I've gotten a couple questions recently about the MWR
violations so I wanted to address some of those questions, and hopefully
more.
We had two MWR violations this season,
and a couple other teams not-so-subtly gunning for low win totals. For
the MWR, Portland only won 45 games, and over two seasons Houston only
won 114 games. The Houston owner in particular was newer to HBD, and
I've had a couple people message me asking for leniency. The rules, as
constructed, do not allow for this, specifically because a
55/120/185/260 win minimum should not be difficult to meet, even for a
new player. Furthermore, the fact that a handful of other teams are
clearly trying to NOT be competitive should underline how important a definitive MWR really is.
On that note, I had
multiple owners message me last season about teams giving bad players
500+ ABs in the Majors, players that would struggle to get a .600 OPS in
the minors; I have had messages about owners playing left-handed
fielders in the infield with plenty of better options available; I've
seen teams start players with terrible righty splits against only
right-handed pitchers. As far as I know, we've avoided the dreaded "catcher at shortstop" so far. But as much as I would like to create rules to
eliminate this behavior, these are ultimately subjective measures. In
the past I've personally been accused of tanking for starting a gold
glove SS who could barely OPS .600; and for starting a bad catcher in RF
because he was such an offensive stud. I thought these were good
decisions that benefit my team, and other owners saw it differently, which is completely within their rights.
This game is ultimately about allowing YOU to control your team. It's
extremely difficult to draw a line regarding what personnel moves
dictate an intentional attempt at fielding a bad team, and I certainly won't claim my own preferences toward competitive balance are "right" or even held by the majority.
That said, a Minimum Win Requirement is not subjective. Sure, it doesn't care if you
are making an earnest shot at winning but have had bad luck. But it
also avoids forcing me/you all to make a guess at an owner's intent.
So,
the MWR is an attempt at drawing that line between a bare-minimum effort
at fielding a competitive team, and actively trying to lose. If you miss
the MWR, the fact that you inherited a particularly bad team is not an excuse. Having
bad veteran contracts is not an excuse. Getting hit with injuries is not
an excuse. This game is ultimately about luck and is full of unknowns, so
if you're at all concerned you are headed for a MWR violation, err on
the side of winning too many, and ask for advice and/or spend some
money. We all know the best way to create a powerhouse team is to cut
salary and accumulate high draft picks/expensive IFAs -- but if doing so
causes you to miss the MWR, too bad.
I
understand the need for a rebuild, and the fine line between not trying
to win and actively trying to lose -- hell I just traded my World
Series-winning starting rotation to get a head-start on a rebuild. But
the MWR is designed to remove any subjective judgment from the process.
To those truly struggling to build a MWR-safe team, let me know if you
need help -- myself and several other owners would be happy to lend some advice. To those intentionally shooting for the MWR, that is a skill in itself, and I wish you a
sarcastic good luck.
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