Excel Rosters Updated

I've posted a new version of the Excel rosters file which uses the new contract indicators (years and symbols rather than letters). To ease the transition, the file contains a second tab with the old contract letters. The tabs in the file are:

• Rosters - Uses the new contract indicators ... more detail on this below
• Old School - Lists the old letter-based contracts we used in the past

I will update both copies in tandem for a short while, but eventually the Old School tab will go away. There's always the possibility that I screw up and the two sheets get out of synch (in terms of players listed, positions, etc). If this happens, it is probably more likely that the the Rosters tab is more accurate. Let me know if you notice any problems, though.

Here's a basic key for deciphering the new contracts - once we work out any kinks I'll update the Constitution with this information:

M - minor league contract. This works the same as it always did, and will remain M until the player is activated by his CFCL team or loses MLB rookie status (in terms of career AB or IP).

X - player is currently signed to an Xtra Year contract

S - September/October contract. Used for free agents signed on Sept. 1 and after. These players will be released at the end of the current season and are not eligible for Hometown Discount rights. Obviously, there's no one with this status on the current rosters - they were all released last September

All other contracts are year-based. As Bob suggested, I've changed to double-digit years (08. 09, 10, etc).

If a year is listed without any symbol following it, the contract expires at the end of the season indicated by the year and the player cannot be resigned. This is essentially what had previously been a B contract. Teams owning these players at the end of the season will retain their Hometown Discount rights.

If a year is listed with a symbol following it, the current contract expires at the end of the season indicated by the year, but the player can be resigned depending on the symbol:

^ - Player cannot be activated or traded until July 1. No one's got this symbol yet - it's for M contract guys who are kept on reserve going into the Draft but evenutally make their NL team's Opening Day roster

* - Free agent signed for .25 or more. Must be kept the following season or a buyout penalty must be paid. Mark Teixeira had this prior to Roster Freeze day. Now that he's been kept, it's gone away.

! - Player is currently on a long-term contract that expires in the year indicated. Player cannot be released during the season, and if he's released on Roster Freeze Day a buyout penalty must be paid.

+ - Player enters his option year in the year indicated. His current contract expires prior to that season, but the '+' indicates he can be resigned -- either for just the option year at the same salary, or to a long-term contract with a raise. Guys who are acquired in the auction this year will get 10+ contracts.

x - Player is eligible to be signed to an Xtra Year contract prior to the year indicated. These guys are basically the same as '+' contract players, with the additional option of signing for an X contract.

This will clearly take some getting used to, especially for us old-timers. I've included a key to the symbols at the bottom of the roster form, so hopefully that will help.

I think I've got everyone's contract set correctly, but please check your roster and let me know if anything seems wrong. It will be a lot easier for you to verify now, before the rosters are cluttered up with all your new acquisitions following the Draft.

2008 CFCL Draft Kit

2008 CFCL Draft Kit
Ok, here are the details you've been panting for - who's been released and how each team stands going into Draft Day.

Rather than try to cram everything into a blog post here, I've assembled the Draft Kit on a separate page:

2008 CFCL Draft Kit

You CFCL veterans will recognize most of it, as it doesn't change significantly from year to year (Rich was able to quote some of the standard lines verbatim in an e-mail to me earlier this week). But veteran or rookie, I encourage you all to read through everything there - a little refresher never hurt anyone.

Of course the real meat of the kit is the list of players that were cut by their CFCL teams and copies of the pre-Draft rosters. Along with that info, you'll also find directions to Draft Day Headquarters, our guidelines for keeping Draft Day running smoothly and quickly, and random other tidbits.

Once I get this post published, I'll head on over to Sportsline and update those rosters. As noted in this post, it would be a good idea for you to visit your roster page and make sure you know how to reserve and activate players, as well as change positions. This time next week, you'll be doing it yourself...

That's it for now, but you'll be hearing from me via e-mail a few times over the next week, and it wouldn't be a bad idea to check back here once in a while in case there are updates. Every year a couple incorrect details get published - guys get put in the wrong spot on a roster or there's a mathematical error. We try to catch and correct these as soon as possible - please help out: if you notice something that seems wrong, let me know.

See everyone on Sunday!

CFCL Teams Trim Rosters

The CFCL went on its annual crash diet this afternoon at 4:00, as 12 teams trimmed the fat in the effort to get their rosters in Draft Day shape.

NOTE: The following information is based on an initial review of the submitted roster cut sheets, and may not be complete and/or accurate. It is provided here as a in order to share some initial Roster Freeze Day information and is subject to revision. Complete and hopefully accurate roster cut information will be provided with the Draft Day Kit.

As is always the case, high-salaried players were in jeopardy of being cut loose, and a number of them were, including: Jason Bay (.42), Carlos Beltran (.46), Pat Burrell (.38), Trevor Hoffman (.33), Andruw Jones (.43), Roy Oswalt (.43), Juan Pierre (.37), Albert Pujols (.55), Aramis Ramirez (.44), John Smoltz (.33), and Carlos Zambrano (.30).

The purse strings weren't totally tied, though, as the following players were rewarded with long-term guarantees:

- Jeff Francour (Morkertzuma's Revenge) signed for 3 years at .20
- Freddy Sanchez (Morkertzuma's Revenge) signed for 2 years at .08
- Adam Wainwright (Morkertzuma's Revenge) signed for 3 years at .12
- JJ Hardy (Moore Better) signed for 2 years at .12 (off an X contract)
- James Loney (Moore Better) signed for 2 years at .10
- John Maine (Bulls) signed for 2 years at .11
- Brian McCann (Bulls) signed for 2 years at .15 (off an X contract)
- Hanley Ramirez (Bulls) signed for 3 years at .29
- Ian Snell (Bulls) signed for 2 years at .12 (off an X contract)
- Adrian Gonzalez (Ruffins) signed for 3 years at .15
- Corey Hart (Ruffins) signed for 3 years at .15
- Brandon Phillips (Red Hots) signed for 2 years at .12
- Cole Hamels (Stones) signed for 2 years at .15
- Dan Uggla (Stones) signed for 2 years at .11

Most of the players who were eligible for X contracts received them from their teams:

- Prince Fielder (Dem Rebels) for .07
- Chad Billingsley (Bulls) for .07
- Conor Jackson (Bulls) for .07
- Lastings Milledge (Bulls) for .04
- Matt Cain (Picts) for .04

Russell Martin of Kenndoza Line was eligible for an X contract, but signed just for his option year.

And finally, the following players who had been claimed on Winter Waivers made the final cut and were retained by their new teams:

- Bill Bray (Copperfields)
- Jorge Cantu (Bulls)
- Russ Springer (Bulls)
- Lance Berkman (Picts)

All players who were currently signed to long-term deals were retained, so there were no buyout penalties assessed.

2007 CFCL Champions Kenndoza Line really pared down, and go into Draft Day needing to acquire the most players, with 16 open spots on their roster.

Full details about roster cuts will be posted by Wednesday morning at the latest, after all moves and finances have been verified. Stay tuned...