Opinions on this RFA rule

[Deleted]

Want to start by saying I'm not looking to propose a rule change just looking to see how others feel about a rule I was misinformed about.

I was under the impression that you could go over the cap to retain your own RFA. After talking with Scott I was informed that the most any team can ever be over the cap is the 10M buffer that every team is allowed in the off season. If an offer to one of your RFA would cause you to go over your cap by more than 10M you would not be allowed to match the offer.

To me this makes no sense. There is a very real possibility that I value my RFA more than another player on team. I have absolutely no idea how much of an offer my RFA will get ( which makes this less of a cap management issue) so the solution would be to just clear as much cap space as possible and hope? In my mind it should be handled in one of three ways...

1. Right to match any RFA offer but must be back under the cap before UFA begins. I don't remember how much of a gap there is between the two but this would give you time to explore any trades to ease your cap burden or simply release another player. Obviously can't release the RFA you just signed

2. Same as above but getting under the cap is extended to before the season begins. In essence you would forfeit the right to make any claims on any UFA's as long as your $10M above the cap

3. Allow teams to make player drops as part of the 48 hr window to restructure the contract. It's harsher because you will only have the option to release someone and take a cap hit, but better than just telling someone they can't match it.

Would love to hear how others feel about this. Not sure if I'm the only one this is news too or not. Like many things you don't fully understand a rule until it impacts your team.

[Jason (Seattle Braves)]

The RFA in this league is a bit pointless since there is no compensation for declining to match a player's salary.

[Deleted]

I don’t think it’s pointless. The point is that while the players are free to accept other offer you not only have the right to match contract offers but also the right to restructure the contract. I just feel as we move along and teams get closer and closer to the cap that a scenario where a team will be forced to decline an offer based solely on their current cap room. Having to make preemptive moves to just accumulate as much cap room as possible seems silly to me.

[Deleted]

My opinion would be that if it took you over the $10m limit then just give the team 24/48 hours to make it work (ie. drops, trade, etc)

[Deleted]

I’d agree with that option 3 would allow you to post it as part of your contract restructuring

[Scott (Boston Padres)]

We can vote to increase the annual salary cap. I've mentioned this before. We started in 2013 at $170M. It increased to $175M for 2014 and has been at that number since. I see no reason why we couldn't lay out a plan to increase each team's cap to $180M for 2018-2019 and then $185M for 2020-2021.

But, there's no reason to change the RFA rule, especially since we have that $10M offseason cushion built in as Jon says. The point of RFA is to give the previous owner the option to match a high offer and potentially re-sign that player. It's not a rule to guarantee or make sure that the owner is able to re-sign him. In some cases cap space just won't allow it and that's all part of the strategy and the game we have here called dynasty league fantasy baseball.

[Chuck (Philadelphia Astros)]

I totally agree with Scott's point. It is part of managing the salary cap. As Mick Jagger said in a song, "You can't always get what you want".

[Deleted]

That doesn’t make sense though. I’m really flabbergasted that you guys aren’t on the same page. So you guys think the solution is if you want to keep your RFA is just to clear as much cap space as possible and hope it’s enough? What’s the harm in allowing drops as part of a contract restructure? The players you drop would be available for UFA. We’ll see how people’s opinions change on this in the coming years when the RFA isn’t being used on older players and it’s your core minors that rookie contracts are up.