Restricted FA

[Padres GM (Amy)]

I suggest we change the compensation to the same as it is in moneyball.

A team will have the ability to name two protected player each season. Restricted players will, in effect, be treated just like free agents with one BIG difference. The team restricting the player will have the choice of matching the winning submitted bid or may receive the proper draft pick compensation if they decline, according to table below. If no bids are submitted for the tagged player, the team that submitted the player may keep the player with his RL contract on COTs for 3yrs OR may simply release to free agency with no penalty or compensation.

Once the "Winter Meetings" begin in early December, restricted players can be made contract offers to the Scott Boras account as a sealed bid. However, at the end of the contract offering period, the team who restricted the player will have 72 hours to match the winning offer. If a GM chooses to match the winning contract offer, they will win the player at the proposed contract. However, if a GM fails to respond or chooses not to match the best contract offer made to their player, then he/she will be awarded a corresponding draft pick from the team signing the player. You MUST have the corresponding draft picks available to be given as compensation, or your bid becomes invalid and the next highest bid will be submitted for approval. So, if you do not have ANY draft picks at your disposal, you will NOT be allowed to bid on restricted free agents. Plan accordingly.

Restricting a player provides a semi protective measure to help a GM retain that player, while not assuring it. In order to provide some, but not absolute assistance in that retention, the following guidelines are placed on Restricted FA bidding:

The Average Annual Salary ("AAS") that a GM bids will require a certain minimum number of years that the offer must cover in order to be a valid bid. The HIGHER the AAS, the LONGER the MINIMUM contract term you MUST offer in order to make a valid bid. The MINIMUM contract term is based solely on the offer's AAS, and is determined as follows:

AAS = $1M to $4M, then MINIMUM 1 yr deal, AND 3rd rd draft pick for compensation
AAS = $4M+ to $8M, then MINIMUM 2 yr deal, AND 2nd rd draft pick for compensation
AAS = $8M+ to $12M, then MINIMUM 3 yr deal AND 1st rd draft pick for compensation
AAS = $12M+ then MINIMUM 3 yr deal AND 1st and 2nd rd draft picks for compensation


Any bid not meeting the correct minimum term offered will be considered invalid. The bidder can always make a contract term LONGER than the minimum number of years since the AAS only determines the MINIMUM term. If there are bids of the same AAS, the winner will be the person submitting the contract with most years. If the length of contract is the same, whoever submitted the bid first will be the winner.

The longest any bid on a restricted player can be is 3yrs.

[Padres GM (Amy)]

I think this is really important. Any thoughts?

[Former Twins GM (Robin)]

I'd second that. I know the long contract speculators won't like it, but they can sign under the radar players for longer contracts during regular FA. It's a clearly defined system for tags only that puts the bids in more reasonable brackets. It prohibits ridiculous long contracts which might be necessary to pry an elite player away from the owner who tagged him. Ridiculous bids are still possible, the just won't last for a decade and destroy you payroll forever. See Alex Rodriguez, Pujols, Cano.

Ridiculously high bids are still possible. Kershaw just got 41mil for 3 years under this system, so it's not a cure all, just a limiter of damage.

Speaking of Cano, I believe there is a matching part to this under tags in Moneyball as well. When you franchise a player and he signs a contract you can decline years of that contract. So if I were to have put a franchise tag on Cano this year and then he signs his ridiculous deal, I can decline as many years of that contract as I wish, but have to make that decision and post it fairly quickly. I could take 5 years instead of 10 at 24mil or whatever. Again, prevents your finances from being ruined for a decade.

I'd like to see both of these great rules put into PB's.

[Deleted]

I like the AAS restructuring but I think we should leave the draft picks the way they are. Second rounder first then if you sign a second RFA third round. These draft pick compensations seem a little steep.

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

I feel like our current system works fine. That draft pick compensation is absolutely too steep in my opinion, and we haven't exactly had many ridiculous RFA contracts.

[Former Angels GM (Mike C.)]

that system would make sense only if your a "low salary cap" team and looking for cheap players...

This league wants to go to the "same salary cap for every team" which would make the point of this idea not needed anymore.

So my vote would be, keep it the same as it is.

[Padres GM (Amy)]

In light of recent conversation, bump

[Former Angels GM (Mike C.)]

I wish this system was in place before the Royals couldn't sign guys like Damon, Beltran, Dye, Grienke...getting automatic 1st and 2nd round picks from the teams signing their FA's and not spending the big bucks would be phenominal for the Royals and so much better return than they actually got for any of them.