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Pelican · 10-13-2023, 04:22 PM

I would allow teams to protect 12-15 players, with those with less than three (or four) years experience exempt. (MLB would never do this.) This will yield better expansion teams, with a decent chance at .500. It will also impact the deeper teams, who stand to lose the most good players. The AI sees this and makes some trades to compensate. And the AI makes the sensible choice of exposing older players and those with huge contracts. So it is not all rosy for the drafting expansion teams. I also make sure that the expansion teams have budgets similar to the established teams, so they can sign free agents. I let the expansion teams go first in the amateur draft.

If established teams can protect 25 players, plus all their younger players in terms of service, the draft pool will be truly awful, no better than AAA, and none of the best prospects. Those expansion teams will lose 100+ games, no matter what. That is no fun and no challenge to me. YMMV.

10-13-2023, 04:22 PM	#5
Pelican Hall Of Famer Join Date: Mar 2021 Location: Wilmington, Delaware Posts: 3,175	I would allow teams to protect 12-15 players, with those with less than three (or four) years experience exempt. (MLB would never do this.) This will yield better expansion teams, with a decent chance at .500. It will also impact the deeper teams, who stand to lose the most good players. The AI sees this and makes some trades to compensate. And the AI makes the sensible choice of exposing older players and those with huge contracts. So it is not all rosy for the drafting expansion teams. I also make sure that the expansion teams have budgets similar to the established teams, so they can sign free agents. I let the expansion teams go first in the amateur draft. If established teams can protect 25 players, plus all their younger players in terms of service, the draft pool will be truly awful, no better than AAA, and none of the best prospects. Those expansion teams will lose 100+ games, no matter what. That is no fun and no challenge to me. YMMV. __________________ Pelican OOTP 2020-? ”Hard to believe, Harry.”