Post by Red Sox GM (Ty) on Jan 27, 2008 3:05:52 GMT -5
Hey guys, with the league getting ready to roll, I just wanted to offer some advice about tackling a league like this- for those who haven't been involved in anything quite like this. 1) Do some scouting on your potential organizations before the franchise draft. This is probably the most crucial part of the entire league. Try to get a feel for contract situations as well as the quality of their farm systems- as they will become increasingly important as the A Ball guys become ML starters. Look at the salary cap section of the rules and familiarize yourself with how the different tags will work and how you might potentially use them in the future. 2) When selecting your keepers, keep in mind your salary cap. Would the Mariners GM like to have Carlos Silva in their rotation? Probably. Is keeping him at his current contract price the best way to go? Maybe not. The same goes for the players taken in our player draft (as their real life contracts will be added to their team's payroll.) With this in mind, plan on passing on the Jason Giambi's of the world until after the draft where you can sign him to a much more reasonable contract through the FA bidding system. This is the reason why I will require that you disclose the terms of a player's real life contract in the same post that you declare that you've taken him with your draft pick as well as their updated team salary- to prevent teams from getting in over their head. 3) Keep track of your team's salary and how much room you have under the cap after you select your keepers (don't forget the farm system) and after each draft pick. I realize 2 and 3 are a bit redundant, but I can't stress this enough. It may seem great to take Richie Sexson in the 8th round of the draft if you're short on pop or corner infielders, but he could cause some cap headaches. My advice is that it's better to wait on these overpriced contributors until you can bid on them in the open market and get a much better deal on them.