SP Gary Downey Auction

[Young Drachma]

Rather than dump a star player into the free agent pool after they've been released due to the owner bailout exception, we'll do an auction where teams (except for the team that released them) can bid for the player(s) services.

New York has used its exception to release Gary Downey. (linked to his player card)

The team will be charged $5 million for the last year on his deal ($25 million) and the extension he signed in the off-season will be voided.

How this will work, is that you make an offer on the player. Your auction bid is for a one-year contract for the player's services.

To bid, you post: Team X bids $3 million or to raise the bid, you can bid more than the minimum amount. If two teams tie on their bid, someone has to break the tie or else, neither team gets the player. You must bid in whole dollars. (no cents, folks.)

The bidding will remain open until the export deadline tonight. (which is 1 am eastern time)

He'll go on the roster of the team that signs him immediately before the start of the season.

If no one makes an offer, he'll be placed into the free agent pool and will not play this year.

The bidding will begin at $3 million

[Young Drachma]

Here are the up-to-the-minute cap figures by team:

Rank Team Payroll
1 Atlanta Firecrackers $66,790,665
2 Valdosta Peanuts $65,761,325
3 Montreal Majestics $64,891,875
4 Brooklyn Brownstones $64,686,100
5 Compton Brothers $63,409,025
6 Colorado Rancheros $63,342,400
7 Boston Settlers $61,203,100
8 New York Heroes $61,199,100
9 Napa Valley Winemakers $56,109,300
10 Detroit Wolverines $55,168,010
11 Hartford Harpooners $52,548,825
12 Baltimore Gothams $25,038,725

[gstelmack]

Boston bids $3.5 million

[Tasan]

Someone please outbid Boston.

Please.

[Tasan]

Can we bid past our cap and dump salary to fit our bid?

[muns]

No Worries Tasan, he will be playing in Baltimore this year.

Baltimore Bids 15 mil

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by Tasan

Can we bid past our cap and dump salary to fit our bid?

The rules say you need to be under the cap by the deadline. The auction ends at deadline, so...as long as you're under or at the cap by the deadline, you can do whatever you want. But if a team ends up over the cap and manages to win the auction, the next highest bid will be taken.

[Young Drachma]

Originally Posted by muns

No Worries Tasan, he will be playing in Baltimore this year.

Baltimore Bids 15 mil

Jeremy says, I'm baaaack bitches.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by Dark Cloud

Jeremy says, I'm baaaack bitches.

And Tasan thinks "out of the frying pan and into the fire", right?

[Tasan]

Bah.

Baltimore is a lot further away right now. I'm more worried about Boston, and since this is a one year deal (I guess he could extend, but oh well) I say fine to muns getting him. Go for it man!

[muns]

DC I left a spot in my starting rotation open for him. If you could just stick him in there. Thank ya

[Young Drachma]

Got it. Done. It'd be funny if someone made a last minute offer on him, for like a dollar more. That'd be hilarious. Sorta like an ebay auction.

25 minutes left...

[TeachEnEspanol]

Several martinis later (out with friends, don't worry) and several blank stares at my computer dictate that I just do not have the money to beat out Jeremy for this one. He is all yours.

[Tasan]

Bah I can't come up with it either. One year off on Clary to pull it off.

[Tasan]

I would have loved to snipe it though. I used to do that all the time on eBay.