Open Divisional Decades League - Filled

Celebrate the divisional era!

This Post WWII ATG8 league is on the public list. Here's the concept:

Pick an available division and decade. Any player who suited up for any team in your division during any year in your decade is eligible for your squad, regardless of whether there is a card in the set so qualifying. If a player qualifies, you may use any card in the set for that player.

Here’s an opportunity to build a team around a favorite team and period, and fill it out with its hated rivals. On the other hand, with many players' careers spanning 15+ years and 5 or more teamns, in most cases there will be at least a little potential competition for your picks.

I set the league up in the system at a $106MM salary cap, although the actual (self-policed) league salary cap will be $100MM. The extra $6MM can be worked off through free agent drops/adds, without harming your team’s relative strength. This allows tweaks after the season starts, and one owner's drop can be another's add. So we may insert a little dynamism. I've also built in a reward for those who play close to the vest: after game 129 the cap is lifted to whatever money you have left and can spend. Simulating the late season trade/add to try to get over the top, or an opportunity to upgrade an existing player or expand your roster size.

There are 20 optional pools for teams - as follows:

70’s: AL West = CAL, CHW, KC, MIN, OAK, TX
AL East = BAL, BOS, CLE, DET, MIL, NYY
NL West = ATL, CIN, HOU, LAD, SD, SF
NL East = CHC, MON, NYM, PHI, PIT, STL

80’s: Same as above.

90’s: With the move to six divisions in ’94, things get a little tricky.
AL West = CA, OAK, SEA, TX
AL Central = Chi, Cle, KC, Min, Mil (through ’97), Det (’98-99)
AL East = Bal, Bos, NYY, Tor, Det (through ’97), TB (’98-99)
NL West = Col, LAD, SD, SF, AZ (’98-99)
NL Central = Chi, Cin, Hou, Pit, StL, Mil (’98-99)
NL East = Atl, Fl, Mon, NYM, Phil

2000’s: Because there are far fewer cards in the set for 2000 on, eligibility for this group will be based on 2000 to today. Here are the alignments:

’00 +: AL West = CA, OAK, SEA, TX, Hou (’13-’17)
AL Central = Chi, Cle, Det, KC, Min
AL East = Bal, Bos, NYY, Tor, TB
NL West = AZ, Col, LAD, SD, SF
NL Central = Chi, Cin, Hou (through ’12), Mil, Pit, StL
NL East = Atl, Fl, Mon/WA, NYM, Phil

Another limitation of the set is that in more recent years there are also fewer sub-$1MM players. So for 2000+ and 90’s teams, after waivers, any available sub $1MM card in the set from any of your divisional teams may be held. I think 70’s and 80’s teams will be able to fill without this exception.

I think the 70's will be the easiest to work with, as you'll have at least some monopoly access to 60's eras stars who played into the 70's: like Banks, Cash and Mays for instance, plus there are tons of role players from back then. 80's is interesting too, as it's still just 4 divisions, and you've got guys who started in the 70's and also that played well into the 90's who are going to be available to you. 90's will be a little tougher perhaps, because it becomes 6 divisions and you start to get fewer complementary players in the pool. I chose 2000+ just to see how easy/hard it would be to fill, and it was quite doable. It might become challenging if more than one more 2000+ team joins, but I will take it as it comes!

Tip: Most are probably well aware, but baseball-reference.com is an excellent reference for this exercise.

What if any restrictions are there on choice of ballpark and trading players?

No hard ballpark restrictions, although I did choose a park belonging to one of my franchises.

As for trades, they'll be permitted Only if the players involved are all otherwise eligible for both teams involved in the trade.