Rays - Dodgers

[Deleted]

The Rays agree to trade...

SP - Tim Lincecum - $1M (2017)
Phil Bickford - SP SFG
rd 19 pick
rd 27 pick
rd 28 pick
rd 34 pick
rd 44 pick

to the Dodgers for...

C - Devin Mesoraco - $6.3M (2020-2021P)
$5M cash in 2016 & 2017

This trade gives me depth at C that I hope to take advantage of. If Mes can put up 80% of his 2014 numbers then he is well worth the price and should be productive for the length of his deal. I hate losing Bickford but am willing to do so for the potential of elite production from C

[Royals GM (Ryan)]

You can't trade cash. Has to be tied to a player for the duration of said players' contract

[Dodgers GM (Shaun)]

The cash should be $10M of Mesoraco's contract, $5M per year in 2016 and 2017.

So 

SP - Tim Lincecum 
Phil Bickford - SP SFG
rd 19 pick
rd 27 pick
rd 28 pick
rd 34 pick
rd 44 pick

to the Dodgers for...

C - Devin Mesoraco - $6.3M (the Dodgers are covering $5M of the contract in 2016 and 2017)

[Royals GM (Ryan)]

It's still not a legal trade. Any money sent to cover a players' contract has to be for the duration of the contract, not a select few years

[Deleted]

I think we may need Justin to clarify. Pasted below is the rule pertaining to this sort of thing...

"Trading

GMs are allowed to trade draft picks (up to two drafts into the future) and players. They are allowed to pay a portion of a traded player's salary but may not send cash in a deal. When paying a portion of a player's salary, please specify who is paying it, how much, and for how many years. The amount paid by each team must be constant over the length of the contract. This is to make sure contracts are not too difficult to keep track of.

Example (First example is ILLEGAL, second example is LEGAL):

** Assume the following players have their "real life" contracts.

Example 1:

This IS NOT allowed (Notice there is more money in this trade then dollars in the players' contracts):
Player A trades: $15 mil and Jerry Sands
Player B trades: Wil Myers

Example 2:

This IS allowed
Player A trades: A-Rod (And Player A takes on $10 mil in 2013 of A-Rod's contract)
Player B trades: Jerry Sands"

The sentence that I italicized, underlined, and in particular the words I bolded, seem to point to the option of covering salary for a portion of the contract's years rather than for it's duration. The following sentence is where there is some ambiguity, in my mind, and I think where you are gleaning your interpretation. However, I read it as you can't send different amounts - the amount sent, for each year you are sending it, must be the same not you must send the same amount for each year of the contract. And I think that this reading is supported by example 2 above where Player A takes on $10M in one year of A-Rod's contract.

Justin?

[A's GM (Justin - Commissioner)]

Sorry about the wording there. "For how many years" simply signifies that the poster should let everyone know the length of the contract. It was sort of implied that the money would be equal in each year and every year of the contract.

[Dodgers GM (Shaun)]

Right, that's where I was getting stuck up too. It was worded as if

a) the money doesn't have to be the entire contract
b) it must be split evenly over the agreed upon years (hence $5M for 2 years for $10M total)

Give us a moment to confer.

[Royals GM (Ryan)]

For reference guys, I have a bias for knowing how Justin had intended the rule, and even though the wording does indeed have some ambiguity, I've played in a very similar league with Justin for multiple years and knew that the rule was intended the same way as over in that league.

Wasn't trying to be snarky and saying that I knew I was interpreting a rule right during ambiguous circumstances and yours was wrong. I just happened to know how it was intended.

Glad we can get it worked out though and no hard feelings

[Deleted]

None at all. Your comments weren't interpreted negatively but thanks for making sure.

[Deleted]

So here is the new (final?) iteration.


SP - Tim Lincecum
Phil Bickford - SP SFG
rd 19 pick
rd 27 pick
rd 28 pick
rd 34 pick
rd 44 pick

to the Dodgers for...

C - Devin Mesoraco - $6.3M 2020-21(P)
LAD will cover $2M of Mes's salary for each guaranteed year of the contract - 2016-2020 - for a total of $10M

[Dodgers GM (Shaun)]

Agreed here

[A's GM (Justin - Commissioner)]

Processed.