Similar to MLB, I propose we incorporate player options on guys who are rookie eligible (…or maybe open it up to players with less than 3 years of service time?).  As it stands now, we have a rule in place that allows teams to reserve players on draft day with less than 6 years of service time.  The one player that still isn’t protected in my opinion is the rookie.  Once you activate a rookie, he’s on your roster all year, unless the MLB team sends him back down or he’s injured.  This discourages teams from activating young pitchers because they’re afraid of poor results without the option of sending him down to your farm.  The other fear is having the player get shut down in Sept, and you’re now stuck.  Lastly, if you activate a young player during the regular season, and he gets sent down, but called up during Sept roster expansion, you’re screwed.  Player options could eliminate these problems.  I propose three total player options per player.

SOT teams are allowed one reserve list (for injured players (Colon), players that have 6 or less years of MLB service time). However those players must occupy a roster spot on the day of the SOT Draft and can then be reserved after the regular draft is finished. A transaction draft will then take place open roster spots will be filled. Stats for players selected in the transaction draft do not count for first scoring period.
Proposed Rule:

Instead of allowing players with 6 or less years of MLB  service time qualify here, I propose we move it to 3 or less years of MLB service time.  In my opinion, players between 3-6 years should either be on your active roster, on your reserved list due to an injury, or a free agent.  I don’t know if teams reserved players between 3-6 last year, but it looks like a loop hole.

*$50 per team (paid at the wm)

*12 squares each picked at the wm

*4 wildcard squares (will be the remaining unclaimed squares)

*$100 pay out with end of quarter score winner

*For every wildcard square winner we pull a team name out of a hat at the draft to decide the winner

Everyone in?

Same would apply for a Free Agent hitter being activated from the DL.  As long as that player is playing in that game or activated I’m okay with it.

What do they have in common?  They led the league in saves and weren’t owned in SOT.  I think we all understand that the SV isn’t a perfect stat (what is?).  I think we all understand that closers are overrated.  I think we all understand that closers are paid too much.  However, there’s no denying that Mo and Nathan have been the best two relievers in baseball over the past five years, yet have gone unowned in SOT.  At the same time, Scott Downs, Jose Mijares, Matt Guerrier, and Michael Wuertz have become sought after commodities.  We get it, they’re cheap, and they’re productive, no dispute.  But I believe the value equation has tipped too far in the direction of Holds guys and I’d like to see it tip back towards closers.  The fact is, we use MLB salaries to set a cap, and MLB GM’s have determined that closers are more valuable than middle relievers and pay them accordingly.

My solution:

SV catagory = 1.25pt

H category = .75 pt

This change would tip the scales back towards the closer. I’m aware that we’re a 365 day league, so if the league would prefer, we could enforce this rule in 2011 instead of 2010.  However, with guys like Soriano, Gonzalez, MoNathan, Fuentes, Wood, and Rodney all available, there are plenty of options for teams looking to fill a SV role in 2010.  This would also add some depth to our draft placing an emphasis back on the CL role.