The Yu Darvish Sweepstakes! Deadline for bids: Thursday, 9:00 PM EST

[nick]

There will be a pre-FA sweepstakes for free agent superstud pitcher Yu Darvish. He's the Japanese import pitcher I editted in this year. Truthfully he may never make the jump to MLB, and 2011 is not neccesarily the year he will make his jump if he does, but there's always a chance and I felt like it might be fun to have one of these.

The sweepstakes... it will be sort of a fine for overspending, but at the same time you'll be able to have the chance to sign Yu Darvish. So it can be a tossup if you see it that way. And of course, you don't even have to compete in the "Yu Sweepstakes" if you don't want to sign him at all.

So here is how it's going to go.

Before FA begins, there will be blind bidding from anyone who wants a shot at Darvish (and has the cash-- use proper judgement, I don't want to have to go team to team to determine this). The highest blind bid will win the rights to "negotiate" with Darvish (which essentially means, will be the only team to be able to offer during all of the free agency rounds should he listen, which I will make sure he will before hand).

As long he is willing to listen to that team's offer, the initial blind bid is then subtracted from the winner's FA cash, and goes to "Japan" (nowhere). That money isn't allowed to be used for the rest of free agency by the team that wins the bidding. So for example, say we have a 50 mil limit on FA (which we very well might)... and the winning blind bidder winds up bidding 15 million. Well, he'd only be able to spend 35 million for the rest of free agency. So 35 million would be their FA cap. However, the money that goes to "Japan" isn't really taken away. It's just money that isn't allowed to be used in this free agency by the winning bidders.

Should there be a problem with the highest bidder (i.e. lack of cash or something) it'd be a case where we'd just go to the 2nd highest blind bid and carry on as such.

================================================== =

Any questions?



(*note that I realize not everyone has the money to compete in this "Sweepstakes", and it isn't my intention to make something that some people can't compete in.... the reason I am having something seperate from free agency for him, is because I think it will keep people from making huge offers to him in free agency, and will make free agency a little more level as a whole in a crazy, weird way.)

[Kingdom]

Looks good, I'll pass it

[Providence A's]

why all the formalities when we all know the Yankees will win?

[General]

Pass

[Kingdom]

Everyone has a puncher's chance! ...i.e. anaheim. Hey, he goes quiet from time to time, maybe he'll miss it or maybe he'd rather save his money to buy all the hitters. You never know.

[Providence A's]

hey, I have $18 mil...could I theoretically make an offer of $18 mil and prevent anyone from talking to him since I then wouldn't be able to sign him with my $18 mil going to Japan? That way no one gets him...

[Kingdom]

Would go to the second highest bidder.

[Providence A's]

that's lame...

[Kingdom]

Not lame, you wouldn't have the cash if you spent it all on the rights to sign.

Stop thinking so negatively. Don't worry, be happy.

[Providence A's]

right, so he should go to purgatory!

[nick]

why all the formalities when we all know the Yankees will win?

Well, if the Yankees do win (which they probably can't anyway, because perf is out of town still and I'm not waiting on free agency just for him to get back, so if that's your main concern don't worry I guess) and this works out like I've designed it, where everyone will be blindly bidding against themselves, the winning bidder could wind up potentially throwing a good chunk on the blind bidding round, then 10-20 million on Yu... which would leave them with not much to spend on the rest of free agency with the cap we're going to have, because FA is packed.

That's the whole point to this, besides adding some surprise element and something new and exciting, and potentially fun. No one knows what the blind bids are, and anyone who has any money has the option of bidding, even if it's 1 million...

I understand I could have just thrown him into the FA pool, but I rather like this idea. I think this could be fun, and while I also tossed around doing a rewards type of thing strictly for privelege to sign him, I don't think it'll work in this case (although I may incorporate a very small rewards program in general for the future for the league; I'm going to ask Crazy for more help on ideas).

I don't know, I'm sorry if you dislike it Prov.

[Providence A's]

it's not that I dislike it bro...I just meant he's got over $80 mil in FA available so he could throw any amount at him really. One team that usually has a ton is Boston, but he's kind of maxed out. Baltimore has a little money, Detroit has a nice chunk of change, the Angels have almost as much as the Yankees, the Phillies have a decent amount, The Cubs are about the same as the Phils, Houston has slightly less, and the Padres have a large amount.

It doesn't matter how you do it, one of those teams will most likely end up with him.

[Dry1313]

So wait.

After this sweepstakes, we'll get our money back?

[Saber]

So? Let the Yankees pay 30 million for Darvish. You think that makes him a winner? Shit, look at the Yankees now.

[Slyder]

300 kagillion dollars mwhahaha. J/k

Pass. Hochey filled out and will be in the rotation, hopefully the pitching isnt totally screwed this year.