5 Year Contracts

[seanrmgallagher]

30 seems too limiting (Pujols was 31 and got a ten year deal), but there should be a limit. I like the idea of lowering the limit as age gets older. I think 33 for 5, 34 for 4, etc. It may also be too complicated, but maybe there should also be an exception. If an older player signs a longer deal in real life than would be allowed, I think that length should be allowed. (i.e. 36 year old Beltran signing a 3 year deal).

That being said, I think there needs to be a limit. Someone going for a championship should not be able to sign Jeter to a 5 year contract just to have him for one year. Mariano Rivera should not be signed to a 2 year deal when he has announced his retirement at the end of the season (which happened last year, and then the owner left before this season).

[Lindner]

I think the biggest thing we are concerned about here is new owners getting screwed over by the previous owner of their team.  I wouldn't argue that restricting Free Agency is the best way to address this issue though.  Sometimes GMs make calculated sacrifices to win a championship.  I don't think it would be a travesty to sign someone you know is only going to play for one more year to a two year contract if you think it's going to put you over the edge.  That's a calculated sacrifice, just like trading future draft picks.  If the GM is going to stick around and live with their decision, I have no issue with letting them make "unwise" signings if they think it's best for their team.

I think the best way prevent new owners from inheriting terrible contracts is to put in place a buyout system for new owners.  If you're a new owner, you can cut any contract with any one of these characteristics for free:

33+ years old with 4+ years left on his contract
34+ years old with 3+ years left on his contract
38+ years old with 2+ years left on his contract
All retired players
All players playing in other leagues
$25M/year or more (at any contract length)


You guys can decide what the best specifications would be regarding years and contract lengths.  I think this would be the best way to deal with this potential issue without restricting the creative options of our current GMs.

[firemanx]

I think it's position  dependent if your offering a 39 year old catcher or pitcher a 5 yr deal its risky, but a 1b is less risky it's a very gray area to put limits I think we should let the market dictate

[fperric]

im fine either way, but maybe a simple solution would b to make all contracts honored through thier duration.  i.e. if jeter had gotten a 3yr deal from someone and retired after one year, owner still has to pay for all three years on their cap instead of the contract ending at his retirement.  just a thought, but like i said, i understand both sides and would b fine either way.

[firemanx]

I can definitely understand the reason behind age limits on 5 year contracts & I think we should institute an age limit on 5 year contracts isn't that why we only allow 5 year bids I mean of course everyone likes to sign players as cheap as possible,but if we end up with 1 team full of retired players will ruin the competitiveness of the league I vote yes on the age tag(stipulation  IMO Good idea commish

[mrmetsman]

I agree on Lindner on this one.
Some kind of buyout system could work.

[Fitzy1962]

I feel all retired players should be released and their contracts voided. Why should we have to continue paying if the MLB teams don't do this? Ryan Dempster isn't getting paid this year by the Red Sox, for example.

[ThePetis]

I feel all retired players should be released and their contracts voided. Why should we have to continue paying if the MLB teams don't do this? Ryan Dempster isn't getting paid this year by the Red Sox, for example.

An example of why that idea doesn't work across the board.... Hiroki Kuroda or Tim Hudson.  These guys have two years left, max.  Kuroda was signed to a 4-year deal in free agency, I believe.  Knowing he'll retire shortly, but spreading his contract across 4-5 years?  That would be gaming the system.