All valid points..
however....
its about performance/salary= value...and how its applied( as we all know this age old formula effecively turns STRAT from a reality game to a "what if" game).
Go back to 99 with Garces and Shumpert
Both get manipulated within the rules of the game to vastly out perform RL stats
Shumpert, in the 3 seasons I just finished lead the league in 2bs twice and second by 1 in the third....320 avg...21 HR's...52 2b's ...110+ RBI in [b:51acd5ad8b]670 PA's[/b:51acd5ad8b]
For the ability to massage/manipulate/coerse these numbers from this card you pay the going rate of 7+M
Garces(whom I use often) is the same
230+ innings 12+wins...15+ svs...era 2.50+ to 4.00..he can pitch 3+ good innings every other day
For this you pay 5+M
I could choose to play Alfonso at 2B who performs at a high level...or I could spend my 5+M on a SP who can log those 230IP for me by going 6+ every 4th day (Mussina, Colon etc etc)...so for the same money+/- I could have cards that conform to reality and have the potential for equal results
If its just about the reality of it then why punish Garces and not Shumpert...both are cards that under the rules of the game can be manipulated to overachieve and are thus valued accordingly by salary..a salary that is commiserate with other cards that perform equally in RL
If you start capping cards...any cards...you add a whole new factor to the game as it is played now. And any adjustment to one side has to made made to the other.
How would you start capping hitters....say upon reaching their RL PA's all injuries are 15 games?
Now you have Garces at 5+M with limited effectiveness and Shumpert at 7+M missing an additional 10-15+ games. Now neither is worth the salary assigned to them.
So now...in effect with any card capping must come a salary adjustment of equal impact