for 2-3 seasons.  Not really sure how I could be accused of tanking because I'm playing the best talent available to me--it just sucks.  Come Season 5 or so however, I am flush with young talent, whose salaries will never spiral out of control as they hit arb/FA/etc.  How is this scenario avoided?

Almost every case where you are dealt a bad ML team you will be given a great batch of prospects and vice versa.. I have NEVER seen a team completely destroyed from day 1 season 1 with NOTHING to build on. Sure it may take some time but that's the breaks.. The good teams will go down the rankings each season as the bad teams move up due to better draft picks etc.. 

That's kinda my point.  You start with all your talents in the low minors, import 3 years of draft and IFA studs (you're not "tanking" because you're playing all of your best available talent), and now you're virtually invincible as you don't have to worry about stars jettisoning for FA, salaries getting out of control, or other teams keeping competitive through big FA splashes.

Posted by tomhighway on 2/7/2011 4:37:00 PM (view original):

Posted by tropicana on 2/7/2011 4:04:00 PM (view original):
 These are all the problems that I've enlisted.

And here's one more:

Because of the still somewhat random nature of the draft, it is entirely possible that you won't have players capable of playing at a position even well down the road in this thing. You don't have complete control over who you select, and just because someone is listed  as an SS, that doesn't mean they are an SS.  And the thing is, this has NOTHING to do with your skill as a drafter.  If we were drafting live it would be different. But since we don't, it is still a problem.

Being able to utilize FA after the FA period ends or even after ST ends...I don't understand what the problem with that is.

I do agree here.. We need to place a time frame where you can sign your FA's and after that point they are fair game. A player that is really good may sit there because the current franchise has no need for him. The best thing I feel could happen so nobody gets compensation would be after the Amateur Draft.. Nobody gets compensation for you signing their player(s). 

if you wait all the way until after the draft to allow the really good player to sign, his ratings will be wrecked

Posted by farren83 on 2/7/2011 4:58:00 PM (view original):

Posted by tomhighway on 2/7/2011 4:37:00 PM (view original):

Posted by tropicana on 2/7/2011 4:04:00 PM (view original):
 These are all the problems that I've enlisted.

And here's one more:

Because of the still somewhat random nature of the draft, it is entirely possible that you won't have players capable of playing at a position even well down the road in this thing. You don't have complete control over who you select, and just because someone is listed  as an SS, that doesn't mean they are an SS.  And the thing is, this has NOTHING to do with your skill as a drafter.  If we were drafting live it would be different. But since we don't, it is still a problem.

Being able to utilize FA after the FA period ends or even after ST ends...I don't understand what the problem with that is.

I do agree here.. We need to place a time frame where you can sign your FA's and after that point they are fair game. A player that is really good may sit there because the current franchise has no need for him. The best thing I feel could happen so nobody gets compensation would be after the Amateur Draft.. Nobody gets compensation for you signing their player(s). 

if you wait all the way until after the draft to allow the really good player to sign, his ratings will be wrecked

They may drop a couple points, but certainly would not be wrecked.  A couple points does not a superstar make.

depends on the makeup rating, a low makeup player will drop more than a few points in that time, and a few points could make a lot of difference, especially in fielding.

Either way- There will not be a perfect set of rules. It just can't happen, So if we just set the guidelines and leave it at that nobody can say anything is unfair because most of us should already know what we're getting ourselves into. Especially those of us that have started in new worlds... It will balance itself out after a few seasons and I think its more about strategy than anything else. If you can't win with out "Stud" players all over your team then you don't need to try this.

I like banning trading, and I don't care too much about the rule 5 draft either way (although I would vote to use it).  I don't see a problem with making it so that you have the "option" to own a player for his whole career.  I'm for allowing free agency to open up after the original team has had a chance to sign their own players cheaply, and making released players fair game.  I know these things don't jibe with the "2030 Mark Cuban" concept, but that's kinda hokey anyway.

Posted by shobob on 2/7/2011 6:31:00 PM (view original):
I like banning trading, and I don't care too much about the rule 5 draft either way (although I would vote to use it).  I don't see a problem with making it so that you have the "option" to own a player for his whole career.  I'm for allowing free agency to open up after the original team has had a chance to sign their own players cheaply, and making released players fair game.  I know these things don't jibe with the "2030 Mark Cuban" concept, but that's kinda hokey anyway.

I agree.. I think that the FA period SHOULD be the cut-off for protecting your own players and getting the back "cheap". And Rule 5, the only way to stop Rule 5 is to have everyone have a full 40 man roster.

I think you actually have to set your Rule 5 settings to draft somebody in the R5.  If I had my way, I'd vote to keep the R5.  I've found many productive players using this method.  Not superstars, mind you..  just role players who fit well into the scheme I'm trying to implement.

All that matters to me is that we have owners that follow the rules and there are no "oops I signed someone elses FA during the "Restricted" period" Or whatever. The rules should be simple and easy to follow because you know there will always be someone that "Didn't know" :)