Free Agent Guidelines For 2008

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 4:05 am

I'm interested in feedback on two free agent deadlines for 2008. Please help with your thoughts if you can.

1) Right now, we add free agents to FAAB lists up to 5 p.m. EST, or two hours before the FAAB deadline. We do this because several prospects get called up on Saturday or Sunday morning and STATS doesn't officially get them on NFBC rosters until they receive the lists from Major League Baseball. Unfortunately, it forces NFBC owners to keep checking their FAAB lists throughout Sunday to see if those players are added or not.

To prevent you folks from spending valuable time on Sunday waiting for those updates, it's possible that we could close out the free agent lists for additions at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday or even something reasonable like 7 a.m. EST on Sunday. It would prevent some top prospects from getting added that week, but it might bring more sanity to our owners. Those prospects would then be available the next week in your league. So my question to you die-hards is this: Would the NFBC be more manageable for you if we closed out that free agent deadline sooner on Sunday or would it hurt the competitive nature of the league?

2) Some folks want a later Sunday FAAB deadline, but I will admit that I'm not in favor of putting it too late as we've had technical problems in the past year and I need to be around and awake at the time of these moves to stay on top of STATS!

We currently have the Sunday deadline at 7 p.m. EST. Are you in favor of keeping it at 7 p.m. EST or would you like it slightly later? 8 p.m. EST? 9 p.m. EST??

Again, I do not want to move this into Monday morning as it just gets too late for folks to then make lineup changes before the first games on Monday. And if we have any technical problems, it makes it tough for us to correct if the deadline is overnite. But I'd still be interested in your feedback on the FAAB deadline and what we can do to make it better for our competitors.

Let's start with these two points and continue to discuss other points as they arise. Thanks for any help you can give us on this matter and good luck the rest of the way in the NFBC.

Spyhunter · Post by **Spyhunter** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 4:23 am

Greg,

Personally I would vote for a 9pm EST Sunday and keeping the FA call up the way it is. By moving it a coupleo of hours though, you would give people more time to check in. I agree with your points about Monday - this is the start of the work week and sometimes hard enough to get rosters in, much less deal with FAAB.

Frankly, I think if people aren't willing to commit to checking in a few times on Sunday, then are they playing in the right event???

Spy

SluggoJD · Post by **SluggoJD** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:28 am

I support either leaving it as is, or moving it forward in time, not backwards.

Right now, we are able to react to most unexpected events that happen on Sunday. Moving it backwards means something could happen on Sunday, and you would not be able to make a transaction to deal with it.

John

viper · Post by **viper** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 8:50 am

I like the current 7pm processing time. This gives people ample time to set lineups after their new players are place on rosters.

There is something about an earlier cut off time for free agents that appeals to me. I would like an earlier morning EDT time - possibly 7am. As it stands right now, late Sunday call-ups may not be known by everyone. People do go out the games and other events on Sunday. On days this happens, it would be nice to be able to check on new players in the morning and not feel compelled to check all during the day. This seems to be in line with the 12:01 am Friday DL requirement which lets you check quickly in the morning and not be concerned if things happen later in the day.

bjoak · Post by **bjoak** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 11:58 am

On a more pedantic issue, is it possible that conditional bids could be changed to allow for higher bids than the primary ones. There are lots of reasons someone would want to do this. For example, say you need a starting pitcher. Pitcher A can be had for about $10 and you regard that as a better deal than Pitcher B who can be had for $30. You'd rather A because it is a better deal but the current system doesn't allow you to go in that order.

Also, I liked the idea Greg mentioned last year, where you can bid as high as you like but the winning bid is only counted as $1 higher than the second place bid. Will that be considered again?

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 12:47 am

Originally posted by bjoak:

Also, I liked the idea Greg mentioned last year, where you can bid as high as you like but the winning bid is only counted as $1 higher than the second place bid. Will that be considered again? I definitely didn't mention this plan. I know some leagues use it, but in the NFBC it would reward owners who are in leagues where other teams aren't as aggressive or active in the FAAB bidding. We will definitely stick to our current FAAB process in 2008.

Joe Sambito · Post by **Joe Sambito** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 1:59 am

Whether it is 7 or 8 or 9. It doesn't matter much to me. Maybe 8 would be better, by that time all afternoon games are or should be over, and the Sunday night game is about to start.

I would be in favor of the cutoff being prior to any games starting on Sunday. This year I had a situation where James Loney was called up on Sunday, was in the starting lineup for a 4:00 game but was not eligible to be p-up at 7:00. This was bizarre to me, whereas someone called up for an early game would have been eligible. I think it would add a bit more consistency.

Edwards Kings · Post by **Edwards Kings** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:51 am

On point one, the Final FA lists for the upcoming week, I am in favor of the 12:01 am Sunday cut off. Yes, we will miss the first week of stats for certain future Hall of Famers called up on Sunday, but I like the idea of having time on Sunday, at my convience between family obligations, church, et al, to look at the final list to decide my FA choices for the week without having to commit time between 5 and 7. I readily admit the hole in this argument is that I will probably be checking anyway since there is always an opportunity for injuries occuring during the Sunday games. It is more of there is one less thing to be concerned about on Sunday afternoons.

On the 7:00 p.m. FA bid cutoff, I have no opinion. The additional time to later in the day may be of more advantage to the West Coasters/Mountain Timers, but I have no strong feelings either way. Just not too late. I go to bed early!

Richie · Post by **Richie** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:15 am

Greg, why not set up a poll so guys and gals can vote on your ideas. As I understand it, there is software available to do this very easily. All Star stats has polling. Any of the guys on this board into this type of software possibilities?

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:24 am

A 9pmET deadline would be great for me. I'm guessing most people in the forgotten time zones would welcome the change.

Terry H · Post by **Terry H** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:33 am

Originally posted by Joe Sambito:

Whether it is 7 or 8 or 9. It doesn't matter much to me. Maybe 8 would be better, by that time all afternoon games are or should be over, and the Sunday night game is about to start.

I would be in favor of the cutoff being prior to any games starting on Sunday. This year I had a situation where James Loney was called up on Sunday, was in the starting lineup for a 4:00 game but was not eligible to be p-up at 7:00. This was bizarre to me, whereas someone called up for an early game would have been eligible. I think it would add a bit more consistency. I had a similar experience in 2004. I was watching a player make his MLB debut and decided to make a bid on him. He wasn't in the player pool so I emailed Stats to see if he would added.

He wasn't added.

The next morning I received an email from Stats saying that he had been added and asked if I was able to pick him up. Sure enough there he was Monday AM.

[ September 18, 2007, 11:40 AM: Message edited by: Terry Haney ]

Mr Dalrae · Post by **Mr Dalrae** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:39 am

Greg,I would vote for the 12:01 am FA list cutoff and the 9:00 pm est for the FA bids.

Walla Walla · Post by **Walla Walla** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:40 am

I think a Saturday cut off at midnight is good.

Terry H · Post by **Terry H** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 6:05 am

Closing out the free agent lists for additions at 12:01 a.m. on Sunday accomplishes two things that I think are desirable. First it allows everybody the chance to bid on free agents that are added to the pool on Sunday, not just those that are at the computer that day. Secondly, as there is no way of knowing when a player is added to the free agent pool, a person wouldn't need to go through the free agent list repeatedly looking for any new additions.

KJ Duke · Post by **KJ Duke** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:35 am

I like both changes Greg. Set a deadline sometime Sunday morning for players to be added and move the FA deadline back to 9pm.

Gordon Gekko · Post by **Gordon Gekko** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 7:57 am

Originally posted by KJ Duke:

I like both changes Greg. Set a deadline sometime Sunday morning for players to be added and move the FA deadline back to 9pm. BINGO

BaseBrawler · Post by **BaseBrawler** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 8:30 am

As far as the rules go... As long as they are the same for everyone... thats good enough for me.

This was my first year in the NFBC , and I was very impressed by the way it was run.

What ever happens Im in next year .....

Lets Go Frozen ropes.

[ September 18, 2007, 02:35 PM: Message edited by: TheFoot ]

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 11:50 am

Originally posted by KJ Duke:

I like both changes Greg. Set a deadline sometime Sunday morning for players to be added and move the FA deadline back to 9pm. I am definitely leaning towards the early Sunday free agent cutoff. I realize that Sundays are getting too tough for some NFBC owners and this would help. I'll work with STATS on that timeline.

The Sunday night game on ESPN starts at 8 p.m. EST, correct? Does it make sense to cut off the free agent bids at that time? I'd almost hate to do it DURING the last game of the night. Maybe someone gets hurt during that game or something and some folks catch it and others don't. I know, not a BIG deal, but it would be an hour later than what we have now. Thoughts?

Red Sox Nation · Post by **Red Sox Nation** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 12:03 pm

I like the 8PM deadline. lets do it!

Quahogs · Post by **Quahogs** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:03 pm

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

quote:Originally posted by KJ Duke:

I like both changes Greg. Set a deadline sometime Sunday morning for players to be added and move the FA deadline back to 9pm. I am definitely leaning towards the early Sunday free agent cutoff. I realize that Sundays are getting too tough for some NFBC owners and this would help. I'll work with STATS on that timeline.

The Sunday night game on ESPN starts at 8 p.m. EST, correct? Does it make sense to cut off the free agent bids at that time? I'd almost hate to do it DURING the last game of the night. Maybe someone gets hurt during that game or something and some folks catch it and others don't. I know, not a BIG deal, but it would be an hour later than what we have now. Thoughts? [/QUOTE]Yes on both accounts. The extra hour gives people a little more time to finish their personal business and some time to let the west coast games settle i.e. results and injury news.

Q

Gordon Gekko · Post by **Gordon Gekko** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:08 pm

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

quote:Originally posted by KJ Duke:

I like both changes Greg. Set a deadline sometime Sunday morning for players to be added and move the FA deadline back to 9pm. I am definitely leaning towards the early Sunday free agent cutoff. I realize that Sundays are getting too tough for some NFBC owners and this would help. I'll work with STATS on that timeline.

The Sunday night game on ESPN starts at 8 p.m. EST, correct? Does it make sense to cut off the free agent bids at that time? I'd almost hate to do it DURING the last game of the night. Maybe someone gets hurt during that game or something and some folks catch it and others don't. I know, not a BIG deal, but it would be an hour later than what we have now. Thoughts? [/QUOTE]good job greg!!

Plymouth · Post by **Plymouth** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:22 pm

Is there a way that new players added to the pool can be quickly identified? Something like a report that would show added players added to the FA pool that week. It would make life a lot easier to see all the names in one place without having to do a lot of searching. This would cut down on some of the questions on who was added and who was not and might help prevent some long term issues.

Liquidhippo · Post by **Liquidhippo** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 6:08 pm

My biggest concern about waivers, is the incredible amount of time it takes to put in long chains of contingency bids. I'm in numerous leagues, and even if I'm 'set' on Saturday, news comes out for merely one player, and I've got to put in an hour worth of clicking to 'amend' the current queues. Some weekends there are 10-12 'breaking' news items and I know I'll have to either spend the bulk of my weekend putting players in queues, editing/modifying bid amounts, or just let my teams suffer(this in part a result of the html nature of the software and the numerous pages one must wait to be loaded for a single addition).

With the 7pm deadline, when that time comes, usually I'm relieved that finally, I don't have to spend any more time clicking html tags, but by that time, my weekend is over. I think someone mentioned a Java interface that's much quicker. I'd LOVE to see that implemented.

I'd say move the waiver deadline as late as possible. The later, the better. Heck make it midnight.

I like to go to ball games on Sunday, sometimes to ballparks 2-3 hours away. But if its a 1pm game, that ends around 4pm. I have to choose between doing waivers, or going to the ball game. Yes, you can have it set up ahead of time, but every week, there's ALWAYS a new development that changes everything(in terms of what your waiver strategy would be).

With a later waiver deadline, if its significantly later, I could actually, theoretically, do things on Sunday! and have time to get back, digest the recent news, and make waiver changes.

As far as the deadline for stats to add players to the database, I'll leave that discussion to everyone else for now, except to say that I feel strongly that the NFBC should go to 40 man rosters for the player pool. This contest should reward the most knowledgeable fantasy players. If a player is sharp enough to follow the minor league players, know who's hot, and can anticipate a callup, they should be able to leverage that into an advantage in this competition. As it is, you have to wait until after the callup, until even the novice knows who's hot because they read about the callup on CBS sportsline, at which point its left to the luck of the draw in FAAB waiver battles, which is always a total, total crapshoot, where luck is maximized and skill is minimized, in my humble opinion. Moving to 40 man rosters would increase the element of skill, decrease the element of luck, and make the NFBC an even greater contest.

[ September 20, 2007, 12:09 AM: Message edited by: Liquidhippo ]

KJ Duke · Post by **KJ Duke** » Wed Sep 19, 2007 8:03 pm

Originally posted by Liquidhippo:

My biggest concern about waivers, is the incredible amount of time it takes to put in long chains of contingency bids. I'm in numerous leagues, and even if I'm 'set' on Saturday, news comes out for merely one player, and I've got to put in an hour worth of clicking to 'amend' the current queues. Some weekends there are 10-12 'breaking' news items and I know I'll have to either spend the bulk of my weekend putting players in queues, editing/modifying bid amounts, or just let my teams suffer(this in part a result of the html nature of the software and the numerous pages one must wait to be loaded for a single addition).

With the 7pm deadline, when that time comes, usually I'm relieved that finally, I don't have to spend any more time clicking html tags, but by that time, my weekend is over. I think someone mentioned a Java interface that's much quicker. I'd LOVE to see that implemented.

I'd say move the waiver deadline as late as possible. The later, the better. Heck make it midnight.

I like to go to ball games on Sunday, sometimes to ballparks 2-3 hours away. But if its a 1pm game, that ends around 4pm. I have to choose between doing waivers, or going to the ball game. Yes, you can have it set up ahead of time, but every week, there's ALWAYS a new development that changes everything(in terms of what your waiver strategy would be).

With a later waiver deadline, if its significantly later, I could actually, theoretically, do things on Sunday! and have time to get back, digest the recent news, and make waiver changes.

As far as the deadline for stats to add players to the database, I'll leave that discussion to everyone else for now, except to say that I feel strongly that the NFBC should go to 40 man rosters for the player pool. This contest should reward the most knowledgeable fantasy players. If a player is sharp enough to follow the minor league players, know who's hot, and can anticipate a callup, they should be able to leverage that into an advantage in this competition. As it is, you have to wait until after the callup, until even the novice knows who's hot because they read about the callup on CBS sportsline, at which point its left to the luck of the draw in FAAB waiver battles, which is always a total, total crapshoot, where luck is maximized and skill is minimized, in my humble opinion. Moving to 40 man rosters would increase the element of skill, decrease the element of luck, and make the NFBC an even greater contest. Excellent points Greg.

I play in a Sunday afternoon softball lge which limits my ability do deal with late-breaking news certain weekends depending on starting times and on DH-weekends. The 4pm west coast deadline is difficult, I think it puts much of the West Coast at a disadvantage as we have to interrupt our midday on the weekend to get caught up. 6pm or later would be MUCH better. Likewise, making it easier to adjust player bids would also be a huge improvement.

Gordon Gekko · Post by **Gordon Gekko** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 2:58 am

a bit off topic i guess, but i wouldn't mind a small roster size increase for next year. 1 or 2 slots would be ideal.