New Compensation

[mattynokes]

A total of four (4) compensation players have been signed through Free Agency over the past two (2) seasons!

Here's something I brought up to DJ:
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- Type A compensation will happen between rounds 1 and 2. Type B compensation will happen between rounds 2 and 3
- Teams signing compensation players will lose their 5th round (Type A) or 6th round (Type B) picks
- Teams can sign a maximum of three compensated players per off-season
- Teams would also surrender their 4th round pick if three compensated players are signed
- Compensation selections will be done via pen and paper style and then entered in-game when the corresponding selections come up in the 5th and 6th rounds
- An archive (thread) will be posted in the draft forum to track the compensation selections
- Compensation picks are not tradable
- Sandwich round order is determined by the player's total contract offer received in Free Agency

And to clarify, you are giving up YOUR 5th or 6th (or possibly 4th) round pick. Even if you acquire other picks in that round that are earlier, you still lose your team's pick.
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So, for example, Houston signs a Type A player from Colorado. Colorado gets a compensation pick after the first round. When we get to that point in the draft Colorado makes their selection and it is noted by the draft coordinator. It is also updated in the archive thread so other GMs know the player has been taken. Then when we get to Houston's pick in the 5th round, the compensation selection made by Colorado is entered in-game.

A problem we've seen is people don't want to give up their earlier draft picks for free agents unless they're absolute studs. Quite frankly, realistically any GM would give up a pick for known commodity that can help their team since the pick is likely to take 3-5 years to become MLB material. With this we're not having to move picks around or have some complicated scheme. And if someone wouldn't give up a 5th round pick (that'll amount to a 70s peak) for a quality player, then they're looking at compensation all wrong.

[AndyP]

DJ has already said barring opposition this is going to happen.

It just makes too much sense. Teams at the top actually get compensation (the point of the system) for releasing players to FA. I know for a fact that I and other teams have hoarded talent rather than releasing them because it is meaningless to release them for compensation. I end up getting crappy 1 year deals rather then saving money with 2 or 3 year contracts.

The teams in the middle benefit by being able to bid on comp players without losing valuable 1st and 2nd round picks. They can then add a piece or two in FA that will allow them to take the next step without critically destroying their future chances.

Teams on the bottom never benefit or lose all that much in compensation because it isn't designed for them. They get to look forward to building a sustainable system if they choose wisely. If, however, they do choose to participate in FA - it's not as ludicrious as it was before. Now they're not giving up a top 10 pick (like Florida used to get Pace), they're giving up a low leverage pick to help their team.

Everyone wins in this system, FA is better, talent isn't hoarded. At the end of the day drafting well with the comp picks still makes or breaks the move. But teams continue to release proven talent and get nothing out of the old system. At least this system allows for an improvement in all the areas above.

[mattynokes]

Already some edits...

- Compensation picks are not tradable
- Sandwich round order is determined by the player's Compensation Score (higher score = earlier pick)

And to clarify, you are giving up YOUR 5th or 6th (or possibly 4th) round pick. Even if you acquire other picks in that round that are earlier, you still lose your team's pick.

Here's some pros and cons...

Pros
- A more active Free Agency for compensation players (a total of four players have been signed in the past two years)
- Signing teams only have to give up late round picks instead of 1st or 2nd round picks
- Rebuilding teams no longer have to fear losing their very early 1st (or 2nd) round picks
- Releasing teams will be able to open bids for their own players
----- In the past this has been seen as a way to get around having the negotiate a contract with the player since not many people have bid on compensation players. However, now it's a more natural Free Agency, and the team would likely face some competition for the player.
- Again, it plain, flat out promotes more players to be signed in Free Agency while teams don't have to fear losing even top 90 picks.

Cons
- A pen and paper style will need to be used
- Someone (I'll volunteer) will need to post a thread, updating the compensation selections throughout the draft
- During the draft GMs will have to keep note of the compensation selection thread (I'd suggest having another tab open on your browser)
- Picks beyond the 1st round will have slightly less value
----- For example, the first pick in the 2nd round won't have the same value, but it's also not like there will be so many compensation picks that it dilutes the value a large amount

[mike]

I like the idea. However this only helps cover up our talent inflation problem. All the 2nd round picks that r so valuable shouldn't be. Howevere I think the idea is way better than our current comp system. My only suggestion would be that we can trade comp picks, we were allowed to do it in the old system so I don't see why it shouldn't transfer over.

[Peter]

being able to trade the picks would result in manipulations of the system as far as I can see

[mattynokes]

For the fact of using 5th and 6th rounders as placeholders for the sandwich rounds, I think it would muddy up the process. It's different when we're using straight 1st and 2nd round picks.

[GoIrish]

I am not a fan of this sandwich round stuff, it is going to be a clusterfuck in keeping up with the draft. Not sure why you guys want to make things so difficult. If you want to change compensation, fine, do it and keep it simple. Make A a 2nd round compensation and B a 3rd round compensation. Or do a 3rd and 4th round compensation. This whole sandwich round stuff is great in theory but will be a giant clusterfuck come time of draft.

[Cdawg]

IDK if i have a problem, but when I see 33 year old CF's on the decline and Type A is being asked at 14M You begin to question if he's worth it. Perhaps if lowering the amount to sign the player AND perhaps lowering the Overall at which a player goes to the Agent, this might increase the youth at the Comp. level thus making more desirable comps.
that's just me though.

[AndyP]

I am not a fan of this sandwich round stuff, it is going to be a clusterfuck in keeping up with the draft. Not sure why you guys want to make things so difficult. If you want to change compensation, fine, do it and keep it simple. Make A a 2nd round compensation and B a 3rd round compensation. Or do a 3rd and 4th round compensation. This whole sandwich round stuff is great in theory but will be a giant clusterfuck come time of draft.

Well considering DJ usually runs the draft and he is thrilled with this idea....what specifically is the problem with a sandwhich round?

The problem with your suggestion is that a second round pick may not be enough to warrant people releasing FA. They'll simply collect talent (like we are now) and keep it off the market. And, as Cdawg points out, the financial cost is already so high that adding another cost (even a second round pick) is a major deterrent. A fifth or a sixth round pick immediately changes that.

This system encourages free agents to be released (Because you'll actually get comp!) and it reduces the cost for signing teams. What's not to love?

[GoIrish]

I am not a fan of this sandwich round stuff, it is going to be a clusterfuck in keeping up with the draft. Not sure why you guys want to make things so difficult. If you want to change compensation, fine, do it and keep it simple. Make A a 2nd round compensation and B a 3rd round compensation. Or do a 3rd and 4th round compensation. This whole sandwich round stuff is great in theory but will be a giant clusterfuck come time of draft.

Well considering DJ usually runs the draft and he is thrilled with this idea....what specifically is the problem with a sandwhich round?

The problem with your suggestion is that a second round pick may not be enough to warrant people releasing FA. They'll simply collect talent (like we are now) and keep it off the market. And, as Cdawg points out, the financial cost is already so high that adding another cost (even a second round pick) is a major deterrent. A fifth or a sixth round pick immediately changes that.

This system encourages free agents to be released (Because you'll actually get comp!) and it reduces the cost for signing teams. What's not to love?

I know on my end if DJ is not there, I don't want to deal with this headache at the draft. If a 2nd round is too much of a cost, make the compensation for A a 3rd round and B a 4th round. I would rather keep the process simple and do what the game allows us. Rather than come up with a system outside the game that will complicate matters. I like the concept in theory but come the night of the draft, this is going to be a headache to keep up with.