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2015 YEAR IN REVIEW
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by Leroy Estep                                             

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AROUND THE ACBA
The 2015 season is now behind us and this year's campaign did not fail to provide its fair share of interesting storylines. The league has new owners, new teams on the way, new award winners and of course, a new champion. Let's take a look back and remember the highs and lows around the ACBA...
 
THE WINNERS:
Senhollow Abory proved once and for all that a team's regular season performance is not a surefire indicator of how well it will function in the playoffs. Coming into the 2015 season, the league had huge expectations from a star-studded Senhollow roster that seemed destined to dominate. But by mid-August, the team still hadn't seemed to find it's groove and some began to question whether or not a playoff run was even in the cards... and then the switch flipped. Behind a monster pitching staff led by ACBA Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw and young stars Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, Sam Siegel's boys became the world-beaters that everybody had been expecting to see all year. If any team in this league has true dynasty potential, this is it.
 
Of course, the Warren Warriors refused to go down without a fight. The cream of the ACBA's National League won 75 regular season matchups and went deep into the post season, eventually losing the September Classic in six games. Owner John Sheets put the first overall pick of the 2015 Free Agent Draft to good use, picking up the perennially dangerous Andrew McCutchen to captain a team featuring slugger J.D. Martinez and staff ace Zack Greinke. With two playoff appearances and 194 wins over three seasons, you can expect to see the Wolverines back in title contention very soon.
 
Two-time ACBA Manager of the Year Brent Ford knows all too well how elusive an ACBA title can be. His Michigan Mud Hens won a league best 76 games in 2015, but were ousted from the playoffs in a first round collision against a Senhollow team that would go on to win it all. “The competition in this league is phenomenal” says Ford, “I’m honestly surprised we did as well as we did”. The rest of us weren’t, Ford. With power slugging Nelson Cruz averaging a whopping 4 points per game through the middle of August and pitching phenoms Chris Sale and Chris Archer anchoring the rotation, it’s no wonder the Mud Hens broke out big in 2015.
 
THE CONTENDERS: 
The Green Bay Title Company never quit. One ACBA title is obviously not enough for owner Michael Anderson, who finds a new way every year to stay relevant. League MVP Josh Donaldson and his real life teammate Jose Bautista combined for an opponent crushing 1316 fantasy points. Throw Albert Pujols and Nolan Arenado into the mix and you have the makings of an offensive juggernaut that made a deep playoff run in 2015. Still, you have to wonder how far they might have gone had the pitching staff only been a little more reliable...
 
In 2014, the team formerly known as the Merrimack Tomahawks were without a doubt the worst team in the ACBA. The organization folded after winning a league low 37 games, leaving a once hopeful franchise in tattered ruins. Then comes along new owner Mike Lewis, who moves the team out west and ends up managing his newly reborn Sacramento Solons to 64 regular season wins. Wow… not bad for a team that spent most of it’s first draft investing in long term prospects like Yoan Moncada and Daniel Norris. The ride didn’t end there either. Just before the trade deadline in July the team acquired ace pitcher Jake Arrieta from Flint. The move propelled the Solons to an electrifying playoff run in which they eventually forced an exciting seventh game against Senhollow in the league semi-finals. Can the Sacramento Solons repeat this kind of success in 2016? Are they “one-year-wonders” or an emerging powerhouse in the ACBA?
 
True, the Utah Golden Spikes really helped themselves out by managing to score Justin Upton in a blockbuster pre-season trade. But the real difference makers for Utah came out of the junkyard in 2015. The Spikes, desperate for an offensive spark, took a chance on the league’s most reviled (and underestimated) player... Alex Rodriguez. A-Rod shocked the world and delivered as the team’s most valuable player. They also managed to acquire Prince Fielder (and his questionable surgically repaired neck) off of preseason waivers, which helped spur Utah on to a surprising second place finish in a very tough division. This is a team with a bright future and an arsenal of high round draft picks for seasons to come. However, the pitching staff has got to improve if Golden Spikes Owner Leroy Estep hopes to take his team to the next level.
 
Two words sum up the Washington Wolves 2015 success… Rizzo and Cargo. The team has got to be pleased with the performances of these two “shake and bake” sluggers. Granted, other surprise players like AJ Pollock and Kendrys Morales made big contributions for the Wolves, but you need those big names like Anthony Rizzo and the oft-injured (and terribly expensive) Carlos Gonzalez to really produce fantasy points if you want to compete. Washington won 62 games and racked up another playoff appearance for veteran owner Jack Cahoon, who is still hungrily searching for his first ACBA title.
 
THE DISAPPOINTED:
Florida Solomon’s Dominion might like to just forget the 2015 season ever happened. Injuries and down years from key players like Adam Jones and Adrian Beltre left the defending ACBA Champions searching for answers in the basement of the National League standings. Even then, in late August they still found themselves in the running for a final divisional playoff spot and thus a chance to save their disappointing season. But alas, it was not meant to be. Florida owner Mitch Smith is not too worried about it, however. After 15 seasons and over 500 career ACBA wins, the veteran Smith has proven that he knows how to win games in this league. Expect a turnaround in 2016.
 
The one thing a team can’t control in head to head fantasy baseball is how many points the other team scores. And fewer teams had tougher luck in this category than the Flint Failures. When the combined opposition scores 4958 total points against your team over the course of a season, it’s hard to win games. And while Paul Goldschmidt put up big numbers in his first season with Flint, the pitching staff underachieved and the usually rock solid Miguel Cabrera struggled with injuries. The Failures missed the playoffs only a season removed from leading the league in wins in 2014. By late July, it appeared that owner Tim Aspin was already looking ahead to 2016, who began wheeling and dealing to solidify his team's resources for the future. Owners beware: The Flint Failures will rediscover their winning ways.

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Randy McDonald's Portsmouth Hustlers got a great season on the mound from rising star Dallas Keuchel and enjoyed a big bounceback season from the almost maddeningly unpredictable Chris Davis (the 4th overall highest scorer with 630 total fantasy points). But that was about all the Hustlers had going for them in 2015, who finally missed the playoffs after an incredible run of eleven consecutive postseason appearances. Yes, you read that right... eleven consecutive years. Is this the end of an era in Hustlertown or just the lull before the storm?
 
THE HOPEFUL: 
Nobody expected the Springfield Sons of Pitches to do much in 2015. But the team dragged along with a ragtag pitching staff anchored by the ever-vanilla Mark Buehrle and got fairly decent seasons out of Curtis Granderson and Joey "The Comeback Kid" Votto. On the last day of the season, Tennessee's favorite Sons found themselves atop a three way logjam for the final National League playoff position. Owner Stephen Callis has lined the team up with a slate of young talented players like Addison Russell and Francisco Lindor, and you can't help but wonder what this team can accomplish in future seasons with continued improvement.
 
After a rash of questionable offseason moves and an early season meltdown for the ages, the "Mouth from Down Under" was finally silenced as the Houston Australians imploded in a self-imposed maelstrom of deluded grandiosity. The ACBA needed a stable owner to turn things around and Bart Klett was just the man for the job. The Austin Bat Crazies may be a rebuilding project for the time being. But they do have some highly touted youngsters to build around, namely star rookie Carlos Correa, and with a little luck could find themselves pushing for contention in a few seasons. Klett will be calling the shots in his first free agent draft for the Bat Crazies in 2016. It will be interesting to see which direction he takes the team.
 
THE OLD AND THE NEW:
Say goodbye to the minor leagues in 2016 as the league reestablishes the 40 man roster under one unit. 

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Now say a big hello to the two newest additions to the ACBA: the expansion franchises Detroit Blue Devils and the (ever lurking) Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Owners Doug Robinson and John Post are both welcome additions as the ACBA becomes a 14 team league. Commissioner John Chezy promises this will be the last ever expansion draft, so enjoy it while it lasts. Hope to see you all at the Winter Meetings gentlemen, and have a rewarding offseason!
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       BUILDING A CHAMPION
         ONLY GETS HARDER
The Commissioner was viewing the standings over the last several years and it became clear a change was needed.

The 2012 expansion from a 10-team league to a 12-team league not only added two great owners and personalities to the ACBA, not only added an extra opponent to cycle through for each division, but also made things more difficult for clinching a playoff spot.

A 120 game season is long and to miss the playoffs can be disappointing to say the least. The two recent expansions only makes that more difficult for everyone. That point is not lost on the Commissioner.  But as hard as that may be to swallow for the teams sitting at home in the fall, seeing teams reach the playoffs with a losing record is worse in the eyes of league officials.

"You have to earn it," says Cheslock. "You work during the offseason. You look for that edge. You scout those prospects and build a winner over time. Squeaking in with a 60-60 record doesn't sit well. Is that earning it?"

"The playoff format works," the Commissioner admitted. There was no interest in tweaking that. Eight teams, it just works. No byes, no odd ball situations. It's baseball and you play a series that lasts 8 or 9 days. You can't have teams sitting around waiting for other teams to play. And the ACBA certainly wasn't curtailing back to 4 teams. So for 8 to get in, and for it to be respectable, it had to be harder. The top four (in each division) had to earn it. Beating out just one team wasn't cutting it. Beating out two was better but not by a whole lot. The latest expansion means beating out three teams to earn a spot and likely improves the records of the teams that are playing in September. 

As it was promised before, the Commish added again, "there will be no further expansion to the league. Fourteen is where we stop." Sure there will be 4th seeded teams with losing records from time to time, but having to beat out three teams in a division of seven makes for stronger teams in the postseason.
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SACTO MIKE
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One on One with the Left Coast Owner

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​Every so often the ACBA does a personal profile piece. Sometimes it may be on a veteran who has a flair for the dramatic and is good in an interview setting. Other times, it’s an opportunity to get to know an owner maybe most of us don’t know much about.
Today, we look at second year owner Mike Lewis, of the Sacramento Solons.
ACBA staff writer Harry Doyle took a crew and headed out west to the Golden State’s capital city to catch up with the rising star of the American League and a fan favorite of the Sierra Nevada peoples.

Harry Doyle: Mike, thanks so much for inviting us into your home after we sort of invited ourselves to your humble city. By the way, how long have you lived here in Sacramento?
Mike Lewis: Well, hey, first of all Harry, thanks for asking me to be a part of this. We’re excited about our first season in the ACBA and appreciate being asked to discuss it.
As for Sacramento, I’m a fourth generation Northern Californian. My great, great grandfather moved out west and farmed these lands. My entire family are farmers or ranchers. I have 40 acres up here in Auburn where I can watch the deer graze and shoot my guns from my back porch. I like it up here away from the city and stay out of town as much as I can.
HD: It sure is beautiful up here. And it’s nice to reconnect with nature.
Listen, before we settle in, I thought we’d do a little rapid fire, how’s that sound?
ML: Mm Hmm.
HD: We’ll start off easy. Pancakes or French Toast?
ML: Actually it’s a tough question, but since it’s rapid fire – I’ll go with The Toast. The Powdered Sugar…
HD: Being a Cali guy, mountain biking or surfing?
ML: Gotta go biking on this one.  Surfing is great but requires an ocean. Unfortunately in California, that usually means driving to a populated area, which I detest, and then fighting about 5,000 people for a wave.  Mountain biking is just so versatile, you can do it anywhere.  We have some of the best mountain biking areas in the world right here in my hometown.
HD: On Halloween Candy: Eat it all, or hand it out?
ML: Ugh. Hand it out. Trying to stay fit over 40 is just brutal.
HD: Who is the last person that texted you?
ML: My wife of course! Rosemary and I have been married 15 years and we have 3 kids.
HD: What is the most played song on your iPhone?
ML: I have pretty broad musical tastes and really enjoy my tunes. Death Cab For Cutie, Laurel Collective, Convoy, to name a few. But seeing how this is a Michigan heavy league, I’ll say Bob Seger gets airplay pretty frequently. “Live Bullet” is one of my all time favorite albums.
HD: Aside from Pete Rose, have you ever met a celebrity?
ML: In 1991 I served dinner to Barton Lynch. He went on to win the OP Pro the next day (surfing’s equivalent of the US Open). I still maintain it was my enchiladas that put him over the top.
HD: Superman or Batman?
ML: Definitely Batman. Dude is rich!
HD: If you could pause life or rewind it, which would you choose?
ML: Rewind for sure. Pause sounds like a nice vacation but it’s not nearly as powerful as getting a do-over. Just imagine being able to backspace all those times I put my foot in my mouth.
HD: Truth be told, that was our polygraph establisher. Now we know if and what you lie about!
Alright, so maybe that’s not true, but it sounded good. Anyway, so you’re a few weeks removed from the loss to Senhollow. What have you been up to?
ML: Well, I’ve been holding off until the season was through, but this is as good a time as any to announce this. In addition to owning a baseball team and working full time in the computer field, I’ve been a US Army reserves member for the last 27 years.  I’ve just been informed of a 1 year mobilization to the Middle East. I’ll be training in December and shipping out just after the New Year. It’ll be a challenge being 9 or so time zones away, but the Solons will adapt and overcome as we always do.
HD: That’s heavy stuff man. We wish you the best of luck when you’re out there and certainly thank you for your service.
ML: Thanks I appreciate that.
HD: So continuing on, is the Sacramento front office pleased with the 2015 campaign?
ML: As a member of the ACBA, I could not be happier with the league and its management, the other owners, and the quality of the competition.  It’s really been a fantastic experience.  You take a chance coming in cold with a bunch of guys, some of whom have been playing together for fifteen years. I feel very fortunate to have been able to become an ACBA owner. From an operations standpoint, we’re extremely pleased with our 2015 performance. The boys really came together as a team and exceeded our wildest expectations.  Our goal as a new management group, knowing that we were inheriting a team and its contracts, was to clean house, establish some great prospects for future years, and just hope we could play .500 ball.  To come within a single game of the World Series is obviously way above our expectations.  Now we have to start over and work just as hard on 2016. 
HD: How about the city? What’s the support been like? I mean, moving a team clear across the country from, what, New Hampshire?
ML: The fans have been very welcoming.  Sacramento has always been a great baseball town.  As for Mrs. Lewis, she still thinks I have a screw loose for buying a baseball team. (Laughing)
HD: Does the success from 2015 raise the bar for the folks here?
ML: The fans in Sacramento are excited to have a big league club.  There is a buzz in town certainly, and the success of 2015 will definitely give us some momentum going into the spring.  From a management perspective, we’ll stick to the game plan to make the Solons a playoff contender every year and to bring a championship to Sacramento.
HD: What are the Solons missing to make them a championship contender?
ML: A front line starter is at the top of the list for us.  We’d like to add a bat to a couple positions.  We like the core group of guys we have, but adding starting pitching depth is what wins championships.
HD: Can we expect a big splash from Sacramento this offseason?
ML: We’re a small market team in a building mode.  We came up with a plan as an ownership group last off season but you’ll see some moves from us definitely.  Overall, we’re interested in building for the long term.
HD: Geographically you’re closest to the Golden Spikes and we got to watch a pretty good series in the opening round between the two of you. Is this a potential rivalry in the making, especially seeing how you’re both newer to the division and some of the other teams already have developed rivalries?
ML: There does seem to be some similarities between our teams.  Leroy is a big A’s fan and I grew up a big A’s fan as I live 90 minutes from their stadium.  Utah was a great trade partner in the off-season as well and we certainly like working with them.  The Spikes are a very competitive team and we love that as that’s what this is all about. We have nothing but respect for Utah and all of the teams in our division.  Everybody at this level knows that any one of these teams can win on any given night, and any team is capable of winning a championship.  Do I expect competitive games against Utah next season?  You can bet your closer on it.  But a rivalry, nah.
HD: I’ve got to bring up a messy clubhouse issue from late August. For those who aren’t aware, there was a bit of a scuffle between your manager and Blake Swihart over his playing time. From what it appeared on the outside, the clubhouse was pretty split on what side they took. Is there any validity to this and has it been resolved?
                                        CONTINUED ON COLUMN 3 -->

 

...and the winner is!

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For those who missed it, the 2015 results are in. And it's time to give recognition where recognition is due. 

Beginning with the ACBA's first ever All Star Game in July, which was made possible by the voters.​ The AL won the game 57-16 on the back of the All Star MVP, Sacramento's Jake Arrieta and his 30 pitching points. 

The owners continued their superb involvement with even more voting for the season awards in August. The winners:
-ROLLIE FINGERS - Mark Melancon, Senhollow

-ALAN TRAMMELL - Alex Rodriguez, Utah

-CY YOUNG - Clayton Kershaw, Senhollow

-MVP - Josh Donaldson, Green Bay

-CONNIE MACK - Brent Ford, Michigan

2013 expansion teams, Michigan Mud Hens and Warren Warriors both won Division Titles this year and Warren, along with Senhollow Abory were the Pennant winners, representing their League's in the World Series.
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It was Senhollow Abory who came away with their second title in 2015, winning the World Series in 6 games over the Warren Warriors. 

Other notables along the way:

-In January, Tiger Town's Dale Caulkins became the first member inducted into the ACBA Hall of Fame

-Florida became a member of the 500 win club

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-Portsmouth and Senhollow both became members of the 400 win club

-Flint became a member of the 300 win club

-Green Bay joined the 200 win club

-Senhollow tied Florida for most playoff victories in league history with 46

-Michigan broke the record for longest winning streak, which now stands at 13 games

-Florida broke the record for longest losing streak, which also now stands at 13 games

-Portsmouth's record streak of 11 straight playoff appearances came to end this season

Congratulations to all teams on their accomplishments (except Florida's streak). We hope to see many more in 2016!

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<-- SACTO MIKE (CONTINUED FROM COLUMN 2)
​

ML
: Blake is a great young player and we’re very high on him.  He’s a competitor and wants to play and we like that kind of fire in a young player.  That’s what you want to see.  Having said that, Carlos Santana is losing his eligibility at catcher in 2016 so Blake certainly has an opportunity there.  What we want to see, and hope to see, is that Blake’s 2nd half performance in 2015 is a breakout and that he can continue that level of performance next year.  If he does that, the playing time will be there.
HD: Let’s talk about Jake Arrieta. He was phenomenal this year. I’ll be honest with you, I was surprised he didn’t win the Cy Young and yet, he wasn’t even in the top 5? Is the field just that good or did he just get overlooked?  
ML: Well the field is certainly spectacular, but yes, he’s a bit overlooked.  That’s one of the reasons we targeted him in a trade as we saw him really performing well relative to his value. I wouldn’t take anything away from Kershaw, Greinke, Scherzer and those guys. I do think there is a slight tendency to favor established guys and guys from bigger markets.
HD: The Winter Meetings are coming up here pretty quick.  Without giving too much away, have you had a chance to look the items over, and what do you think is most likely to be favored by the owners?
ML: Sure, I’ve been keeping an eye on that part of the league website and am very interested in how that will proceed.  Personally, I think keeping the All-Star game is a no brainer.  It was very successful and enjoyable for everyone.  The really interesting one is the waiver trades which I’m in favor of.  Anything that brings more complexity, realism and gamesmanship to the league, I’m in favor of.  Being able to move players under contract is more in line with MLB rules and play so I’m for it.
HD: Mike it’s been a great pleasure of ours to hang out with you today. And your wife blew us away with that chicken parm. Give her our best.
ML: Harry thanks again for coming out. I hope this gives the owners around the league a small glimpse at who we are out here. By the way, when does this come out?
HD: The next issue gets released later this month. We’ll send you a copy.
ML: Great. I want to save a clipping for my office!


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The expansion draft wrapped up this week and the Phantoms and Blue Devils now have something to build on going into the general draft next March. 

"I thought it went smooth," Robinson said of the draft. "It was exciting establishing the building blocks for my team. I was really anxious to get involved and the draft was a great way to get started. I've been following the league, watching the season unfold. That was a good experience and it really helped me to see the great culture and competitiveness of my fellow owners."

The Sacramento Solons and Warren Warriors contributed the maximum 3 players while the Washington Wolves chipped in two of their own. Six other teams gave up only one player and 3 of the league's 12 teams went completely untouched. 

It was a broad base of players to choose from but the owners built in a similar fashion. ​Both expansion teams picked up 2 pitchers and 5 hitters in the 7 round event.

Detroit nabbed starter Brandon Beachy from Flint and Washinton's Matt Barnes, a reliever who may turn starter in 2016. They also acquired C Salvador Perez, 1B Matt Adams, 2B Starlin Castro, SS Troy Tulowitzki and OF Desmond Jennings. A solid group to work with and Detroit is already on their way to becoming a force in the AL.  

Lehigh Valley came away with Florida's Kyle Hendricks and Warren's Drew Hutchinson to begin establishing a rotation -- both of which came from their now division rivals. Their bats include a pair of first basemen, Pedro Alvarez and Chris Carter, 2B Jace Peterson, SS Erick Aybar and OF Steven Souza Jr. The Phantoms GM worked shrewdly, keeping their payroll low, allowing for a strong contract surge in the spring if they choose to go that route. 

The owners have until October 25 to extend the contracts of any players received in the draft. 

PARITY: The Way We Like It

As much as it's fun to ride the wave of a dynasty, the best thing for a league is when teams cycle through good and bad times at a relatively steady rate. 
Most teams have been able to make the playoffs year in and year out, especially in the early years of a 10 team league with 8 teams reaching. But with a 14 team league coming in 2016, and still only 8 teams reaching, there's a pretty good chance for that cycle to continue. 

But taking a look back into the immediate past, the competitive balance seems to be, well... balanced. 

It's only been three years since the league has been a 12 team league, which means only 2 follow up seasons, since you can't judge the first year. During those two follow up years, a total of 5 teams that missed the playoffs the year before, made the playoffs a year later. That's 5 out of 8 possible teams. The 2013 Washington Wolves, 2014 Warren Warriors, 2014 Springfield Sons of Pitches, 2014 Utah Golden Spikes and Sacramento Solons (Merrimack 2014) all reached in the following season. Meanwhile, in 2015, the 4 teams that missed the playoffs were 2014's #1 Seed, #1 Seed, #2 Seed and #4 Seed in their respective divisions. 
This keeps owners active by not being perennial losers. And it keeps the perennial power houses on their toes, forcing them to sharpen their managerial skills because it hurts to miss the playoffs, even if it's only every 4 or 5 years. 


COMMISSIONER'S CORNER

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 THE ​HOT STOVE

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Nov 14 @ 8PM ET


​The Winter Meetings are fast approaching (Saturday November 14) and the owners around the league are wanting to do some homework before we get in to vote. Of course there will be time for discussion but owners should be aware of and understand the options ahead of time. There are several items that will impact the 2016 season, so let's get to the specifics. 
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  • ​WAIVER TRADES​ This proposed rule allows teams an option to waive (drop) a player under contract as long as another team is willing to pick up that contract. (If a contract player is released and no team acquires the player, the original team must resign the player after the Waiver Trade deadline, under the original contract terms.) 
    There is no risk to the team offering the players.
    The teams acquiring a contract player in a waiver-trade will have to forfeit a draft pick based on the player's value, as compensation in the trade. 
    The Waiver-Trade period will be for 10 days, beginning at the trade deadline. 
    Teams acquiring a player in a waiver trade will get a prorated contract amount. Since the player's service time on the new team's roster will be for only 1 month during the regular season, the salary will be split 80% (old team) to 20% (new team) for the current season and will be represented accordingly for luxury tax purposes. (Thus moving luxury tax day to the end of the waiver trade period, not the general trade deadline). 
    Any contract extending beyond the season in which the trade takes place will transfer as normal, with the acquiring team assuming the contract.
    A player with a value of less than $5, the compensation is a 9th - 12th round draft pick (depending on the acquiring team's available draft picks).
    A player with a value of $6 - $10, the compensation is a 8th - 11th round draft pick (depending...).
    A player with a value of $11-$15, the compensation is a 7th - 10th round draft pick (depending...).
    A player with a value of $16-$20, the compensation is a 6th - 9th round draft pick (depending...).
    A player with a value of $21+, the compensation is a 5th - 8th round draft pick (depending...). 
    Any team acquiring a player from waiver-trades that does not have the available compensation will have to compensate with the same round in a future draft.
    Any team acquiring a player from waiver-trades may extend contracts. ​
  • ACBA ALL STAR GAME This proposal is whether to continue with or remove the All Star Game from the All Star Break
  • 2-ROUND OFFLINE DRAFT This proposal is whether to continue with or remove the 2-round offline draft leading up to the 1 day draft for the remaining rounds
  • SHORTENED DRAFT This proposal is to determine if 22 rounds is too long for the annual draft. Most teams carry several contract players and a full 22 rounds is no longer necessary in the contract era. The proposal is to cut the draft to 17 rounds. Teams that have acquired any draft picks in rounds 18-22 would get their additional picks tacked on to the end of the draft if this proposal passes. 
  • INCREASE IN SCORING (Premium Categories)
    Hit for Cycle - Increase from 5 points to 8 points
    No Hitter - Increase from 5 points to 8 points
    Perfect Game - Increase from 10 points to 12 points (keeping in mind, a perfect game includes No Hitter points)
    Argument in favor of increase is rarity of feat; should weigh heavily on games decision
  • REGULAR SEASON TIE BREAKER A minor adjustment in the tie breaker format. Rather than using the highest scoring bench player, simply using the highest scoring active player as the tie breaker. This rewards the owner who uses the best players, rather than rewarding the owner who sat a player with higher points. 
  • ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Inclusion of a Rookie of the Year Award during the Season Awards voting.
    Qualifications TBD
    If voted on to include, then vote on name of the Award. Finalists: Rod Carew, Derek Jeter
  • DROPPED PLAYERS MUST SIT OUT A SERIES DURING THE PLAYOFFS Determine whether a player that is dropped and clears waivers can be added by another team without sitting for a round or not. The playoffs are sometimes staggered in a way that allows for an extra day between series (or especially in the case of a team advancing early). This may allow for some players to clear waivers prior to the start of the next round beginning. Should those players that are dropped be available?
  • CONTRACT BUY OUTS​ Allow owners to buy out contracts after the 1st year of the contract, instead of having to wait until the 2nd year. ​The buy out fee is the normal rate, plus $1. 

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