NL American Association Team 3 has been orphaned going into the 2021 season.
What makes us different:
When a player is drafted he is tagged with an expiration date. He must go back into the draft pool after a maximum of 3 seasons.
We limit the number of “Veteran” keepers to 6 per team/per season.
We feel that limiting the number of keepers and limiting the length an owner can hold a player promotes better competition. It keeps the draft pool stocked with better players, making the pre-season draft more important (and fun) than leagues that retain 10-12 players. These leagues usually get very unbalanced after a few years.
Keeping fewer players and eventually losing them to contract expiration mimic the state of baseball. We are trying to challenge each owner to build and maintain a competitive club using realistic parameters.
If a player is traded, the length of time remaining on his American Association contract is also traded. When you consider a trade, you must factor how long you can control a player. Are you willing to give up a good player (or 2) with 2.5 years of control, for a superior “go for it this season” player with only half a season remaining?
We have exceptions for “Rookie” and “Super 2” keepers.
In addition to the 6 Veteran players, we allow owners to protect Rookies (defined as no more than ML 130/AB or 50/IP) and a group of “Tweeners” we call “Super 2” players (defined as career 250/AB or 95/IP). We allow owners to mix and match up to 4 of these players in exchange for designated mid to late round draft slots.
We have monthly Supplemental Drafts. You may add up to 3 players per draft, but you must cut 3 players in order to do so. This prevents stockpiling and encourages more interaction/trades.
There are other minor rules and nuances not included above. But at the core, each owner is attempting to build a sustainable team by managing expiration dates and retaining a solid core, drafting well, identifying impact rookies and executing smart trades.
If you are interested, please contact me. I am happy to answer your questions and will provide the expiration dates for all the players.