1) Salary Cap: I think we should keep it at $120. I will settle for $110, but $100 flat is too drastic a shift from one year to the next. We saw what happened last season when we increased the salary cap $20, it was too much. If we decrease it the same amount, we'll have the same result, too much of a change. Yes, the salary cap was too large last season but MLB salaries seem to be on the increase this season. A $10 reduction is acceptable as its a compromise. It's not too drastic but enough to make a difference. Essentially $10 is more than any of my starting pitchers.
2) Expansion: MUST fill current team vacencies prior to deciding on expansion. It does the league no justice to have a 'dead' team. The void left by Stanhill, or whoever, means that there are only 10 teams to trade with. If you are an owner like myself that does not like to trade within division, you are down an additional three teams, now only 7. SO, expansion only occurs if we have owners waiting for a team. We need to make sure that our eyes are not bigger than our stomachs.
3) Protection: I agree with Andrew's philosophy that protection should be based on say $45. In doing so, a team can protect a high profile player or two and the investments the team's made over the year. By investment I mean the players that were scouted and drafted as unestablished, that will be established this season. Every year in baseball, a team will couple 3 or so prospects and trade them to a failing team for a superstar. This season, for example, the Atlanta Braves traded 5 prospects (Andrus, Harrison, Saltalamacchia, Beau Jones, N. Perez) for Texeira and Mahay. This type of deal occurs every year in MLB, in fact just occurred when Swisher was dealt for three prospects. The question, why would any BARB team make this type of deal when the owner is unsure whether the investment can be protected? I feel the only to fairly protect such investments would be to have a $45 protection cap. In the end this should create parity as players enter the league making little then as they progress, so does their salaries. In BARB, bad teams (Example Eliminators a few years back), have high salaries but don't win, so rebuild with overall team salary of $30 (No joke look up Worcestor a few years back), then now a few years later as a contender, lots of salary questions. Best and most important off season question and solution.
3B) Can protect only 10, I have changed my position based on points I had overlooked. I do not buy into the fact however, that protecting only 10 creates "parity." Success by any team comes through drafting and trading. Sorry Jeff (I use because he admits it every time he's asked about it), a team's success comes from drafting Pujols over Polanco, not vice versa. By protecting 10, the idea is that it prevents any team from becoming to powerful.
4) For the Draft, I propose that multiple picks can be swapped for more or less picks. Again speaking to parity, teams must realize that in order to rebuild it takes more than one season.Some teams may realize their time to win is now. By having Team A allowed to trade for Julio Franco and Team B picking up a 10th and 12th round selection, both teams address needs. Also, look at the successful teams this season. All had a lot of players (41-Frostbite, 44- Brooklyn, 40- Worcester, 50- Yuma, 57- Darwin). Why? What does it mean? It means that for the duration of the season, injuries and bad trades do occur, thus depth is crucial. Its vitally important not just to replenish one's team, but to trade for a player when injuries do occur. Also think of it this way, by having more picks, it increases the probability of a bad team finding a diamond in the rough.
4B) Although MLB does not permit trading of draft picks, I think it would do BARB well to copy NFL's system. In the NFL, teams may trade one or more picks for one or more picks. For example, the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings swapped draft picks in the early nineties. The Vikins gave up something like 8 picks and 5 players for one player. The one was former Georgia RB Herschal Walker, who was overshadowed by the draft picks the Vikes gave to Dallas. Dallas selected Emmitt Smith, Darren Woodson, and Michael Irvin among others. Essentially the trade resulted in the Dallas Cowboys dominance in the 90s with Aikman and Jimmy Johnson. My point with this NFL lesson, is that MLB has 53 rounds in an attempt to get it right. BARB at most will have 12 rounds to get it right. As a GM, we need some flexibility to make trades and improve our ballclubs. Some teams have admitted taht they tend to have less time to scout players in preparation for the draft. They will have flexibilty to trade for players by swapping picks for players.
4C) Penalties during Draft: I think if a player is selected off another team, then not only is the next pick forfeited, but there is a 25% markup if seelcted in 1st round, 20% second, 10% third. This will be especially valuable if we had a $45 cap entering the draft. That is an X number of players can be protected as long as its under $45. It should benefit rebuilding teams.
GM Eric J. Caskey
Memo to BARB GMs
