Adding a compensation draft round(s) to help rebuilding teams

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The TL;DR – To agree to the principle that the commissioners will institute a competitive balance round(s) in the draft, to allow the teams at the bottom of the standings an extra draft pick(s) to restock their minor leagues. The intention is that the pick(s), unlike regular draft picks, would not be tradeable. This would help not only with making the league more competitive, but also to make orphan teams more attractive to new owners if they have been badly run and abandoned by ensuring they retain some draft capital.
 
If passed, the commissioner team will decide on the number of teams and rounds and institute this for the 2025 season.

Other/further proposals for addressing competitive balance can be taken after the result of this vote is known and the announcement of the structure of the competitive balance round, if it is passed.

The detail:

Concerns have been raised around the retention of GMs on rebuilding teams, the difficulty of recruiting GMs for orphaned/abandoned teams, and the overall competitive balance of the league. One way to address these multiple concerns is with a competitive balance draft.

Other proposals – extra bonus pool money for teams at the bottom of the standings, for instance, or a Rule 5 equivalent draft for playoff teams – can be considered after this vote, as the result of this poll will likely have an effect on whether GMs think any further rebalancing is required.

National Pastime runs two competitive balance rounds, the first for the lowest 8 teams in the standings which takes place at the end of the first round, and the second for the lowest 4 teams at the end of the second round.

These picks are not tradeable, and ensure that those rebuilders retain draft slots in the first half of the draft from which they can improve their roster.
There are a number of options on which everyone will have an opinion, and it is not feasible to put each of these varying options to a vote – whether to have a single round or multiple rounds, whether to have the same number of teams in each round or to give extra weight to the lowest ranked teams, the method by which we determine which or how many teams receive draft picks each year, the order of teams in each round, and so on.

The addition of any extra picks will necessarily slightly devalue those that follow it compared with previous seasons, eg: if pick 2.1 is now not the 31st pick in the FYPD but the 37th, or if two rounds are instituted then an early third round pick moves from the 60s into the 70s or 80s. This will affect how people trade and value draft picks, and will be considered by the commissioners when deciding on the setup of any draft round(s).

This poll is to decide if the league agrees with the principle of a draft along these lines, and entrust the commissioners with setting up a system for our league for 2025.

Questions/discussion can follow below.

[MasterShonuff]

To add to this, I think a huge issue for these orphaned teams is that the previous owners have traded a lot of the team's draft capital. If a team wants to trade 2025 draft choices they should have to pay some sort of deposit if you will into that season. That way we get a stronger commitment from that owner to retain their team for the following season and if they end up leaving that money can go into the contingency bank for the league

[brodyj1234]

To add to this, I think a huge issue for these orphaned teams is that the previous owners have traded a lot of the team's draft capital.  If a team wants to trade 2025 draft choices they should have to pay some sort of deposit if you will into that season.  That way we get a stronger commitment from that owner to retain their team for the following season and if they end up leaving that money can go into the contingency bank for the league

I agree with this no future picks should be traded if the owner is not committed to playing next year

[SandlotLinC25]

Agreed on trading future picks being tied to a deposit.

[Fiorious]

Again, agree with linc lol

[JuicyJ]

Agree

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The vote is passed. The commissioners will decide on how to structure a competitive balance draft, and report back shortly.

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The commissioners have decided the following in relation to the competitive balance draft:

- There will be one extra competitive balance round of 6 picks, to take place between Rounds 1 and 2 of the FYPD starting in 2025.
- Competitive balance picks will not be tradeable.
- Draft slots will be taken by the teams with the six worst records in the season immediately preceding the draft.
- The team with the worst record will pick first, through to the team with the sixth-worst record picking last.
- The usual tiebreakers will be applied in the case of two or more teams having equal records.