2019 RULES: Sign and Trade Specifics

[Goodell]

We had some off-season rules discussions during free agency last year about players being signed and immediately traded (see link below). Currently there is no no-trade restriction on players signed in free agency. By a 60-6 vote, most were in favor at that time of restricting new signings being immediately traded for either realism or quality/fairness of play reasons. Cases of players being signed to unrealistic short-term huge SB deals for draft picks by rebuilding teams seemed to be part of the frustration for some. I said at that time that we'd explore more specific options this off-season.

viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1550

...we won't institute any new rule...now. But this thread will be one to look back on next off-season and we'll probably do a poll with more specifics (and perhaps more options) at that time before next off-season... This early warning also serves as a head's up for next off-season strategies that it's possible we'll be making some kind of change discussed in this thread ahead in one form or another.

[Jared A]

I just want to say that I voted no for all of these rule suggestions. The reason being, the benefit of them is not worth the extra work.... in my opinion.

[Goodell]

I just want to say that I voted no for all of these rule suggestions. The reason being, the benefit of them is not worth the extra work.... in my opinion.

I appreciate the less work.

Technically speaking, though, some of the options might be more changes to the system than others. The 3-month one might be a little more tricky, for example, but we do some of that already with tracking practice squad player signings for if eligible to be cut to a new team's practice squad yet, etc.

The leading option so far in the early going should be fairly simple technically to implement. In the code where it signs a player to a new contract I'd just add another short part about doing a quick check of the signing bonus amount and/or grade, and if high then do a quick mark of the no-trade designation in the database for that player like LTC signings with no-trades get now.

[Goodell]

CONCLUSION: As only 20% wanted no change and 80% voted for some kind of restriction on sign-and-trade deals, we'll institute the most popular option:

1 year no trade for high SB (10M+) or high grade (85+) signings

[Jared A]

The 85+ is at the time of the signing, right?


EX: if I sign a player who is an 81, and half way through the season he shoots up to an 88, I can still sign him.

Conversely... if a player was an 88, and then drops to a 79... would we then be allowed to sign him?

[Goodell]

At the time of signing, most likely during peak free agency. If a winning bid is over $10M SB or the player's grade at the time of signing is 85 or higher, then it'll add a 1-year no-trade clause to the signed contract. No other grade changes throughout the year impact that. If that player's grade falls to 84 mid-season, for example, that no-trade doesn't disappear. If an 84 signed player goes up to 85, then a no-trade isn't added. It's just at the time of signing.