I wonder. is there any major league team in history that only started 4 starters for every single game in a season
How many times in history has a team gone all season and only started 5 pitchers? The issue is simple. Why should a team with a 4 man rotation carry a 5th starter but a team with a 5 man rotation does not have to carry a 6th starter.
why should the game engine be designed to offer a scenario that really doesn't exist?
Why indeed? Major league teams do not carry an extra starter to just sit around and do nothing. Why should we have to?
And if they did wouldn't they pay that pitcher the minimum allowed?
I would prefer is the .50 s5 didn't even exist and you had to put at risk your 5th starter being used when bullpen is overused.
No problem with that. But why should that only apply to teams with 4 * starters and not to teams with 5 non * starters?
This is a very good point though. If overused bullpens actually got fatigued like real relievers then teams would want/need to carry an extra long man and the S/R pitcher would have similar value to a real life swing man on a real pitching staff. And with relative certainty that pitcher would be used there would be value in carrying one that was at least mediocre.