Even the Playing Field

Over the years when a team gets too good the cry goes out from the masses to break up that team. Break up the Yankees! Break up the Reds! In our league it is Break up the Chile Heads.


The Cozumel Chile Heads are running away with their sixth championship in a row. After winning the first one they have been able to draft and trade from a position of strength. Their roster is talented and deep and it runs through to their farm team.


It is a 12 team keeper league with a standard 5x5 roto format with a $300 cap to maintain 40 roster spots plus 10 farm players are allowed that do not count against the cap. After this season they will lose seven players they have under contract: Ian Kinsler, Pablo Sandoval, Rajai Davis, Dan Haren, Justin Verlander, Carlos Marmol and Brian Wilson. Yet they currently have seven contract pitchers returning next season: Tim Lincecum, Yovani Gallardo, Max Scherzer, Mat Latos, David Price, Clay Buchholz and Neftali Feliz. They also have eleven position players under contract which return next season: Colby Rasmus, Jacoby Ellsbury, Jay Bruce, Justin Upton, Ryan Braun, Troy Tulowitzki, Hanley Ramirez, Dustin Pedroia, Billy Butler, Prince Fielder and Matt Wieters. That alone would be an impressive core 18 to build a team around.


However there are another 15 players remaining on their 40 man roster which they could sign to contracts or use in trades if they don't cut them to free a spot for the next draft. Six of those are pitchers: Stephen Strasburg, Shaun Marcum, Carlos Carrasco, Brad Lidge, Mark Melancon and Jordan Walden. The other nine are position players although some are farm eligible: Carlos Santana, Jose Bautista, Starlin Castro, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Justin Smoak, Jason Heyward, Pedro Alvarez, Mike Trout and Gary Sanchez. 


That leaves ten players on their farm team. These players will eventually feed the next generation of the juggernaut or be used in trades to help replenish roster loses. Their current farm includes Desmond Jennings, Lonnie Chisenhall, Brett Lawrie, Danny Espinosa, Dustin Ackley, Billy Hamilton, Miguel Sano, Manny Machado, Brandon Belt and Rubby De La Rosa.


I came up with a proposal to help the other eleven teams in the league. I proposed a special draft at the end of the season of the Chile Head players. Initially I thought it could be a two round draft since there were 25 non contract players available including the farm team. Yet I felt that didn't cut deep enough so one more round would be needed. To reach the 33 players needed the pool of contract players would have to be raided. I suggest that the Chile Heads pick which eight they are willing to give up and keep a core ten players to build on. The draft would go three rounds starting in reverse order of finish. The drafting teams would get the players at their current roster price and if it was a contract player they would adopt the contract as well.


I did mention my proposal to one of the owners of the Chile Heads who is also our commish. Obviously he did not like the idea because he said that would guarantee that they finish last next year. AND? Welcome to our world. They had a wonderful six year run and it is time to give another team a realistic chance at it.


He countered that the best way to handicap his team is through economic sanctions that will make it harder for his team and frankly mine as well from accumulating so many players for so long. That is probably the approach we will take but I liken it to starting to fill a bathtub and then going down to the next floor and start a fire. You hope that the bathtub overflows and puts out the fire before too much damage is done. In a similar vein the sanctions will take time to work and the Chile Heads could easily have seven or eight championships in their trophy case before the run is stopped. My proposal was viewed as radical but I think the head of the dragon would need to be cut off to ensure the others have a chance in the near future.


There are some that are still under the delusion that they can catch the Chile Heads next season even if the current system remains in place. That will have to wait to be addressed another time...