Idea

I like where this is headed...I think having one 7 year contract per team is probably a pretty good idea and also the qo system for compensating losing a top free agent. My question @rockies...Would you lose a draft pick if you sign one of these guys?

End of season rankings. If you lose a player that's in the top 25, or top 50 you'd get a pick in between rounds 1 and 2.. doesn't have to be exactly that, but fantrax rates all players with a score end of year per our leagues scoring system 

I like the overall idea of compensation for losing FA, but I'm not sure I think there is a big enough reason to add it (if that makes sense). It sucks losing your players to FA, but it's affecting everyone the same (not like it's unfair). I don't follow the NBA at all so I'm not sure what the 7 year thing is yall are referring to, but that sounds interesting... How does that work?

In other league we did restricted arbitration (1 per team per season, only if you want to) where players chosen to go through that R Arb would be auctioned for 48 hrs and at end previous owner gets to decide whether or not to match that offer. Can be restricted to 1 yr auction in this case.

However, as Ryan said, it may be better - much better actually - and much less cumbersome in an already admin intense league to allow players to go into FA pool. At max, when you draft someone you get up to 13 years of control. To me, that's plenty. If owners want more control through prime years they simply need to resist promoting them from minors too early.

I agree that the salaries for those stars are definitely 'cheap' compared to what average to below avg MLB free agents have gone for in our league. However, this impacts everyone in our league equally (at least very close to equally). Will it be different to have guys like Altuve, Harper, Trout, Machado, Goldy, etc. all hitting FA in the same off-season? For sure - but everyone in our league has known those guys would hit FA after the 2021 season. If teams don't plan with that in mind (e.g. that spend a ton on other less notable FA's before that off-season), then unfortunately that's on them. Things will definitely get tougher when all those big names hit FA, but that's what makes it fun! Another reason that it's so important to build through the rookie draft/farm system (like real life). 

Opposed...after 4 years, the preset/predetermined value of a great many players, established during league creation, will finally be set at actual market value. Which means staggering price increases across the board on a great many players.

Owners already have the ability- thru a 6 year minors deal with no forced promotion from the minors- and then minors plus 6 years of absolute control to hold onto a player for 13 years... in a great many cases, the player contract is far below, to colossally below his actual value( Bryce Harper isn't collecting a salary above $10 million his first 6 years as he currently pulls in MLB).

Owners get to keep their cornerstone players for dirt cheap, for a very long time. That is how the system is set up. After all that time, at that crushed price point- time to let your birds fly away into the open market. It emphasizes a need for constant flow of talent from the minors to add dirt cheap talent. Which is why we have a 5 round draft, with 40 minors roster spots.

There was a process where an owner could put a player to market, have the right of first refusal on the contract, and get a discount on his contract and a 2 year extension. It was limited to 1 player a season, and set at a percent of his open market value during the players 3 arb years( 40, 60, 80%) .. That was fairly interesting.