Minor League Roster/Draft

[Chris - D-Town Diamond Dusters]

I have long been contemplating adding a minor league roster to this league, and have even experimented with it in the past. After some research, I think I have a pretty decent layout set up. Let me know your thoughts.... the outline is below:

Three round minor league draft. Or more, this hasn't been decided - comment with your thoughts

This draft is optional. If you choose to pass, you cannot make any picks during the entire draft from that point on.

Eligible players to be selected are those who maintain MLB rookie status (less than 150ab, 45ip).

Salaries for players selected will be as follows:
• 1st round pick: 10
• 2nd round pick: 5
• 3rd round pick: 2

Each player selected will have a contract of 2 years (2M [M denotes minor league player]). This contract clock does not begin until a player is promoted from the minors to active or reserve on a Denny’s League Roster.

A player is not required to be promoted until the beginning of the season after MLB rookie status was exhausted, unless the player is on the MLB teams opening day roster in the year in which he was drafted. If a player is promoted mid-season to the MLB, he may be left in on a Denny's League minors roster until the owner chooses to promote him, and may be left in the minors until season's end if the owner wishes to delay the start of his contract clock.

Once a player is promoted from the minor league roster, he may not be placed back on the minors roster, regardless of whether he is sent down in the MLB or not.

When a player is promoted from the minors roster, there will be no replacement for him until the following years draft.

With this rule, minor league players will no longer be available to claim on waivers until they have spent one FULL day in the major leagues.

This rule will not affect any minor leaguers who are currently on Denny’s League Rosters – those players may still be kept under the current rules.

Minor Leaguers may still be drafted during the standard portion of the Denny's League draft. Those players drafted must be kept either in reserves or active, regardless of rookie status. No player can be moved onto the minor league roster in any way other than draft or trade. Their contracts will also fall under the same rules as all other players drafted during the 35 round draft.

Trading of minor leaguers is allowed. If a team trades for a player from another squads minor league roster, there are three options: A) If you have an open spot on your minors roster for a player of the same value (round drafted) of the player you are trading for, you may place him there;
B) You may place the traded-for player in reserves, starting his contract clock;
C) Release the player who previously was rostered in the minors with the same value as the player you are trading for.
If you trade for a player whose contract clock has already begun, you may not place him on your minors roster.

Draft order will ALWAYS be in reverse order of the final regular season standings to determine picks 1-8, and in reverse order of playoff finish for picks 9-12. Any potential addition of a consolation tournament will not affect the draft order for the minor league draft.

[Paul - Hanover Headhunters]

Chris - I'm all for an expanded minor league system. In fact I'd prefer more than 3 rds, but that's just me.

One question - would these minor leaguers be automatically kept or would their budget come out of the 250 we currently use?

[Chris - D-Town Diamond Dusters]

They would not count towards the 250, unless they have been called up from your minors the previous season. Otherwise, they can be kept as long as you have to corresponding minor league draft pick available.

[mmurdock]

I am a big fan of this idea. I would even be in favor of a larger draft of say, 5 picks instead of three. I'll take what I can get though. Great idea Chris!

[Doug - Tatooine Tusken-Raiders]

I like the idea of a minor league roster.

Will there be a list of players available to draft for the minor league team?

I think the salary is too high. I think the first pick salary should be 7 instead of 10.

[Joe - Milwaukee Brewers]

I think they should have a smallest value possible since you are taking a longshot when they get to your active roster.
So if he gets called up in September I activate him now I can only keep 2 more years?
That is something that should be addressed

[Chris - D-Town Diamond Dusters]

I would be willing to make the rosters bigger, 5 or even 7. I don't know about making them the smallest value, as you're not necessarily taking long shots, you may be taking all triple-a guys who are a month away from the bigs. I suppose that is all about your strategy though.

And Joe, you are correct. If a player got called up in Sept, and you activate him that month would count as the first year of his two. This creates a little more strategy. Kind of like MLB teams keeping guys down until June to delay their arbitration clock. Is activating a guy for a month or two worth losing a year of his contract? That all depends - if you had Stanton last year and activated him in July, he may have carried you to some cash. But if you kept him down, maybe you still would have won, and now you get him for 2011 and 2012. Just adds a little managerial wrinkle to things I think.

[Quintin - Alexandria Beetles]

I'd prefer to get stay out of the minor league business. I think rookies (Heyward, Strasburg, Posey, etc) should be eligible for the regular draft.

[Doug - Tatooine Tusken-Raiders]

I am pretty sure that they would be available to draft. The minor league draft is after regular draft, so if you want to pick up minor leaguers during the regular draft you can. Lets say you want to make one of them your 35 pick, his value ($1)would be lower than your first minor league pick($7-$10).

[Chris - D-Town Diamond Dusters]

Exactly... you can still pick anyone during the regular draft. You would just have to keep them on your 35 man roster - they could not be transferred to the minors roster.

Also, if you didn't wish to participate in the minors draft, you can pass and not face any sort of illegal roster situation. The minors roster would be separate from the regular 35 man roster for all intensive purposes.

[Mike - N.C. Pine Tar Sluggers]

I am uncertain but willing to try. I would prefer the smaller 3 man option. That way every team can learn slowly (and don't fall behind if they totally misunderstand the concept).

I also am not sure about the No Draft, No pickup option. Since it is an extra draft, I would think there should be some post draft option to fill your minor league roaster (after all, you are picking from the last choices & not hurting anyone who participated). Otherwise I could see a situation where a couple teams are shut out of the minors and 2-3 years later having some "small market" teams that fall out of competition.

Mike F - co-GM Pine Tar Sluggers

[Chris - D-Town Diamond Dusters]

We could always start it out this year on a trial basis with 3 man rosters, and then expand in successive years as people grow accustomed to it.

I suppose there could be a post-draft pickup option, and that could work. However, I would still say once Opening Day hits, there are zero pickups of minor leaguers allowed. Call it the Strasburg rule - as he was picked up shortly after the amateur draft a couple years back.

I am sure there will be a team or two who elects to pass on the minors option, which is why they minors players would not count against the overall roster requirements. That way, the teams the chose not to participate will not need to worry about illegal lineups.

[Doug - Tatooine Tusken-Raiders]

I agree w/ Mike. He has some good points about the minor league draft about people falling behind. Having the 3 man minor league rost sounds like a better choice to me also.