free drops and adds?

Valen wrote: 9 pm system locks lineups and starting pitchers for the 3 game series.

So if this is correct, wouldn't this be very misleading:

Get ready for your next games! If you have changes to make to your lineups, pitchers and managing style, make them by 10pm ET on game day in order for them to take effect.

Yeah, the lineups must be in by 10:00pm EST not 9:00 EST. The limbo period is in between 10:00pm EST and your team's game results being final.

After reviewing the Andy Hassler incident, I'm in agreement that the SOM written Roster rules either require a correction, or else the software bug should be fixed:

"Before the season starts, you receive a player's full salary back when you release him. After the season starts, however, you only receive a portion of a released player's salary. The percentage you receive back depends on your league's FA Drop Penalty settings. You can view your league settings during the season by going to the "Your League" page. Make sure to balance your salary cap carefully!"

A team "Hordes" several specific players on their team in extra roster spots (such as the scrub version of Hugh Duffy) to limit access to these guys.

Simple solution. You see that team with those extra players they probably will not need. Make a fair trade offer. I suspect the same people who complain about someone else hoarding players at a certain position are the same ones sitting back and refusing to negotiate trades in good faith because they know the person will be forced to drop them when the season starts. That is their right. If they hold them until the last minute possible hoping someone will make a fair offer I do not blame them. That is their right.

So bottom line if you want any given player make a trade offer worthy of that player, or at the very least what you will have to drop to clear cap room to pick him up when the other guy drops him. Or better yet draft that player yourself in your next league.

I disagree with you that this is not used intentionally to gain advantage. I think this happens frequently.

I never said someone might not try to use this to their advantage. I simply explained what most likely happened in this instance of Hassler getting dropped without a loss in cap money. I ONLY spoke to this specific situation originally brought up in this thread to answer his specific question.

I am 100% certain though that in this instance of dropping Hassler and most likely given that team's roster now picking up a different scrub reliever gave them absolutely no competitive advantage whatsoever.

Regarding the examples given of how some might try to take advantage of this I do not believe any of the examples would give sufficient advantage for me to lose any sleep over. If an opponent wants to put Martinez higher on his draft card to get him and maybe gain a miniscule advantage for one game and allow me to get someone I might not have otherwise got because they had to draft Martinez too high I say go for it. He will lose his advantage after that first night and I will have a card I might not have had for the entire season. As far as I am concerned in the long run that is advantage me. Basically I invite everyone who is worried about that scenario to wast their top pick on Martinez in every league and make full use of this technique described. That will be one less team I have to compete against for getting one of the truly 12 best cards with that top pick.

Despite the arguments that the advantage gained by making late changes without penalty is relatively minor - it just seems goofy to create a situation where a team can rent 1-3 players to use for the opening series without some penalty. It should be easy to set the time for a fixed roster that would not allow such a thing.

As for a manager hoarding players - there should be plenty of options in this huge player set. I actually like the 0.95 Hugh Duffy. I draft him and keep him just to have a cheap bat off the bench, not to prevent someone else from using the 11.75 version.

Amen! Hording good players in the preseason is just a good management technique. I have also used the cheap Duffy, even before there was the expensive one. And I do not wait until the last minute to trim my roster to 24 or 25..... All MLB and NFL teams horde players in the preseason..

I frequently do this, and not just to be a d-bag. Once I draft, I change my mind a thousand times, and often am making transactions around 9pm central on Monday once kids are getting ready for bed. I know it is abused by some, but it is convenient for the less decisive of us.