Open Comment Thread for Potential Rule Change - Larger Roster Sizes

Suggested to me this year:

"How about adding 5 more minor league spots.  These extra spots will help teams that are low in the standings to build a stronger farm system and also help teams that know their prospects well.  The catch though would be that once a team assigns a minor leaguer to one of these 5 special spots, they CANNOT be moved to until the end of the season (September call ups)."

Your thoughts?
I'm personally in favor of maintaining the 40-man roster - largely to keep more players in the pool - one of the "constraints" in BWB is roster size and a choice in the late season to keep a prospect or cut him loose to make room for an injury replacement is a big decision.

Orphan School - Lesson 2: The Roster

In a continuing series to help Orphan Team owners get up to speed...

See the BWB Rules about Rosters to cover this topic.  (a new tab/window will open)

There are 26 mandatory positions on your roster:

• 9 starting batters - covering all 8 fielder positions plus DH (any OF will do)
• 5 backup batters - fill in at a given position in a game if needed.  We'll talk bench on another day, but you want to cover all positions here, so multi-position guys are valuable.
• 5 starting pitchers - your starting rotation ordered 1-5
• 5 bullpen pitchers - the scoring formula outlines how many of these are needed in any game if your starting pitcher doesn't go 9 innings.
• 2 spot pitchers - If your scheduled starter doesn't have stats for a game, a spot starter will fill in from here.  You can also put a relief pitcher in here too who will fill in if any of your 5 bullpen guys don't have stats.

Those 26 slots can be filled by any player in the system, no matter their salary.
You also have 2 roster slots for the "Taxi Squad" and any player with any salary can go in these slots.  This is, in effect, our "disabled list" but you can put any player there - he doesn't have to be hurt.  However, his stats will never be used for a game (except for the last 3 weeks of the season, that's an exception for another time).

So you have 28 roster spots that can be filled by a player of any salary - 100-10000 (or whatever the top salary might be).

Side note: Injured Reserve is not your normal disabled list.  If you put a player on IR, you cannot remove him from there all year except if you cut or trade him.  You'd use that for some guy who wrecked his knee in April but you want him next year.  The IR spot does NOT count against your roster spots (so it basically gives you a 41st player if you use it).

Your final 12 roster spots are "minor league" slots.  And in BWB, our definition of minor league eligible is a player who has a salary of 250 or below.  So Matt Stairs just signed a minor league contract in real life and if he starts off there instead of the majors (and for some reason you have him), you still can't put him in your minor league slots - his salary is 408.  Think of these guys as "out of options" - you have to DFA them, you can't send them down...and in BWB that means if you want to get them out of an active spot you need to put them on IR (never to be used again this season), put them on Taxi Squad, or cut/trade them.

To help you out, there are some guides on your roster page.  Right above your player list, you'll see any warnings about your lineup and roster:

And below your roster list, there is a table that lets you know how you're set up on roster minimums and maximums - let's check it for a different team:

 

 The left side of this table shows the minimums.  This team has the minimum number of hitters - 14 - so if he cuts one, he'd need to pick up another to remain legal.  On the right side, we see roster maximums in relation to the number of hitters with salary over 250 you can have.  Your maximums are 16 hitters with salary 250 or higher and 14 pitchers at 250 or higher.  But then why doesn't the total add up to 30?  That's because in order to reach the maximum, you need to use the taxi squad slots, which are pitcher or hitter.  Your mandatory spots in the roster are 14 hitters, 12 pitchers (26 total).  Using the 2 taxi squad spots gets you 2 extra positions for players (now the total is 28) and all other roster spots - 12 total - are "minor league" slots.  

The team above can now only sign players who make salary 250 or below.

And - think about it - this roster is full on the major league side.  If this team signs a player with salary 100 now, but wants to use him in the starting lineup, there is no room - the 28 possible slots for players with salary 251 or higher are full - so in order to play the rookie, one of the higher-priced guys need to be dropped.

Roster Woes

I almost hate to look at the transactions every day...which guy is now going on the DL? What recent callup who I just signed to fill a hole was today just sent back down?

BWB is - among other things - a game of scarcity. And the decisions you make to deal with scarce resources will often decide the fate of your season.

Scarce Resource #1: Available players
You're in a league with 15 other teams. If you need to reach into the free agent pool to fix your roster, you might find the pickings slim in various positions (try to pick up a new backup catcher or a 2nd closer...I dare you).

Scarce Resource #2: Cash
It's not a matter of just going out and finding whatever player you want...you need to have the cash to pay for it. You can help yourself out by continuing to win games (you earn money for each win) - but you may need to make decisions to cut/trade a high-priced player in return for multiple players to fill your roster spots.

Scarce Resource #3: Roster space
You have only 5 bench spots and 2 spot pitcher slots that lets you have subs when your regulars are hurt or not playing for some other reason...not much needs to be said there. On top of that, you need to be aware that you have limits on the number of players you can sign who make over 250. You have a 40-man roster...but only players who make 250 or less can take one of your minor league spots. This gets even tougher if you're using a cheap player in a key role. You may find that you have to put him back in the minors because no one else can be sent down.

And the 40-man roster is definitely a limit too. You may have your top prospects all lined up for future seasons, but if you need to sign a player to cover an injured starter, it may mean cutting a rising star.

I'm always hesitant to fill a roster spot with a DH-only player. That's one fewer fielding substitute you've got and can mean problems in some games. Ideally, I like to find a good hitter who can play multiple positions as my DH. Multi-position eligibilty on the bench is valuable too.

Scarce Resource #4: Room for injured players
You've got one IR spot that lets you stash a player for next season (you can't make him active again) and only 2 taxi squad spots to store players you don't want on your active roster (either they're injured or make too much money to go to the minors). So, it starts getting a bit dangerous if you're storing injured players on your bench or in the spot starter slots. You may be fine...until someone else gets hurt.

Once in awhile, I'm asked about increasing the number of taxi squad spots - or removing the 250-salary limit for minor leaguers. But, dealing with these scarcities is part of the game. It forces you to make roster decisions - maybe finally cutting a player who won't be back until August (or next season) - and helps keep the game competitive.

Distant Early Warning

OK, after writing that headline, I've had my 80s Flashback (back when the "M" in MTV meant something) for the morning ...but I'm actually referring to some early roster warnings.

Danger Ahead!!! You may be on the way to a 50-100 finish in BWB. But it's not too late!

Here's a repeat of an email I sent out this morning to everyone --

I'm usually very hands off on team management, but after 2 weeks of play it's probably not a bad idea to check in and maybe raise a flag of warning. I assume that you're all looking at your game results and stats and rosters and attempting to shore up holes, but maybe you're not aware of any problems (or not paying attention).

The history of the game shows that you can overcome a bad start, but if you're inactive now and have roster problems, the history also indicates that you're going to check out for the rest of the season. It's your money, so that's fine (or your "expert reputation" if you're in the Expert League), but I also like to keep the leagues competitive and a team that goes 40-110 due to owner neglect doesn't help that.

So, just as a reminder - in case you're not paying attention (and count me as one of the guilty), here are some teams with some holes in the first two weeks. You may have already taken steps to fix, but in case you haven't looked at your roster in a while, you might want to check in before Friday's transaction deadline. Remember it takes a week between the time you sign a player before you can play him.

Or - maybe you play in a league with one of these teams and it's a friend of yours...maybe a gentle nudge from you can get him back in the game.

Not surprsingly, some teams appear on the lists below more than once. And, it's not the ONLY reason, but the fact that all the other teams in the Giamatti Division of the Commissioners League all appear twice may have helped South Park start off 11-1.

** Also - another strategy is to sign major league players making less than 250. You can store them in your minor league roster and they are immediately available to fill injury or other holes.

Links of note:

• Statistics Index
• Your Roster
• Standings
• Game Results

========== Hitting

Benchwarmer Batters - This is almost unavoidable over the course of the season (your starter and reserve will sit out the same game eventually). But if after 12 games you have more than, say, a half dozen BW Batters in your stats already, you might have some problems.

32 of the 272 teams fit that category - here are 14 teams with 10 or more BW Batters:

Reality Bites: Minneapolis (19)...that's me! I'm number one. Wow, I knew I had trouble at catcher, but now I see I've got issues at shortstop too.

Blue and Gray: Southern California (12)
Chevy Chase: Faber College (11) Gashouse (15)
Commissioners: Bellerose (14) Turley (11)
Deuces Wild: Bellerose (10)
Experts: NY/NJ Fantasy Phenoms (18) Lancaster (13)
Golden Throat: Boomer (11)
Longball: Sri Lanka (11)
Shadowball: BALCO LABS (12)
Three of a Kind: Johan Santana (15)
Triple Crown: Pittsburgh (12)

========= Starting Pitching

Pinesitter Pitchers - If you have ANY Pinesitter starting pitchers that means that you've got guys in rotation who aren't pitching AND spot starters who aren't pitching.

24 Teams have at least 1 PS Starter. Here are the 14 teams with 2 or more already.

Beer: Jamaican (2)
Commissioners: Turley (4) Bellerose (2) Shadow Ridge (2)
Deuces Wild: Grand Canyon (2)
Experts: Lancaster (2)
Golden Throat: Fulton Co. (4) Boston (2)
Longball: Southern California (2)
Redbirds: Baltimore (2)
Three of a Kind: Johan Santana (6!!!) Maryland (3)
Triple Crown: Uranus (4) New Brighton (2)

========= Relief Pitching

Pinesitter Pitchers - I know from my own experience that there has been a lot of injured relievers and guys going back and forth to the minors, so this have been tough to avoid. 86 of the 272 teams already have 1 or more PS relievers.

Here are 19 teams with already 6 or more...this means you might have major problems in your bullpen.

Beatleball: Roseville (10) Carlisle (9)
Bleed Dodger Blue: Team Japan (7)
Blue and Gray: Atlantis (7)
Chevy Chase: Gashouse (10)
Commissioners: Turley (23!!!) Shadow Ridge (14) Cleveland (10)
Experts: NY/NJ Fantasy Phenoms (11) Fantasy Bullpen (9)
Golden Throat: Fulton Co. (15) Austin (7)
Hall of Fame: Chincoteague Island (6)
Redbirds: UK (16)
Shadowball: Atlanta (9)
Three of a Kind: Johan Santana (19) Everett (6)
Triple Crown: Baldwin (18) Mars (11)

========= Relief Pitching

High "Innings Short" Average - Part of the bullpen scoring is based on total innings your bullpen puts in. These 9 teams have "average short" values higher than 3 innings per game. You may need to look at rearranging your order or find an innings-eater (or guys that pitch more often).

Beatleball - Brooklyn
Beer - Labatt's
Bleed Dodger Blue - Minneapolis
Chevy Chase - Quahog Faber College
Deuces Wild - St. Paul
Longball - Southern California
Three of a Kind - Vegas Strip
Triple Crown - New Brighton

Season opening things to remember...

This is generally a repeat of the email sent out earlier today....

The MLB season opens up Sunday night, but we don't kick off for another week. As a reminder, we don't count the first 5 games for hitters. Your Opening Day lineups must be set by Friday, April 10.

Here are some reminders about this week's transaction deadline (Week Zero - Monday night 4/6, midnight EDT). These are scattered throughout the rules - this is an attempt to give you one recap.

Deuces Wild - since you're still drafting, these do not apply to you just yet.

• You must have a legal roster after signings/cuts/trades on Monday. (26 players minimum, all mandatory slots filled). If you're short in any way, the league office will sign players for you.
• So - starting this week, you can't have any cuts or trades that would leave you below a minimum roster.
• Starting this week, the salary rebate for cut players goes up to 80% from 50% (except some of the new leagues who are still getting 100% - see your sign/cut page for details).
• All teams get an extra 2 million in cash. Technically, this is awarded after the transactions are done - but in reality you can figure in that extra cash in for your Week Zero transactions.
• Returning leagues only - You can only take $5 million into the season. Now would be the time to get your balance below that mark by signing players or creating multiyear contracts. The way it works - we run the transactions - check cash balances - anything above $5 million is cut down to that level - then all teams get $2 million (so you'll have 7 million when all is said and done). Again - if you drafted in a new league this season - the 5 million limit does not apply to you.
• Moving someone to Injured Reserve (IR) is permanent for the season. Use the "Taxi Squad" as our version of the shorter-term disabled list (or minor leagues if a player is eligible). You may find you need to cut players.
• Despite "real life" status, in BWB a player can only be put in the minors if he makes 250 or less in salary. You may need to make cuts.
• So far, I haven't made corrections to anyone's lineups. During the Week Zero transactions, if you have 15 minor leaguers or 8 guys in your rotation, etc. I'll be removing excess. I won't fill in missing holes until Week 1.
• Though lineups aren't due until Week 1, it helps the process if you start setting them ASAP as that helps me find teams missing a position. If you don't set a lineup by Week 1, the league will do it for you.

To see how BWB will automatically sign missing players or set your Opening Day lineups for you, see section 13 of the rules ("Inactive Owners"). Moral of the story - do it yourself.

Questions? Consult the rules, the FAQs, or email your League Admin ("Email BWB" link at the bottom of any web page).

Problems with Roster Limit Checking

Doing the Week -8 transactions, I found a problem with checking roster limits. In checking the database, I look to see if you're adding players (and adding hitters over 250, pitchers over 250, etc.) plus if you're cutting players in any of those same categories.

Last spring, I had to make some changes to make sure I handled players on IR correctly and that was all fine, but I found out that in the off season - when a lot of you haven't yet put players into lineup slots, I was missing some cuts.

So, in the previous few weeks, it may have been possible that I disallowed a signing when in fact it should have been legal. I apologize for this - it's fixed now and I'll have to reevaluate when players on IR are involved later in the season - but at this stage there's no way I can go back and modify that.