But all of this cannot happen without keepers, a touchy subject. But I think with the right rules, we can have keepers, a stimulating draft, and plenty of free agents to choose from. We can have our cake and eat it too!

Updated 07/01/02 10:15 PM
The difference between prior keeper leagues (Lick's), prior keeper proposals (Seeger's "Plan Quagmire"), and my proposal is that a player cannot be kept indefinitely and there are risks in keeping a player:

• When a player is drafted or picked up as a free agent, they are signed to a two-year contract. (If picked up mid-season, the current season and next season count as two years.)
   
• The rules allow for a third "option" year without an increase in salary. At the end of the option year, the player must be released.
   
• You can sign a player to a long-term contract for a price -- $5 for each year. The player cannot be released during the long-term contract and they must be released at the end of the contract.

Please give this proposal serious consideration. I think it will make a great league even better.

II. AUCTION

Updated 07/04/02
2.1. Each team must acquire 26 players (which includes their "keepers") at a total cost not to exceed $260 (not real money). A team need not spend the maximum.

2.2. Teams will nominate players for acquisition in random order.

2.5. The team bidding first opens with a salary bid of at least $1 for any eligible player and the bidding proceeds at minimum increments of $1 until only one bidder is left. That team acquires the nominated player for the final bid amount. The process is repeated, with successive owners nominating players to be bid on, until every team has acquired a squad of 26 players.

2.6. No team may make a bid for a player it cannot afford. For example, a team with $3 left and two openings on its roster is limited to a maximum bid of $2 for one player. (Leaving $1 for the other unfilled roster spot.)

2.9. The salary of a player acquired in the auction is his final bid amount.

V. PLAYER SALARIES

5.0. After the auction, a salary cap of $360 applies.

5.1. The salary of a player does not change unless the player becomes a free agent, or is signed to a long-term contract.

5.2. The salary of a player acquired in the auction is his auction price.

5.4. The salary of a player called up from the free agent pool is $10.

5.5. When a player is claimed off waivers, his salary either becomes $10 or remains the same, whichever is higher. If the player clears waivers (i.e., is not claimed), then he becomes a free agent. If he is subsequently acquired, his salary becomes the same as a free agent, $10.

IX. TRADES

9.5. Trades can be made in the off-season, but are subject to the same in-season voting procedure. Votes will be collected by the commissioner via email. Unlike in-season, owners will have 7 days to vote.

9.8. Auction money may not be traded at any time.

X. WAIVERS

10.1. Any player may be released at any time by his team.

10.2. When a player is released, he is placed on waivers for at least 24 hours. During that period, the team highest on the waiver list to claim the player acquires the player. (Those are the current rules. But because a player's salary is effected if he clears waivers -- free agents are $10 -- I'd like to extend the waiver period from "at least 24 hours" to several days.)

07/04/02 Follow Up: Communicating with SportsLine, I found out that if we want to use their waiver process, increasing the waiver period beyond "at least 24 hours" is not possible. The only other alternative -- because I'm not willing to spend several hours a day doing it by hand -- is to move to weekly transactions, which includes weekly lineup setting, just like fantasy football.

10.3. When a player is claimed off waivers, his salary either becomes $10 or remains the same, whichever is higher.

10.4. After the waiver period has passed, if the player has not been claimed, he immediately becomes a free agent and is available to all teams.

10.5. The team who waived the player cannot claim the player off waivers. That team must wait until the player clears waivers and becomes a free agent before reacquiring the player.

07/04/02 Follow Up: Because of the Follow Up under rule 10.2, rule 10.5 becomes moot. Dropping a player to waivers and then picking him up again in a day or two doesn't offer a team much advantage. And with our waivers system, any waiver claim moves the team to the bottom of the waiver list. This ensures teams "pay" for their pickups.

XI. FREE-AGENT ELIGIBILITY

11.1. Any player who is not owned by another team and is not currently on the waiver list may be acquired as a free agent.

11.2. No free agents may be acquired between the last day of the playoffs and the start of the draft.

11.3. Free agents may be picked up from the conclusion of the draft to the last day of the playoffs.

11.4. After a player is released to the free agent pool, he is eligible to be claimed by all teams on a first-come, first-served basis.

XIII. MINOR LEAGUES

13.1. Minor league players may be drafted, picked up on waivers, picked up as free agents -- whatever. They are not treated any differently than major league players.

XIV. ROSTER PROTECTION AND CONTRACTS

14.1. From season to season, each team must retain between 7 and 12 players. (This is the "typical" keeper rule. However, I'd like to reduce these numbers. To what, I don't know. What do you think?)

14.2. The names of the players being retained must be reported to the commissioner by midnight exactly two weeks before the next auction. No trades may take place between then and the auction.

14.3. After two seasons (a season is defined as any part of a major league season) of a player being owned by any team without having been released to the free agent pool, the player must be signed to a long-term contract, given his option contract, or released.

14.4. If a player is released, he is made available to all teams in the next auction.

14.5. If a player is given his option contract, his salary remains the same for one season. After that season is complete, the player must be released and made available for the next auction.

14.6. If a player is signed to a long-term contract, his salary will be raised by $5 for each year of the long-term contract. For example, if a player’s salary is $9 and a team wishes to sign him to a three-year contract, his salary is increased by $15 to $24.

14.7. A player cannot be released before the end of his long-term contract, even in the off-season.

14.8. A player may be signed to only one long-term contract. After the contract has expired, the player must be released and made available for the next auction.

14.10. Trades do not affect the contract status of a player.

-- The End --