Proposal for consideration-

Background-

Checking all of our rosters we are currently averaging 28 players each on our actual rosters coming out of free agency.

We also currently have 113 amateurs protected on our teams for an average of just under five per team.

That said we all know that our draft tends to be about worthless after the fifth round anyways, but there is a way to improve our draft and our competitive balance that I often hear we want to do, but seldom see any action on, especially when you see the voting down of measures to help our previously mismanaged franchises that are usually now under new leadership, struggling for PA’s, IP’s and cash.

The actual proposal is simple, that we have a hard cap of forty players all year long, which includes our amateurs. There needs to be no limitation to the number of amateurs that you any team can have, as you can have as many or as few as you wish on your forty man roster. This is very much like the bigs, as teams going for it will have fewer farm players, so that they have extra relievers and utility guys for the big games, while rebuilding teams will have more youngsters and can afford to keep them on there rosters and just get through the PA’s and IP’s needed for the current season.

Why do this??? For many of you, quit reading now, as you are already seeing that this is going to limit your powerhouse and that those extra roster spots are simply your annual line of demarcation. For the rest of you, especially those of you with 18-22 players right now and more holes than the average piece of swiss cheese or for those of you like me that would like to see stability and greater parity this ensures an opportunity for everybody to get better over time. Clearly strong teams will still be there as they should be, but stockpiling of players will be limited, as either more premium prospects will be available or more payers will be available to other rosters, period. Also, free agency will be much more calculated and more closely resemble real baseball as teams will be looking to fill holes, not spend money to fill holes, keep players from other teams and then also have players on the backs of their rosters for future destruction of have nots.

Bottom line-

We need to do something, as we are getting close to having some unviable teams either from mismanagement, monetary problems or simple lack of players. Also for the average team this next draft would be no different than normal as you have five amateurs and twenty-eight players. You’d make seven selections and be done. But for some of the teams with just 18 player and four amateurs, it is an opportunity to bridge the gap and rebuild more quickly.

Rule Proposal-

Hard Cap of 40 players is in place at all times. During the season a team would be allowed to go over during a block due to trades, but would have to cut a player or make an additional trade by the conclusion of the block. To see how this would work, imagine I’m in the running ( remember I said imagine), and I get a chance to pick up Last years Eli Marerro and Jaret Wright Cards for the stretch run. I send picks to a non-contender to get them both, but end up at 42 players. I can then trade away two guys ( or could have included them in trades to the other teams ), like my lesser farm guys to two other non-contenders and we finally have a viable system where the talent moves to all teams. Of course I could waive two guys as well, but then if they have any value I’d never do that, but even if I did then they are eligible the next year to be picked up. Anyway that is my proposal, if you want 12 amateurs to rebuild with then this allows it, but it also mandates a flow of players and limits hording.