In order to fill the spots to the MLB Bonus Baby dynasty league, I'm going to write what updates on what you get if you volunteer to be the owner of that team. First up is the Yankees, which are still open to be owned. Here's what you get:
The Yankees have the distinct advantage of having some of the best free agents on the market. Because all players in the league that have six or more service years as defined by our constitution are declared free agents, this may seem like a disadvantage. However, with the rule that you can have one "franchise" player for 2010 at $10 million, the Yankee owner can retain their best free agent player, and also get a 15% discount on its bids to retain those Yankee free agents like A-Rod, Derek Jeter, CC Sabathia, and Mariano Rivera. If the Yankee owner fails to win those players, but offers at least an equal salary to what they got in 2009 according to Cot's, then that owner gets compensation picks from our draft structure. As a result, the Yankee owner might come out with arguably the best farm system in our league once the draft is done, along with a fairly strong chance of winning the AL East in 2010. Great combination.
Here's the core players to build around that are still shy of free agency:
2B Robinson Cano ($1.5M, 6th Year): Cano's got a year before free agency, and the Yankee owner has the chance to either keep him as a force towards the division title in 2010, probably ending up with compensation in next year's draft, or trading him away for valuable prospects to a contender. Good opportunity to sell high.
CF Melky Cabrera ($1.0M, 5th Year): Keep in mind that this is a 30-team league, so some players that aren't as valuable in shallow leagues gain a good bit of value in this league. He carries with him a league-average OBP (one of our categories), a solid SLG (another category), barely strikes out (a category), steals a few bases (another category), and gets a fair number of XBH (our final category). Solid, solid player with eligibility in all three outfield spots and two years until free agency.
RF Nick Swisher ($1.5M, 6th Year): Same position as Cano, though Swisher is a big plus in the OBP, SLG, and XBH categories. Sell high or hold on to him for a run to the title.
SP Joba Chamberlain ($0.7M, 3rd Year): He's your young starter with a chance to greatly improve upon a fairly disappointing 2009. Our categories for pitching are ERA, QS, SV, Holds, and SO, so he's got the chance to be a plus in three categories.
RP Phil Hughes ($0.7M, 3rd Year): Could turn out to be better than Chamberlain if moved back to the rotation. These players will be the envy of the league.
OTHER PLAYERS: C Francisco Cervelli ($0.3M, 1st); CF Brett Gardner ($0.5M, 2nd); RF Xavier Nady ($1.5M, 6th); RP Alfredo Aceves ($0.5M, 2nd); RP David Robertson ($0.7M, 3rd); SP Chien-Ming Wang ($1.0M, 5th)
With a lot of cap room and a chance to rebuild upon a solid system with draft pick compensation, this team might grow into a powerhouse in the AL East for the next number of years with the right owner. All 2009 draftees and international signings go back into our draft pot for the first draft, but you inherit the rest of the farm system, including Jesus Montero and Austin Jackson.
Are you the right owner for the job? Click the link for the league above if you are, and sign up under 'League Sign Up.'