Banquet and Rule to Vote on

The ballots are in and have been tabulated.  Thank you to all  who took the time to vote and submit your ballots.  Currently the certificates are being created and so it's time to plan the Banquet.  As a reminder, the Banquet is more accurately a "gathering".  If we have enough attendees we'll plan on hitting a sports bar of some sort, standing around some high tops so it's easy for us to move around and have various conversations, rather than sitting at a long table making diverse conversation almost impossible.

With Thanksgiving looming, it looks like we'll be shooting for December.  I have some commitments the first weekend of the month so for now let's target Sunday, December 13th as the date.  Shall we say 7ish?  Keep in mind, by no means does my schedule restrictions trump any of yours.  Since the prize money has been mailed to our out of state winners and the trophy will be awards on Draft Day 2016, this really is more of a CFCL gathering than anything else.  So if the majority of you can make some other day/date, we'll go with that.

We are still looking for a new owner.  Owner Emeritus Mahlan, while not gracious enough to agree to rejoin the league despite my constant badgering HAS agreed to handle Winter Waivers if we don't have a new owner in place by January.  We (and when I say "we" I mean "David) have placed an ad on one of the Fantasy Baseball sites saying we're in the market for a new owner.  So far no responses.

Your Executive Committee was hard at work during the season addressing an issue that arose for one of the teams this year and has been an issue in years past.  We have a proposal that we'll need everyone to vote on.  Here's the deal.

Last year a team had run out of their FAAB, was past the trade deadline and had an injury to a player that had no positional replacement on the reserve list.  Rather than carry an inactive player on his active roster for the remainder of the season and have it not only impact his ability to move up in the standings but also potentially have a negative impact on the pennant race, the EC came up with a solution.  This solution wasn't able to be enacted during the 2015 season, but we propose it to the league as a whole as a solution for ensuing years.

Introducing the ".00 Bid".  In the event a team has exhausted their FAAB AND it is after the trade deadline AND they have an injury or demotion or retirement or death that has occurred to a player on their Active Roster AND they have no legal positional replacement on their Reserve Roster, they may submit a .00 bid for a player from the Free Agent Pool.

Each team, regardless of injuries or remaining FAAB (or lack thereof) has a responsibility to field a competitive, active roster for the entire season.  So in the event of the above, a team will be allowed to submit a .00 bid to acquire a player to fill the void on their Active Roster.

The .00 bid may only be used if the FAAB is exhausted, there are no legal positional replacements on the Reserve Roster and it's after the trade deadline.  The .00 bid, obviously, will take the lowest priority of all bids, therefore it would be wise for the owner submitting a .00 bid to submit multiple .00 bids in order to acquire someone that can fit on the active roster.  A successfully acquired .00 bid player will be assigned a .05 salary for fairness with the salary cap.  They will also receive an "R" contract (R standing for "Release" at the end of the current season).  This player is basically a Rented Player (Hey!  Another R potential - this has so many levels!)  And since the player can only be acquired after the trade deadline, it seems redundant to say (but to close any potential loopholes) this player CANNOT be traded.  The player will AUTOMATICALLY be released at the end of the season - in the same manner as "S" contract players.

An "R" player can be released (not waived) during the current season if another player suddenly become available due to promotion from the minors or activation off the Disabled List.

This rule is meant as a last resort opportunity to help a team that has been swamped with injuries and used their FAAB faster than they intended.  So as long as there are options available to a team with no remaining FAAB on their current active and reserve roster, they have to pursue those options first.  This rule is to avoid having a team sit with an Active Roster made up of one or more long-term disabled or demoted players.

** Brilliant Reader Kenn (Yes, I am stealing this directly from Joe Posnanski.  Since I can't write like him, I'll just steal some of his words) wrote in asking what happens if a team has .04 left on their FAAB.  Since our minimum  bid is .05, having .04 is basically like having .00.  So if Kenndoza Line has .04 FAAB and Dem Rebels have .00 FAAB, we both need a catcher (assuming all the other criteria is met above), then we both submit .00 bids.  Let's say we both submit .00 bids on Tuffy Gosewich because we are just THAT desperate.  Then it basically turns into a waiver claim with the team lower in the standings receiving said Gosewich - most likely that team being Dem Rebels because being lower in the standings is just what we do.

Your comments are welcome.  Your vote is needed by Friday, November 27th. 

Off Season Business

We have officially entered the Off Season and there is stuff to do and remember.

Here is a breakdown of the Home Town Discount.  One twist to things this year.  The Bulls finished in the Sweet Spot (trademark of the Candy Colored Clowns).  The new owner taking over that franchise DOES NOT receive HTD benefits.  So Strasburg, Garza and Rondon are eligible to be acquired at next year's draft with no discount.  Here's the rest of it.

Bulls  64 points

Swing 58 points (.05 HTD budget):  None

Revenge  49 points (.04):  None

DoorMatts  48 points (.04):  Anthony Rizzo; Corey Dickerson

Kenndoza Line  38 points (.03):  Michael Wacha

Twin Killers  35 points (.03):  Marlon Byrd; Wilin Rosario; Charlie Morton

Candy Colored Clowns  19 points (.01):  Julio Teheran

Rosters
Quick reminder all "S" contracted players are officially released from your teams as well as all "15" contracts.  The Excel Roster Spreadsheet will be updated in the next week or two to reflect the purging of those contracts.

Winter Waivers
While Winter Waiver cuts aren't due until the first weekend of January 2016, keep in mind, as you evaluate your team, that you must cut down to 23 players.  There is no salary cap restriction or positional restriction during this process.  The only restrictions are no LTC players may be waived, and no "*" players may be waived at this time.  You MAY keep players currently in the AL (i.e. Mark Trumbo of Dem Rebels) or you may waive that type of player.

The key component is to think of this as a "retention" effort rather than a "cutting" effort.  Going into yesterday's games we all had 40 men on our roster.  So if you view this as a "cutting" effort you may think you have to actively cut 17 players.  But an "S" or "15" contract is automatically purged from your team so you only have to actively cut (17-"S" and/or "15") players.  A few years teams have submitted 17 cuts even though when they only had to actively cut 13 or 14.

CFCL Banquet
Two of the three money teams most likely will not be able to attend the banquet, so handing out money won't be the main event of the banquet.  It will be to recap the season, hand out awards, maybe talk trade and just have overall engagement and enjoyment.  If you plan on attending (or would like to depending on when it is), please e-mail me with you intent to attend as well as dates that do or don't work for you.  If you have no intention of attending, that's fine.  Just let me know so I'm not chasing you down to see if you can attend.

New Owner
We need to find someone to take over the Bulls franchise.  David Mahlan has been kind enough to help post a notice on a fantasy baseball website about our opening.  But as he pointed out, a lot of times those postings aren't read or responded to until late winter or early spring as guys start thinking about the upcoming season.  Ideally I would like to have a new owner in place by early December so they can acclimate themselves with their team and be involved in the Winter Waiver process.  If you know of anyone you feel would be a competitive, involved owner, please have them contact me.

Draft Day
Major League Baseball has slated Monday, April 4th as Opening Day.  So we typically would try to draft the previous Saturday (4/2) or Sunday (4/3).  Because of our out of town owners and their travelling needs, we usually focus on Saturday.  If anyone knows at this point that Saturday, April 2nd will absolutely not work, please let me know so we can figure a work around.  Right now I have a potential conflict with that weekend, but I'll look into changing things so that we can draft that day if that day works for everyone else.

Awards Ballot
An awards ballot will be arriving in your InBox soon (in a few weeks, perhaps).  Anyone that would like to help cull together the information for the ballot, please contact me.

Congratulations once again to David's Ruffins!

CFCL 2015 Is A Wrap

Congratulations to David's Ruffins on nailing down their 5th CFCL title in dominating style.  Following their trades before the trade deadline they moved out to a commanding double digit lead for most of the rest of the year.

Special recognition goes to the Eukennott Beatniks for their first 2nd place finish in another dominating performance.

Coming soon to the Front Office will be a break down of the Home Team Discount and other off-season information.

For now, two assignments.

Email me with 1) your interest in attending the CFCL Banquet and 2) if you plan on attending, dates that you are available and 3) names of anyone you think would be a viable owner to fill our vacancy.

Congratulations to all on another successful season!

September Reminders

Most all of the CFCL teams have taken advantage of September Roster Expansion.  Here's a couple of reminders for September.

1)  Connected to SRE, if you acquire a player via waiver or FAAB in September, OnRoto may prompt you that you can fill an "Open" slot.  Make sure the math is correct.  You are allowed 40 players on your team.  Usually (and how OnRoto looks at it) it's split 23 (active) and 17 (reserved).  BUT for September your split may look like 24 (active) and 16 (reserved).  OnRoto see 16 and thinks "Hmm, they are allowed 17" and offers you to fill a reserve "open" slot.  That's OnRoto's mistake.  If you have 40 players already and don't waive someone you pick up, the move is invalid and will be rejected. 

2)  If you pick someone up in September their contract is "S" and they are automatically waived from your team at the end of the season.

3)  Your Executive Committee has been hard at work justifying your votes and has a proposal to present to you pertaining to teams that use up their FAAB during the season.  That will be presented for your consideration and vote at the conclusion of the 2015 season.

4)  We need to fill an owner spot and in a perfect world it will be done before Winter Waivers.  If you know of someone you think would be a good candidate to join us, please let me know.

5)  Start looking at your calendar in October/November for potential dates for the CFCL Banquet.  Once we have the Award Ballot sent out and returned we'll try to lock in a date to get together.

Beatniks on the Prowl Again

Showing they are not afraid of the Ruffins and, in fact, willing to do whatever is necessary to chase the Ruffins down, the Beatniks made a deal with the Revenge.

Beatniks trade Dee Gordon (.10 16!), Matt Holliday (.27 16+) and Arismendy Alcantara (.10 16x) to the Revenge, receiving in return Carlos Gonzalez (.37 17+), Daniel Murphy (.13 15) and Mike Foltynewicz (.08 17+).

Rebels are on the clock.

Interleague Free Agent Bid Day

Here is a quick recap of the 2015 Interleague Free Agent Bid Day (IFAB).

First, the verbage from the Constitution:


On the day immediately following the MLB Interleague Trading Deadline, the CFCL will hold a special sealed bid auction. Players who were traded from the American League to the National League on the day of the trading deadline, as well as any other free agents, are eligible to be bid upon on IFAB Day.

MLB's trade deadline is Friday, July 31st.  That means that our bidding takes place on Saturday, August 1st.  ALL Free Agents are eligible to be bid on - anyone in the Free Agent Pool - not just players having been traded from the AL.

Any bids .25 or over will require that team to keep the player going into the 2016 season.  Bidding on August 1st will close at 3pm.  Unless you hear otherwise, the bidding is the same as every week - via OnRoto.

Questions?  Check the Constitution or e-mail the Commissioner.

Clowns - Beatniks Trade

Fresh off a 4000 mile bike ride and not wanting to take the Ruffins charge lying down, the Beatniks traded with the Clowns who are proving to be an equal championship run opportunity trader.

The Clowns sent Andrelton Simmons (.10 15!) to the Beretheads for Julio Teheran (.02 15).

Five days, one and a half hours remain in the trade deadline.

Ruffins and Revenge Deal

The Ruffins went back to their tool box, pulled out their hammer and nails and proceeded to finish nailing the coffin of the Beatniks and Dem Rebels.

The Ruffins sent Drew Storen (.01 16+), Aaron Nola (.05 Mx), Brandon Nimmo (.05 Mx) and their third round pick in 2016 to the Revenge for Madison Bumgarner (.42 17+), Matt Thornton (.10 17+), Jayson Werth (.16 15) and Francisco Cervelli (.05 17+).

Clowns - Ruffins Trade

Looking to go in for the kill and lock down their 5th CFCL Championship, the Ruffins acquired Joey Votto (.39 17+), Ben Revere (.25 16+), Josh Harrison (.07 16+) and Gleyber Torres (.05 Mx) from the Clowns in exchange for Corey Seager (.05 Mx), Michael Morse (.07 16+) and Marcel Ozuna (.07 16!).

Post All Star Break Trade - Rebels and Killers

Trying to break into the money, Dem Rebels pulled off another deal, this time with the Killers.

The Rebels sent closer extraordinaire Aroldis Chapman (.34 17+) and Odubel Herrera (.13 17+) to the Killers for Clayton Kershaw (.51 17+) and the Killers 7th round pick next year.

Dem Rebels - Kenndoza Line Trade

Eying a money spot, the Rebels picked up some offensive help.

Dem Rebels trade Brandon Crawford (.04 16+) and Tyler Beede (.02Mx) to the Kenndoza Line for Hunter Pence (.21 15) and Khris Davis (.05 15).

Killer - Ruffin Deal

Sniffing the finish line, the Ruffins went out and added some talent behind the plate.

The Ruffins acquired Buster Posey (.31 17+) from the Killers in exchange for Jeurys Familia (.01 17+), Wilin Rosario (15 15!) and AJ Cole (.02 Mx).

To make their roster legal, the Killers also released Tabata and Ryu.

Natural Day 2015

Every year we celebrate the anniversary of the day Ryne Sandberg leapt into the national eye with his historic game against Bruce Sutter and the St. Louis Cardinals.  We reward the CFCL team that amassed the most cumulative total bases, runs and RBIs on their active roster.

For the early part of the evening it was a horse race between the Revenge and Beatniks.  But as the evening wore on, the Ruffins blew up and smoked the competition.  Congratulations to the Ruffins.  They win a $25 mlb.com gift certificate.

The Results:

Ruffins - 46
Clowns - 31
Swing - 30
Beatniks - 29
Revenge - 29
Killers - 23
Dem Rebels - 22
Ryne Sandberg - 20
DoorMatts - 20
Kenndoza Line - 19
Bulls - 19

Rebels - Clowns Deal

During a more normal time of the day, the Clowns and Rebels pull off a trade of need.  The Rebels picked up a flexible infielder and the Clowns addressed their emergency ward behind the plate.

The Clowns trade Matt Duffy (.06 17+) to the Rebels in exchange for Andrew Susac (.10 17+)

Swing-Killer Deal

In the wee hours of the morning the youngest two owners (actually three owners) made a trade while all normal owners were sound asleep.

The Twin Killers traded Craig Kimbrel (.30 17+) to Hey Patta Matta Swing in exchange for Curtis Granderson (.15 17+) and DJ LeMahieu (.03 16+).

Beatniks - Kenndoza Line Trade

The Beatniks, smelling blood and opportunity, pulled off a 14 player trade with the Kenndoza Line.  Quite honestly Mr. Berethead should be focusing on his home brew rather than the boys playing down hard by the Eukennott River.

The Beatniks trade:
Aaron Blair  .02 Mx
Michael Conforto  .02 Mx
Doug Fister  .13 16+
Billy McKinney  .02 Mx
AJ Pollock  .08 16+
Dale Thayer .01 17+
Yasmany Tomas  .06 17+
3rd pick 2016 Rotation

Kenndoza Line trade:
Zack Greinke  .18 15
Chris Hatcher  .05 17+
Jason Heyward  .31 17+
Mark Melancon  .04 15
Aramis Ramirez  .13  16+
Julio Teheran  .02 15
Eric Young  .01 15

Memorial Day Trade

Possibly due to suffering from lack of oxygen due to their temporary place high upon the standings, Dem Rebels agreed to trade most of their future in the hopes of finding a money position in October.

The Rebels trade to the Revenge:
Gregory Polanco (.05 16+)
Austin Meadows (.05 Mx)
Kyle Schwarber (.15 Mx)
Mat Latos (.14 17+)
Cliff Pennington (.05 17+)
Eric Campbell (.02 17+)
2nd round pick in 2016

in exchange for:
Jhonny Peralta (.21 17+)
Martin Prado (.16 17+)
Jonathon Lucroy (.14 15)
Andre Ethier (.01 17+)
Andrew Cashner (.04 15)

Clowns Continue Their Trading Ways

The Clowns continued their trading frenzy finding a repeat partner and a new one within minutes of each other.

The Clowns traded Ryan Braun (.39 17+) to the Beatniks in exchange for JP Crawford (.10 Mx).

Then they contact the DoorMatts and completed this trade:

Clowns send Corey Spangenberg (.10 17+), John Axford (.02 17+) and Brayan Pena (.01 17+) to the Matts for Chris Owings (.13 16+) and Javier Lopez (.10 17+)

Beatniks/Clowns Trade

Not waiting for any grass to grow under their feet and to maintain their commanding domination over Dem Rebels, the Beatniks made a deal with the Clowns.

The Beatniks send Santiago Casilla (.01 16+) and Rob Kaminsky (.02 Mx) to the Clowns for Gio Gonzalez (.16 17+). 

This trade could easily have just guaranteed the Beatniks their first championship in team history.

Rebel - Clown Trade

The Clowns and Rebels conspired on a trade.

The Clowns send Wily Peralta (.01 15) and Aroldis Chapman (.34 17+) to the Rebels for Raisel Iglesias (.05 17+) and Jace Peterson (.03 17+).

White Flag Before Mother's Day

The Clowns traded Andrew McCutchen (.50 17+) and Yonder Alonso (.05 17+) to the Swing in exchange for Forrest Wall (.05 Mx), Braden Shipley (.02 Mx), Ben Revere (.25 16+), Darin Ruf (.01 17+) and the Swing's First Round Rotation Pick of 2016.

K-Wood Day

Ahem, hmmm, wow, hoo-boy.  Ten CFCL teams fielding at least nine pitchers and not one could outperform Kerry Wood from 18 years ago.  But we still have a winner.  Congratulations to the Graging Bulls, eking out a one strikeout win over the Beatniks.  A $25 mlb.com gift card is on its way.

Kerry Wood - 20
Bulls - 16
Beatniks - 15
DoorMatts - 13
Ruffins - 10
Clowns - 10
Revenge - 9
Dem Rebels - 8
Swing - 3
Killers - 1
Line - 0

May 6th is K-Wood Day

A week from today is our first Special Day.  In honor of Kerry Wood striking out 20 Houston Astros ("HERE COMES THE HOOK!" said a very understated Chip Carey), back in 1998, the CFCL hands out one of two mlb.com gift cards.

On May 6th, the CFCL whose ACTIVE pitching staff records the most strikeouts will win a $25 gift card to mlb.com

Draft Day Recap

The newly elected 2015 Executive Committee has already been in session and offered opinion on a couple of roster issues from Saturday.

During the rotation draft the DoorMatts selected Andrew Velasquez.  Arizona traded Velasquez to Tampa in November so technically Velasquez was ineligible to be acquired on Saturday.  As such, Velasquez was not awarded to the DoorMatts.

During the rotation draft the Revenge selected Brady Aiken.  Aiken was selected, but not signed by the Houston Astros in the draft.  Aiken played Independent League ball (1 game) before undergoing TJS.  Houston cannot sign Aiken to a contract prior to the next amateur draft in June.  So for now Aiken is on the Revenge roster.  Should Houston successfully sign him this summer, Aiken will be released.

On Roster Freeze Day The Swing placed Archie Bradley on their Reserve List.  Bradley made the Opening Day Roster of the Arizona Diamondbacks.  Therefore, The Swing is not allowed to activate, release or trade Bradley prior to July 1st.  It is possible, however, that Bradley's contract could move from Mx to 17x should he pitch enough innings, even if that occurs prior to July 1st.

And in non-EC news.  There has been considerable positive feedback to having a CFCL Bar-B-Que this summer.  So while we are waiting for the weather to resemble anything close to summer like conditions, we can comment amongst ourselves as to when/where/how we will put this together.

For that purpose I am thinking that we may want to bring the CFCL Message Board back to life.

I will look into that in the upcoming days, begin a new thread and everyone can weigh in on how we should coordinate the get together.

Draft Day Specifics

Some of what follows is rehashing previous posts, some is in response to questions that have come in.

DRAFT DAY - SATURDAY, APRIL 4TH.

12 Noon - Pre Draft Things (League Photo, Electing EC, Handing out Draft Sheets, Collecting Money)

1PM - Ruffin Privilege

I will be arriving around 11am.  You are welcome to arrive between then at noon.  If for some inexcusable reason you are running late, text or call me (630/865-5815) and let me know so the league can plan accordingly.

FOOD
There is a microwave and a fridge.  Limited space in the fridge, so you may want to rotate beverages/food items.  You can also bring a cooler if that makes things easier.  There are two vending machines (one pop, one candy) you have access to.

ELECTRONICS
There are two outlets in the Draft Room (one at each end of the room).  If you are bringing a computer, it may be a good idea to bring a power strip to make sure we have enough electric connections.  The room is not wired for the Internet.  Which leads to . . .

INTERNET
 . . .this issue.  In years past we have had a strict NO INTERNET policy.  Initially the logic was not everyone was using a computer so some owners would have an advantage using the internet during the draft.  Then with the advancement of phones, that concern became obsolete.  But the main issue, whether voiced or not, has always been this.  PACE OF THE DRAFT.  So if you want to use the internet as a base for your spreadsheets or for research, that's all well and good.  But we WILL NOT slow ourselves down while an owner needs a page to refresh or to look at four sites before they increase the bid by .01.  If the use of the Internet is unobtrusive, we're fine.  If it slows down the process, then we'll go to a no Internet policy.

PACE OF THE DRAFT
For the most part we usually keep a decent pace given how many players we need to draft each year.  But there are two PACES OF THE DRAFT.  Perceived Pace and Actual Pace.  Our Actual Pace is the one that's pretty good.  The Perceived Pace varies from year to year.  If we are constantly waiting for an owner to realize it's his turn to increase the bid, or waiting for someone to nominate a player, the PERCEPTION is that the draft is taking forever and thus the FUN FACTOR decreases precipitously.  So as a courtesy to your fellow owners, please be mindful of bidding and nominating players in a timely manner.  We don't need to complete the draft in two hours, but we don't need it to feel like twelve, either.

RUFFIN PRIVILEGE - THE GAME
As of this posting there have been four submissions.  If any of them are correct, let me tell you, this is going to be one fun draft.  For those that haven't submitted but want to, submit the player you think will be nominated with the Ruffin Privilege and what the winning bid will be.

CLEANLINESS
Our goal is to leave the room (and kitchen) as clean or cleaner than we found it.  It's just common courtesy, plus it ensures no problems with securing the room next year.  So please be mindful of your area, especially if you bring things that will cause excessive crumbs.

TRADITIONS
As is the annual tradition (started by Owner Emeritus Copperfield) there will be pretzel rods and licorice to munch on.  Anything else you have a hankering for, please bring.

THE AFTER DRAFT
Following the draft and clean up, any interested owners are invited to attend The After Draft.  We'll find a place (hotel bar, sports bar, etc.) to all hang out and just enjoy each other's company.  We may recap the draft, make projections for the season or just catch with each other over the past year.  If you have a location to suggest, please feel free.  Otherwise as we're walking out we'll figure something out.

See you in four days!

Cut Information and Reminders

The cuts have been submitted and now final draft prep may be completed.  There were big contracts cut, X contracts exercised, Winter Waivers kept and Long Term Contracts signed.  Here's some of the information.  Updated rosters have been posted is accessible at the link to the right.

Long Term Contracts
Carlos Gomez 3 years
Bryce Harper 3 years
Starlin Marte 2 years
Jose Fernandez 3 years
Alex Wood 3 years
Matt Carpenter 2 years
Matt Adams  2 years
Dee Gordon  2 years
Marcel Ozuna  2 years
Christian Yelich  2 years
Nolan Arenado  2 years

Big Salaries Cut
Jason Heyward (.37)
Andrew McCutchen (.55)
Matt Cain (.23)
Ryan Zimmerman (.30)
Denard Span (.19)
Cole Hamels (.39)
Johnny Peralta (.18)
Brandon Phillips (.19)
Mat Latos (.21)
Jay Bruce (.31)
Matt Kemp (.34)
Madison Bumgarner (.43)
Adam Wainwright (.40)
Martin Prado  (.24)
Yadier Molina (.20)
Miguel Montero (.17)
Angel Pagan (.26)

Winter Waivers Kept
Will Smith
Dan Haren
Tony Watson
Francisco Liriano
Joaquin Benoit
Justin Upton
Adieny Hechavarria
Michael Taylor
Carlos Martinez

X Contracts
Gerritt Cole
Anthony Rendon
Jedd Gyorko
Corey Dickerson
Yasiel Puig

THE MONEY

The Swing  10 players needed  1.05 to spend (10.5 per player)
Graging Bulls  10 players needed  1.45 to spend (14.5 per player)
Dem Rebels  12 players needed  1.22 to spend  (10.1 per player)
DoorMatts  10 players needed   .83 to spend (8.3 per player)
Twin Killers  12 players needed  1.90 to spend  (15.8 per player)
Revenge  10 players needed  1.49 to spend (14.9 per player)
Kenndoza Line  11 players needed  1.56 to spend (14.1 per player)
Beatniks  10 players needed  1.52 to spend (15.2 per player)
Clowns  14 players needed  2.17 to spend (15.5 per player)
Ruffins  10 players needed  1.65 to spend (16.5 per player)

INTERESTING TIDBITS
Both the DoorMatts and Revenge has their utility spots filled.  The DoorMatts cannot draft an infielder and the Revenge cannot draft a firstbaseman or second baseman.

DL'd Players

Gentlemen -

Just a reminder as to how DL players will be handled.

If a player is placed on the DL before you submit your cuts, you can place them on your Reserve List.

If a player is not on the DL when you submit your cuts, that player has to be placed on your Active Roster.

If after cuts are submitted but before the draft, the player is placed on the DL, the CFCL team can move that player to the Reserve List.

It does not matter how logical it would seem that the player SHOULD be on the DL.  If the NL team has not placed that player on the DL, that player cannot be reserved.

One More Draft Day Comment/Reminder

I had thrown this out a day or two after last year's draft, but wanted to re-suggest/remind everyone.

For years about the only negative about the draft is that we are wall to wall with draft stuff (pre-draft collecting fees, electing EC, taking photo; then drafting, then rotational draft) that we don't have a lot of time to catch up, chat and enjoy each other. 

So the DoorMatts suggested that after the draft is completed and we've left the Draft Room, we meet at a sports bar or some establishment where we can kick back and relive the draft, catch up with each other and just have enjoyable, relaxed conversations.

I understand that some owners may need to begin their journeys back to their home states, others need to get back to their families and yet others will be thinking "I just spent nine hours with these idiots.  Ain't no way I'm hanging around for more."  BUT if there are some who would like to hang out and grab a drink or dinner, we'll be going somewhere somewhat close to the Draft Location.

All are invited.

Draft Day Questions

There have been a few questions about position eligibility for players, specifically some international players coming to the NL.

The way we are handling things currently is to use the information provided by OnRoto.  We are in the process of using OnRoto for our Master Draft List.  So far we have been pleased with the accuracy of OnRoto. 

For consistency and simplicity we will use the information provided by OnRoto.  If you see any discrepancies, please notify me immediately.

Thank you.

Trade - Bulls and Line

Days before Roster Freeze Day the Bulls and Line made a deal.

The Bulls traded Albert Almora (.05 Mx) and their 5th Round Pick to the Kenndoza Line for their 2nd Round Pick.

More Draft Prep

Here is a list/reminder of the players tied to HTD and the teams with their HTD budgets.

Quick reminder that to use the HTD you can use no more than one half of your budget (rounded down) on any given player.  So for example, if Dem Rebels wanted to use the HTD on Aaron Hill, they could use either .01 or .02 of their budget.

Bulls  .06
No Eligible Players

Beatniks  .05
Carlos Quentin
Chase Utley
Jason Grilli
Carl Crawford

Dem Rebels  .04
Aaron Hill

DoorMatts  .04
Gio Gonzalez

Ruffins  .03
Domonic Brown
Lance Lynn
Sergio Romo

Twin Killerls  .03
AJ Ellis

Clowns  .02
Todd Frazier

First trade of 2015

The 2015 Trade Season kicked off with the Clowns trading CJ Edwards (.05 Mx) and their 2nd round rotation pick to the Bulls for Robert Stephenson (.05 Mx) and the Bulls 9th and 10th Round picks.

Draft Day Preparation

A moment of clarity kicked in today.  I looked around, realized Spring Training was in full swing and thought "Hey, Draft Day is in a month or so."  A quick count of days on a calendar and suddenly there are 23 days until Draft Day.

Wow.

So here are some reminders for the Draft. 

It's Saturday, April 4th at my office in Lisle.  We're going to start official stuff like the League Photo, EC election, handing out sheets, etc at 1pm.  The plan is to invoke the Ruffin Privilege well before 2pm.

I will be sending out the Cut Sheets soon.  Most  likely by this weekend.  Cuts are due back in my InBox by Sunday, March 29th at 3pm.  Please don't be late.  I plan to have the cuts turned around by that evening or Monday the 30th.

** A reminder about cuts.  Almost every year I hear from an owner(s) saying "I want to reserve X player because he may not make the Opening Day Roster".  Remember - currently ALL of your players are on your ACTIVE ROSTER.  You need to find reasons to put them on reserve, not the other way around.   When you submit your cuts, if a player has been sent to the minors, obviously they don't belong on your active roster (especially if they are an Mx contract).  But if they are still in camp, then they belong on your active roster.  Refer to the Constitution for instances of players being sent down after cuts are submitted.  **

There hasn't been a flurry of trades, but I will remind you that the Trade Season is open until you submit your cuts.  Once you click "Send" you are not allowed to make a trade, even draft picks.  So get your trades wrapped up before you click send.

I will be arriving at the office well before 1pm on Draft Day, so please feel free to arrive early.  Make sure you allow for traffic/construction/etc and arrive before 1pm.

Oh, this is obvious, but I'll say it.  1) Some of us have players on our roster that are on AL teams.  These players MUST be cut.  I can't imagine any of you wanting to keep them if you can't get their stats, but you have to cut them.  2) The main objective for all of us is to win/compete in 2015.  We all keep an eye on the future and opportunities that will allow us to build for our future.  But the MAIN (actually ONLY) reason we are getting together in 23 days is to win the 2015 CFCL Championship.

If anyone has any questions about the Cut Sheets, please feel free to contact me.

Winter Waivers 2015 End

And with that the 2015 Winter Waivers have come to a close.  No claims were made on the Line's cast offs.  Next things on the agenda are Roster Freeze Day (date to be determined - usually about a week or so before Draft Day) and fees submitted.

Anyone wanting to pay their fees before Draft Day is welcome to send me a check for $120.  My address is: 2212 James Leigh Drive, Aurora, IL, 60503.  You can always bring your fee on Draft Day.

I will be renewing our membership with OnRoto shortly.

Briefly recapping the Banquet from Saturday.  The Revenge, half The Swing and Dem Rebels were in attendance.  Even with just three owners coming, almost all of the award certificates were handed out as the Revenge had a Titanic type of season.  The Swing picked up MVP (Kershaw) and Cy Young (Kershaw).

Excellent baseball conversation ensued although there was a moment when the Revenge subconsciously let out their pent up frustration with the Commissioner by dumping a glass of ice water all over him.

That ugly incident aside, many baseball topics were discussed including roster management.  A more detailed explanation will follow.  And after four hours (YES! Four hours!) of banquet fun and frivolity the three owners headed off in to the night.

Keep in mind that trade season is open.

Winter Waivers 2015 - Round 3

Not wanting this to end, The Line was the only team to submit waiver claims and thus have acquired:

Matt Thornton .05
Adieny Hechavarria  .01

They have waived:

Jesse Biddle  .05M
Alexi Amarista .07

Claims are due Sunday, January 18th at 3pm

Winter Waivers 2015 - Round 2

Results of claims and corresponding waivers are below.  Deadline to claim is Thursday, January 15th, 3pm.

Swing
Joaquin Benoit .20  (Adieny Hechavarria .01)

Line
Cody Ashe .05 (Tsuyoshi Wada .05)
Yorman Rodriguez .02M (Matt Thornton .05)
Zach Lee .02M (Nick Vincent .10)

Revenge
Cody Ashe  .05  (Michael Cuddyer .20)
Joaquin Benoit .20 (Jay Bruce .31)
Seth Manness .05 (Bartolo Colon .13)

Draft Day 2015 On The Books

Thanks to most everyone's feedback (most importantly our out of towners) the 2015 Draft Day has been agreed upon.

We will draft at my office (like the last few years) in Lisle on Saturday, April 5th.  Our start time will be 1pm with league business and hopefully kicking off the Ruffin Privilege well before 2pm.

There were a few requests for the draft to begin in the late morning, but with owners coming in from out of town, we need to start early afternoon.  If everyone pays attention during the draft, has players to nominate when it's there turn and doesn't take 60-70 seconds to decide if they are going to increase their bid, we should still be able to get out at a decent hour.

Last year we started at 1:30 and finished the draft portion at 6:30.  If I remember correctly we were out of the building by 8pm.

Winter Waivers, Round 1 Complete

And like that, Round 1 is complete and CFCL Trade Season is now open!  Below are the claims submitted and corresponding waivers offered.    Players listed in Yellow were acquired via successful claims.  Players listed in Purple were corresponding waivers.  Players with lines through them were unsuccessful claims (i.e. claimed by other teams first).  Players with no color or line were submitted to be waived but the process never got that far.  The new set of players being waived are available until 3pm (Central) Sunday, January 11.

Clowns (1)                                                                                     Killers (2)                                           

Austin Hedges .02M       Joey Votto .49

Justin Upton .35               Yorman Rodriguez .02M

Michael Taylor .06            Alex Guerrero

Michael Cuddyer .20

Carlos Martinez .05

 

Ruffins (3)          

Carlos Martinez .05                Sam LeCure .02

Pierce Johnson .02M      Angel Pagan

DoorMatts (4)                                                          Rebels (5)                                                                                Tony Watson .15              Juan Guttierez .05

                                                                                  Michael Taylor .06           

                                                                                   Dan Haren .16                    Jeff Locke .08

                                                                                    Francisco Liriano .10        Zach Lee .02M

                                                                                    Pierce Johnson .02M      Robbie Erlin .02

                                                                                     John Mayberry .01          Cody Asche .05

                                                                                     Tim Lincecum .04              Jason Heyward

 

Beatniks (6)                                              Bulls (7)                              

                                                                   Carlos Martinez .05         Rafael Soriano .20

                                                                   Will Smith .05                     Wilmer Flores .10
                                                                   Rhymer Liriano .05           Henderson Alvarez
                                                                   Jared Cosart .05                                Wilson Ramos

 

Swing (8)                                                                Line (9)

Carlos Martinez .05         Pedro Strop .15         Pierce Johnson .02M      Emilio Bonafacio .04

Justin Upton .35               Hechevarria               Austin Hedges  .02M      Dilson Herrera .10

                                                                                 Tony Watson  .15             Pedro Alvarez .21

                                                                                 Gregor Blanco .10            Tommy La Stella .10M

                                                                                 Carlos Martinez .05         Ryan Howard.10

                                                                                 Martin Maldanado .01   Joaquin Benoit .20

                                                                                 Rickie Weeks .01              Seth Maness .05

                                                                                 Jesse Biddle .05M

                                                                                 Alexi Amarista.07             Vidal Nuno .05

                                                                                 Tsuyoshi Wada .05           Vincent

                                                                                 Matt Thornton .05

 

Revenge (10)

Tony Watson .15              Chris Hatcher .05

Carlos Martinez .05         Ian Desmond .34

Rymer Liriano .05             Jay Bruce

Michael Cuddyer .20       Saltalamacchia

Winter Waivers Round 1

Below are the players that were waived for Winter Waivers.   You have until Thursday, January 8th at 3pm to submit any claims.

**  THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THE 3PM DEADLINE.  IF IT'S NOT IN MY INBOX AT 3PM, I'M PROCESSING CLAIMS.**

 REMEMBER:  For every player you claim you must list a player from your current 23 man roster you want to waive.  You may not waive a player on an X contract or LTC.  You MAY, however, claim a player on this list that is in the AL.  If that player is still in the AL as of Roster Freeze Day, you MUST cut them.

If you claim someone they will be given a "W" contract.  Their salary is what is listed below.  If you claim a player with an "M" next to their salary, they will be in your minor league system.  These players (if kept going into Draft Day) will receive a 17+ and Mx contract respectively.

Also, on Thursday, January 8th at 3:01pm the trade season is open!

Happy pickings!

Zach Duke .08
Alfredo Simon  .05
Jesse Hahn  .09
Alfredo Marte  .05
Jeff Rutledge  .02
Eric Stults  .15
Tommy Medica  .10
Kyle Kendrick  .05
Chris Perez  .10
Brandon Cumpton  .05
Martin Maldanado  .01
Brian Wilson  .02
Charlie Culberson  .05
Hanley Ramirez  .21
Jake Peavy  .17
Mike McKenry  .05
Dale Thayer  .10
Ebder Inciarte   .05
Lyle Overbay  .10
Michael Cuddyer  .20
Chase Headley  .38
Austin Hedges  .02M
Junior Lake  .10
Kevin Frandsen  .10
Jose Lobaton  .05
Mike Dunn  .10
Matt Thornton  .05
Pierce Johnson  .02M
Jeremy Affeldt  .06
Kyuji Fujikawa  .02
Tsuyoshi Wada  .05
John Lackey  .24
Justin Upton  .35
Brayan Pena  .05
BJ Upton  .13
Gregor Blanco  .10
Jordan Schafer  .01
Yangervis  Solartes  .08
Chris Denorfia  .10
Hector Sanchez  .01
Jordan Lyles  .05
Tom Murphy  .05M
Chase Anderson  .05
Carlos Martinez  .05
Nelson Liriano  .10
Joe Kelly  .07
Homer Bailey  .28
Ryan Braun  .49
Seth Smith  .10
Andrew Lambo  .10
Jean Machi  .06
Jake Marisnick  .05
Jimmy Nelson  .12
Pat Neshek  .05
Ramon Santiago  .06
Will Smith  .05
Mark Trumbo  .19
Vance Worley  .08
Travis Snider  .05
Brandon Beachy  .05
Gaby Sanchez  .10
Michael Taylor  .06
Jordan Walden  .10
German Gonzalez  .06
Johnny Venters  .05
Daniel Espinosa  .10
Gerald Laird  .05
Jordan Pacheco  .05
Chris Nelson  .07
Jordanny Valdespin  .06
Kevin Siegrist  .10
Brandon Kintzler  .10
Matt Duffy  .05
Ryan Kalish  .10
Tim Lincecum  .04
Josh Beckett  .10
Rickie Weeks  .01
Eric Campbell  .05
Rymer Liriano  .05M
Ryan Ludwick .02
Darin Ruf  .10
Alexi Amarista  .07
Ben Paulsen  .05
Zach Cozart  .10
Enrique Hernandez  .10
Edison Volquez  .05
Jeurys Familia  . 10
Tyler Matzek  .10
Jared Cosart  .05
Kris Medlin  .02
Rex Brothers  .06
Carlos Gonzalez  .48
Mike Olt .11
Ike Davis  .05
Nathan Eovaldi  .15
Anthony Recker  .10
Justin Masterson  .11
Kyle Blanks  .10
Andrew Heaney  .10M
Dan Haren  .16
Brandon Barnes  .06
Ryan Sweeney   .01
Ryan Vogelsong  .06
Jacob Turner  .05
AJ Ramos  .10
Grady Sizemore  .05
Didi Gregorius  .10
Jeff Baker  .10
Skip Schumaker  .05
Curtis Granderson  .22
Andre Ethier  .17
Manny Parra  .05
Justin Wilson  .05
Addison Reed  .20
Tony Watson  .15
Ervin Santana  .07
Steven Souza  .02M
John Mayberry  .01
Wil Nieves  .10
Jaime Garcia  .10
Javier Lopez  .10
Luis Avilan  .05
Kirk Niewenhuis  .05
Garret Jones  .05
AJ Burnett  .10
Aaron Harang  .05
LaTroy Hawkins  .03
Tim Hudson  .04
Cliff Lee  .41
Jesse Biddle  .05
JP Howell  .10
Kristopher Negron  .05
AJ Pierzynski  .24
Anthony Varvaro  .05
Wesley Wright  .05
Matt DenDekker  .05