Fantasy Baseball Rules (Free Agents)

[Gary Dreyer (Rangers)]

After the end of the actual World Series, we will have a one week break. During this break, you will need to post 3 Restricted Free Agents. This means that they can be bidded on in the Free Agent Period, but you will have the last attempt at a bid to keep these players. If no one bids on your restricted free agent, you have the option of keeping the player for 1 year for last years amount or letting him go to the waiver wire. You will get 1 compensatory pick for any restricted free agent you lose. These picks will be based on the restricted players new salary.
End of round 1 - if the player now makes more than 20 million a year
End of round 2 - if the player makes between 15-19.9 million a year
End of round 3 - if the player makes between 10-14.9 million a year
End of round 4 - if the player makes between 5-9.9 million a year
End of round 5 - if the player makes between 0-4.9 million a year

Read more: ffbaseball12.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=minorleagueeligibility&action=display&thread=243#ixzz28fDtuKjC Please look at the increase of counter offers below.

Before the Free Agent Period begins, I will provide a list based on my spreadsheet of all the current year Free Agents. We will bid on the Free Agents on this site by posting the players name, and your bid. You can offer anywhere from 1 to 10 year contract. The maximum contract you can offer for a one year deal is 15 million. Other than that, there is no limit of contract amounts.

Once a bid is made, you will have exactly 2 weeks to make a counter offer. If no one has made a counter offer within two weeks, the player will go to the team that made the offer. If someone makes a counter offer, there will be another two week period to make an offer. You can make a counter offer in one of two ways. If for some reason, signing this player will put you over your cap, the last contract bidded will get the player.

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FREE AGENCY WILL START AT MIDNIGHT EASTERN on 11/1
OPENING BIDS
To prevent people from making long year contracts with minimal money we have put some guidelines in for opening bids on a player.

1-2 year contracts - the maximum opening bid is 5 million per year
3-5 year contracts - the maximum opening bid is 10 million per year
6-7 year contracts - the minimum opening bid is 8 million per year
8-10 year contracts - the minimum opening bid is 10 million per year

1. Add an additional year with the same price per year as the original bid.

2. Increase the amount per year based on the increments below.

Here are the increments of counter offers (offer per year)
1-10 million bid - you must increase the counter offer by at least a minimum of 500k per year
11-15 million bid - you must increase the counter offer by at least a minimum of 1m per year
>15 million - you must increase the counter offer by at least a minimum of 2m per year

You must offer at least the same amount of years that was originally offered. For example, if Team A offers a player a 10 yr 60 million dollar contract (6 million per year) another team can't offer a 1 yr 6.5 million dollar contract. They must offer at least 10 yr 65 million (increase of 500 k per year).

UPDATE - NEW RULE for 2014 Free Agency Period
You are not allowed to make two bids back to back to extend a bidding period or the amount. You must wait until another bid is made to counter offer.

[dinger]

So, the max for a one year contract is $15MM. So if a person bids $15MM for a player for one year they automatically win that player?

[Gary Dreyer (Rangers)]

That is a really good question. The rules weren't explained very well.

The max contract for one year only is 15m. So if you bid on a player for 1 yr 15m, then a counter offer would have to include at least 2 yrs. So the counter offer would be a minimum 2 yrs 30m.

Then, a third counter offer could be either
3 yrs 45m (extra year added to contract)
2 yrs 32m ($16m per year an increase of 1m per year from previous offer of 2 yrs 30m)

Basically the two counter offers you can make are increase the yrs by one with the same amount per year, or increase the amount per year by the range listed in the Free Agent rules.

The reason for the 1 yr max, is because I don't want people offering 1 yr 30 million dollar contracts, which is not reasonable in real life. Then, you will have a bunch of 1yr contracts that will expire, and you will be able to repeat the same thing the following free agent period. You will have to strategize in building your team for the present and future.

I hope this answers your question.

[Anthony (Red Sox)]

Does the amount per year have to be equal in all years?

Or, can I say, offer a three year contract with year 1 being $5m, year 2 at $6m, and year 3 at $7m for a total of $18m being invested? Meaning, can I structure the contract for each year as long as the total amount of the contract is achieved? Can I front load or back load contracts in order to fit the cap of $150m?

[Billy Mac (Nats)]

From what I understand it is equal $ for each year when we sign free agents. So 4 yrs for 40 million would be $10 million each year.

[Gary Dreyer (Rangers)]

It must be equal for all the years. However, the first contracts on the spreadsheet will have actual contracts in real life that may be different each year.

[usctrojanfan777]

So will RFA's be the players that contracts have run out, the way my other league works is that when a players contract length is up, that team has the option to extend him 2 years (only once). Any player not extended is a RFA and once a player has been extended once, 2 years later he is automatically a RFA

[Gary Dreyer (Rangers)]

RFA will be the players contracts that run out. In this league they become free agents and anyone can bid on them. Once the highest bid is made, if the player is restricted then the team that restricted him will have the last chance to make a final offer.

[Billy Mac (Nats)]

Question about Salary Arbitration, How are we handleing this with regard to our Fantasy League?

[Gary Dreyer (Rangers)]

We will have no salary arbitration. Whatever the player made the year before, he will make the same throughout his arbitration years. At the end of the arbitration, he will be a free agent. I don't want to make it too complicated and hard to keep up with. However, if a player goes to arbitration before 1/31, he will have his new contract amount on the contract spreadsheet.

[Billy Mac (Nats)]

Awesome! And we are using the contracts from mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/ right?

[Gary Dreyer (Rangers)]

yes and I am also using baseball reference.com if I can't find them in there. With all the trades and contract extensions, I am sure to mess up a few. That is why I am sending the spreadsheet out on 1/31, and everyone will have a week to review it to see if I need to make any changes.

[Billy Mac (Nats)]

So if the Current MLB Free Agents (Fielder, Oswalt, etc....) dont sign by 1/31 (our contract deadline) I am assuming they become Free Agents in our League and we will be bidding on them, we wouldnt be able to put them in our draft bc they wont have Contracts. Is this what will be happening? Thanks

[Greg (Orioles)]

So Adam Jones made 3.25 M last year and he has 2 more years of arbitration. So does that mean he will be at 3.25 for this year and next?
Thanks

[Billy Mac (Nats)]

@orioles Whatever his contract is as of 1/31 will be his contract until he is a free agent. So yes if he has 2 years of Arb left the contract would be 3.25 for the next 2 years.