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I don't like finder fees for what Chris outlines above. More work. More conplicated and it could be used with the wrong intent by a creative owner. It's not perfect but if people want something then I'm good with initial bid must be doubled like we do with J2. I don't think the finder should have a huge advantage but that gives something. Hopefully, it will also encourage people to open with a higher bid and avoid the prospect threads that start at 50K and finally close 6 days later after 45 incremental increases. And if rebuilding teams who have the extra coins take those players away then I'm fine with that. That's realistic. It's good for the league and creates parity.
Doubling means something in international free agency when teams have 2-5 million to spend and it takes very little effort to find the best talent because it's posted on lists everywhere. Doubling means very little when teams have 10-100 million to spend and it takes much more effort to find good unsigned players. Right now the teams that rarely post free agents but bid them up are benefitting at the expense of the teams that are doing the work.I'm also thinking the bonuses for minor league free agents and major league free agents that people stash in the minors should be different. You shouldn't be able to pay the same $50k bonus to a 28 year old player with MLB experience as you pay to an 18 year old minor league kid. The comparative values are way off. If we say had a $250k minimum bonus bid for MLB free agents it would encourage people just to offer an MLB contract and a 40 man spot instead of trying to stash them in the minors. This also might be a way to dissuade the streaming of marginal players.
Right, teams have 10-100M to spend. So no matter what you do to the bidding, if another team really wants the player you find, they will get them. That said, teams rarely spend frivolously and only the best minor leaguers go in the millions and the vast majority of the time it's under 5M. So if you find what you deem to be a really good find, rather than opening at a low amount to see if you can get a cheap buy to pass through quickly, you might open at 2M hoping nobody wants to go to 4. This does a couple things. 1) Allows you to set the tone of bidding and start with an upper hand to sign.2) Bids will not stay open as long as there will be less 5&10ing. This is good for the league.I don't think a team should be rewarded just for finding a player. If you don't like that then don't find players and they will naturally find their way into being bid on a couple years later when on top prospect lists and a more casual owner finds them. Buuttt, you don't want to do that because you rather get the player now when nobody else knows he might be good and get him for cheap. So you will find him and spend a little amount to buy the big upside. That's already a reward. People just don't like somebody swooping in and stealing the thunder sometimes. That said, if we look at everybody's rosters I guarantee you most of the best players acquired via MiLB FA will be on the same teams who generally find the players. Personally, I want more parity in this league. Not less.