Believe it or not the PB limits used to work until BBonds messed up the whole PB "curve" by hitting scads of homers in the toughest park for left-handed hitters to hit homers in.

This post is intended to start a discussion about possibly changing the way we disperse FA and limit PB in the spring. Everyone seems to like the way we run the rookie draft but there has always been disagreement about the random order in the FA draft.

I am for changing the PB limits by making them a function of the “average” PB team value of 27 retained players after the rookie draft instead of a hard and fast figure that we have seen compromised by Bonds (before you ask me to revise the way PB is done---get prepared for another one of those tirades about programming resources because it is not going to happen).

Many will not like the above very much but super-teams just do not promote league health.

As to the FA draft change, I am not currently in favor of changing the present system. What it does is give ALL teams a reason to get excited about he spring drafts and not just the losing teams (because of the random nature of the FA draft order). And the result is to help the teams that want to contend and not so much hamper the rebuilding efforts of the have-nots because the vast majority of the players in the FA draft are short-term solution role players.

It would be helpful to get some discussion going about both the PB level (what percentage of the average value is right? 115%?, 120%?, more? Less?).

Also we should discuss the merits of keeping the current random order in FA drafts or making the order equal to rookie draft or perhaps a dark horse idea?

Mike Bravard (PB)