Redshirt Tag
Oct 22, 2012 1:12:33 GMT -5
Post by Ben (Rays GM) on Oct 22, 2012 1:12:33 GMT -5
Finally, I want to remind you that, although we try not to change any rules that will significantly alter the strategies used to play this game without announcing them significantly in advance, we do have some ideas in the pipeline that are worth you knowing about so as to plan accordingly. One thing we are considering is a way to allow teams to hold on to their cost-controlled players a little bit longer, by giving you an option to "redshirt" them at some point during their first three seasons. By redshirting a player, you'd prevent him from gaining a year of service for that season, even if he achieves the ABs or IPs necessary, but in exchange, you wouldn't be able to use that player on your active roster at all this season. This would give you a little bit more say in how and when your players get called up. It would allow teams that aren't in contention not to waste service time of key young players, and it would allow you not to burn service time for young players who are going to miss a significant portion of the season due to injury. Another rule change that we are often asked about is finding some way to allow teams an option for contract extensions. We continue to look into this, and there are some possibilities for how this might be done, but we don't have an official plan yet. I think that the chances of the red shirt rule being implemented for 2013 are better than 50-50, but the chances of the contract extension rule being implemented that soon are significantly less. I just wanted to disclose this to all of you so that you have all of the information necessary to properly value your young players.
I'm very excited to announce a new rule that has been in the pipeline for some time. This "redshirt" rule is designed to achieve a variety of things: to improve the competitive balance of the league, to give teams more control over calling up prospects, to allow you to keep your players longer, and to increase accountability for maintaining a complete and active roster on Yahoo. Read on to see how...
Each year, a team may be able to redshirt up to five players. Up to two of your redshirts may be 2nd or 3rd year players; the rest must be minors/1st year players. A redshirted player does not gain a year of service even if he accumulates the necessary playing time, but cannot be used on your active roster for the entirety of the season.
A player can only be redshirted once, unless he doesn't reach the minimum playing time to achieve a year of service for that season, in which case he may be redshirted again at a later time. In other words, if it turns out the tag was unnecessary, the player may be tagged again. Once a player has been redshirted it will be indicated on the Official Rosters throughout his cost-controlled years, and he will remain a year behind the typical cost-control schedule, reaching free agency a year later than he otherwise would have.
It is important to us that teams attempt to remain competitive, and we don't want the opportunity to redshirt players to cause rebuilding and future-oriented teams to field depleted lineups. So, in order to redshirt a player, teams must first apply, stating their reasoning for requesting the redshirt and demonstrating sufficient depth at that position (including at DH for hitters and at P for pitchers) to cover the loss. Commissioners will consider each application individually. Unsuccessful applications may be appealed by PM or resubmitted once cover is found, or may be replaced with a new application to redshirt a different player.
In addition, ensuring that your redshirt requests succeed will be a season-long endeavor. If we notice that you are not fielding a complete lineup on Yahoo of active players (players with "NA" listed by their names do not count as active), you will be notified, and failure to address the issue may result in some or all of your redshirts being lifted and the players gaining service time despite your efforts. We want teams to field full lineups! Consider the ability to keep your players longer an incentive. We may also choose to lift your redshirts if we determine that you are not making an honest effort to field the best team you can with what you have available - for example, if you're using a bench player who gets two or three at bats per week as your second baseman while another more competent and regular 2B is wasted on your bench or in your minor leagues, you will be notified and, unless you can convince us of your intentions, you will be given a deadline to address the issue. Failure to do so may result in redshirts being lifted (it may also still result in the team being dropped in the draft order or in expulsion from the game, as it does now). Players who have had their red shirts lifted by the commissioners may be re-tagged in future seasons provided that all criteria for redshirting are met.
You may choose to lift a redshirt during the season, but only two of your redshirts may be lifted, and must be lifted prior to the trade deadline. If you lift a redshirt you may then use the player, but any benefits of delaying the service clock will be lost. This applies to all service time gained for the full year, even service time accumulated prior to the lifting of the redshirt. So, if you redshirt a player who then proceeds to have a fantastic two months in which he would have gained a year of service, then you lift the redshirt and the next day he suffers a season-ending injury, he still gains a year of service in our game, even though he was redshirted and inactive during the time of his service and only had one day as an active player on your team. If a player's redshirt is lifted,
You may only trade away redshirted players if you lift the redshirt before trading (this would count towards your limit of two redshirts lifted per season).
The timeframe and method for redshirting players will be announced at a later time, but the process will take place in the weeks leading up to the start of the season. You will be able to treat Spring Training as an opportunity to decide which players to redshirt.