Change to free agent bidding increments

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The TL;DR – To realign the bidding increments in free agency with the maximum contract years allowed for each total free agent contract under our rules.

Our current rules have bid increments of $100k on contracts up to $49.9m, and $1m for contracts above this.

The proposal is to keep the minimum raise at $100k for all free agents under $19.9m, which are the majority of free agency deals, and require a higher minimum bid of $500k for contracts between $20m and $49.9m, $1m for contracts between $50m and $99.9m, and $2m for contracts over $100m.

The detail:

While there haven’t been too many issues with FA dragging on and people don't often continually outbid each other with minimum raises over and over, it does happen occasionally, typically at the top end of bidding. The proposal here is to help speed up free agency, while also reflecting a more real life element to the bidding, and tying the bid limits in with the maximum length of contract our rules allow at each tier of free agency.

The proposal is:

1) Bids up to 19.9m - at least 100k higher than previous bid.
2) Bids from 20m to 49.9m - at least 500k higher than previous bid
3) Bids from 50m to 99.9m - at least 1m higher than previous bid
4) Bids over 100m - at least 2m higher

Each level is the equivalent of adding around 100k per year on a deal, with the exception of the higher end of level one, but I think this reflects the real life situation where a smaller contract is very much about the total guarantee, rather than an AAV, so a small increase in the total would likely sway a decision in such cases.

The last level represents a more significant change in the AAV, as beyond $100m our current minimum bid of $1m is adding less than 1% to a contract’s AAV, which seems an unrealistically small increment, and is where the majority of this bidding is likely to happen (eg: Jose Altuve last year).

There is an element that this is a solution to a very small problem, and that these few examples don’t merit complicating the rules further which I accept is a reasonable reason not to change things.

Questions/discussion can follow below.

[thepetis]

While I'm in favor of bid increments, the proposal doesn't seem to solve anything. None of these increments would push me off my bid and seem like they are basically what people are minimally incrementing already

[MasterShonuff]

While I'm in favor of bid increments, the proposal doesn't seem to solve anything.  None of these increments would push me off my bid and seem like they are basically what people are minimally incrementing already

Copy and paste for me here as well.

[SandlotLinC25]

Personally, anything to prevent the 100k bid wars of old are a thing of the past, that is good.

[Fiorious]

Agree with linc

[JuicyJ]

This is a good rule

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The vote is passed. I will update the rules accordingly, and it will take effect from the opening of free agency on February 26th.