IBC

All,

ExCo has decided to alter the roster rules for the 2019 in effort to give a more realistic sim experience and to aid teams accomplish goals for the season. For the 2019 season, we will expand to a 55-man roster and will require sim managers to have 25 active players at all times within the sim.

At present, the 10-man draft roster minimum will remain intact.

Here's how we're going to implement this change:

• For the immediate future, we are going to keep roster maximums at 50.
  Rather than place everybody on waivers or have a draft, we are going to use ZiPS Bidding this winter to get us to 55. Meaning, you will be able to expand your roster to 55 players using the ZiPS bidding system. We'll create a separate roster within your team page to accomplish this. You will have the opportunity to add 5 players via the ZiPS bidding system.
  After the ZiPS bidding period ends, rosters will officially be at 55, and you can construct them as you deem fit
  You are NOT required to have 25 active MLB players in the offseason. This is ONLY a requirement for the sim database and in season play.
  The ZiPS bidding quasi-auction draft to get us to 55 is a one-time event. We will continue ZiPS bidding in future seasons, but we will not have a separate roster for it in future offseasons.

This should help rebuilding teams add an extra couple of prospects while maintaining a roster that is realistic. This should help cut down on teams that win 40 games and 110 games routinely.

This also helps contending teams with DL spots.

These 5 spots in the regular season can be used as you deem fit. The ZiPS roster is for this offseason only.

You must have 25 active for every database in 2019. We are in the process of coming up with the penalty system, and potentially revamping DL violation penalties too.

Do I have to wait until all the ZIPSs have been posted on fangraphs before I can just sign 5 free agents, if I don't have time or want to bid on ZIPs scrubs?

That is outlined above, but yes, you have to wait and participate through the ZiPS auction draft. You can choose not to throughout the bidding season but your roster will remain at 50.

The easiest way to expand rosters is during the draft. Each team starts with 5 draft picks - and in theory could draft players without having to release one at the same time. For any team that traded away their draft picks, they can expand their rosters once the draft is over.

Much easier. Doesn't penalize teams that aren't around to bid on ZiPs releases within a certain time period. Very clean way to do it.

If we bid and win a player, for instance in the first Zips projections released, is that player immediately added to our roster as a 51st player?

If so, can that player be then traded while keeping our roster at limit at 51?

I like John's idea, partially because I have no idea what the ZIPS bidding system is as of yet, but it also does seem a lot cleaner. Could the ZIPS bidding system be used to sign players with no ZIPS projections?

I will add - this is also super easy to track as all rosters must be maintained at 50 (regardless of ZiPS bidding) unless they have a -18 designation. Those would be the only guys over the 50-limit you are allowed to have until the draft is completed.

Teams that want to expand via 'Amatuer draft' as opposed to 'ZiPS Auction'.

Arizona Diamondbacks
New York Mets
Oakland Athletics

14 players were bid on last year. Now, if all 30 teams want to expand, we'll need bidding on 150 players (30 teams X 5 players)?

Athletics wrote: ↑Mon Oct 22, 2018 12:35 pm 14 players were bid on last year. Now, if all 30 teams want to expand, we'll need bidding on 150 players (30 teams X 5 players)?

You can also wait until after the post-draft waiver period to make your 5 signings.

I may be wrong but wasn't Szymborski done with the ZiPS projections on Fangraphs before our draft last year? JP doesn't say you have to add 5 guys during the ZiPS phase of the offseason. You COULD add five guys or just wait until all the ZiPS are out and then simply fill your five extra roster spots via the draft/FA process. It doesn't have to all one or the other. You could get two guys via auction, draft two, and create/sign one. If our two offseason events(ZiPS/Draft) don't overlap I'm not sure why it would be complicated.

That's what I get for starting something and then going off to find something for lunch. JP snuck in before I got back and finished up.