Franchise tags (something like the NFL)

[Minnesota Twins]

I'm becoming more and more convinced the only way something moves on this is we just decide to try it for a yr and then vote whether to keep modify or scrap it. We can't ever get half the league to vote for something let alone 2/3.

People say if it ain't broke don't fix it but that's part of the reason we lost old Baltimore was Kershaws of the world going 1 yr deal, and no offense to anyone here but he was a good active owner whether rebuilding or going for it.

[Deleted]

maybe its time for something like a 3-man rules committee.
all teams would agree to abide by any change and not get angry and quit.
like minn says play 1 yr with the new rule and after the season
review it. keep it, scrap it, modify it.

[Deleted]

det. sounds fair but imho it isnt. the teams that traded early wont
benefit from keeping players an extra year.
chi has 2 TOR players that they would have kept an extra year.
if ur gonna vote this in it has to start in 2018.

[Minnesota Twins]

Heck we could make it for 2019 so everyone would have an offseason and complete yr to plan ahead. Things aren't really bad so we don't need to rush.

[torontobluejays]

It is a shame that we lost old Baltimore, but we risk losing managers over any rule change that we make. Honestly, there have been discussions of rules changes that made me wonder if I would stay if the rule changes. Damned if we do, damned if we don't.

[ex-Pittsburgh Pirates]

If we make a change, it would not be for this year. It would take affect next year. And we could do it on a trial basis.

I'll come up with a proposal.

[[e-mail]]

What's with all the talk about guys left because of '1 yr contracts' or 'I almost left because this rule was talked about'?

In deference to old Baltimore, if that is why he bolted, then we are very lucky to have new Baltimore. If true he chose to leave instead of lobbying for positive change. That's not a commitment to the league that I think we would want. I did enjoy old Baltimore, but let's move on from him please.

I propose we relax please on the talk about guys who have vacated the league b/c of this, and relax on future posturing. This is not end of the world stuff we're talking about. I find that type of talk kind of shrill to be honest.

I'm not uber excited about this proposal, but nevertheless I'm ready to kick all of your a$$es either way.

[Detroit]

I'm willing to give it a shot. 2018 or 2019 for a trial run.

I'm also in favor of a rules committee. IMO, 3 people is not enough for it though. Maybe 5? Gotta be an odd # either way and can't have the whole league on it. Perhaps this is something the league should also take to a vote. I like the idea personally. Pitts, Minny and Uncle Chi would have to be on it IMO as they are so active in the league. Something to consider...

[Deleted]

The franchise tag is a stupid rule, even in the NFL. I don't know who likes it and it was just a compromise between the players & owners trying to stick it each other and this is what they come up with? Hopefully it won't get put in here. Although, maybe it made this league look at an alternative to 1 year contracts.

[ex-Pittsburgh Pirates]

I thought you didn't like guys overbidding on 1 year contracts just to trade them and eat salary. This might help.

Although, I'm thinking I don't like it either.

[[e-mail]]

Why are we beating ourselves up with this? Why not just increase contract length lengths from 5 to 6 years? People's MiLB talent and FAs will be retained an extra year.

As for the 1 yr contracts, I dunno. I haven't been in the league long enough to realize if this is a real problem or just a league aberration that will correct itself over time. I am a believer that free markets correct for stuff like this. Maybe just give it time. People relying heavy on 1 yr contracts I think will pay a price in the following year or long run.

I will say this. I have a wholly separate reason for not wanting to shell out big bucks over long term contract for a Kershaw. Has nothing to do with finances. I do not want to be stuck with a guy who during or after any start goes for an MRI and thus is found to need TJ Surgury. And that applies pretty much to every pitcher. I don't want pitchers that cost me alot of money on my team for any length. That's not an issue with this league, rather a sad fact of our modern-day game and injuries.

I suspect I am not the only one who feels this way, and I'm sure it affects their bidding/thinking.

If we're not going to consider ChiSox idea of total contract or some semblance of it, then I feel leave it all alone. Let the market correct this.

I would say though one thing probably does need to be addressed: trading a substantial amount of money to teams thus skewing free agency. I have been a culprit of this, but it is one item I can admit is not healthy for our league. We should somehow find a way to cap/police this.

[[e-mail]]

WHoa...back to 1 yr contracts and fear of signing players who could get injured.

How about a rule change where if any player gets injured and a verified story is published that said player will be out for x-amount of time (we define x), then this team can simply just drop the player, and retain all of his money back on the contract years remaining (100% flat return on those remaining years). This is conditional on only injuries, and maybe those guys who get caught doping. Anything after that, you wanna drop you need to take the percentages hit.

That would definitely get me into bidding on a generational pitching talent like Kershaw for big bucks over years.

[[e-mail]]

Correct me if Im wrong, but we allow this for guys who retire, right? Someone signed David Ortiz for a bunch of years last year. He retired, and the contract became void the following year.

[Minnesota Twins]

I'm not for giving guys An extra yr on their rookie deal. I'm not for letting people off the hook on bad contracts. I'm not for total amt aka making everyone get a 5 yr deal.

I could possibly support some sort of franchise tag as a half measure against 1 yr deals.

My preference is for graduated bidding where you go above a certain amt you have to give so many yrs.

[[e-mail]]

I'm not getting though how the franchise tag addresses 1 yr deals though. It seems to be something that adds an extra year on certain players. How does that address 1 yr deals in FA?

The graduated bidding is intriguing though alongside Chi's total contract idea.