Post by Red Sox GM (Ty) on Feb 22, 2018 10:30:26 GMT -5
There is (understandably) some confusion about our league's policy on international free agents. The letter of the law and our precedent for dealing with these exceptions appear to be in conflict and need to be properly elucidated. As the league has evolved to address unforeseen issues, the rules weren't always amended to reflect that evolution. While our regular prospect thresholds (150 career AB or 50 career IP) apply to native players and those foreigners who are under age 23 and under contract at the start of our minor league draft every year, those older foreign players- who are ineligible for the draft- are only eligible for regular contracts. The reasoning behind this policy was that these players were likely to get immediate (or near immediate) playing time in the majors, and, as such, didn't need PP. I don't believe this was ever properly stated in an official capacity, but there is plenty of precedent, as BK has referenced. All that said, players like Ohtani have a relatively extensive history of receiving extremely bloated 1 year offers in our league, followed by a tag or series of tags, so this is largely a moot point for players of his reputation.
If you have already submitted an AAS bid on Ohtani, please re-submit a regular contract.
I will be as flexible as possible when processing bids to make sure that everybody who wants to bid on him can do so. If there are questions, please feel free to reach out to the LO and we'll do our best to dispel confusion.
HERE ARE THE (greatly simplified) RULES MOVING FORWARD:
Eligible for draft:
- Anyone from the MLB Amateur Draft who signed.
- Anyone who has been in the Minors for more than a season.
- Any IFAs signed this season under 23.
One of the above AND the player must be UNDER the 150AB/50IP threshold.
Ineligible for draft:
- IFAs 23 and over (they will be bid on in FA if posted).
- Anyone OVER the 150AB/50IP threshold.
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Free Agency - PP Bidding:
Any player who was eligible for the draft.
Free Agency - Normal bidding:
Any player ineligible for the draft.
If you have already submitted an AAS bid on Ohtani, please re-submit a regular contract.
I will be as flexible as possible when processing bids to make sure that everybody who wants to bid on him can do so. If there are questions, please feel free to reach out to the LO and we'll do our best to dispel confusion.
HERE ARE THE (greatly simplified) RULES MOVING FORWARD:
Eligible for draft:
- Anyone from the MLB Amateur Draft who signed.
- Anyone who has been in the Minors for more than a season.
- Any IFAs signed this season under 23.
One of the above AND the player must be UNDER the 150AB/50IP threshold.
Ineligible for draft:
- IFAs 23 and over (they will be bid on in FA if posted).
- Anyone OVER the 150AB/50IP threshold.
---------------------------------------
Free Agency - PP Bidding:
Any player who was eligible for the draft.
Free Agency - Normal bidding:
Any player ineligible for the draft.