Floored Kickoff 2024! Rules, Keeper Trading, Draft Date Picking

 

Welcome to 2024!

It's mid-February, so I won't wish you a happy new year. I dont need Larry David to see this one day and grumble.

We have news! Since our last blog, Max and Jessica had their baby, Elena. The Floored family grows by one more and now the Floored FBL of 2050 of Carlos, Erin, Emma, Ellie, George, Ruth, Lilah, Finn, Tyler, and Elena have now filled their 10-team league. Who's down to fill a 15-teamer?

With the Super Bowl in the rear view mirror, it's time for baseball to take sports fans' attention, and with that, fantasy baseball preparations can begin!

First up, as always, rule changes. I haven't heard of any interest in major changes this year, but there are some loopholes we may want to close up (like maybe stopping people from trading away the top of their next year's draft to add players for a stretch run, like Paul did last year) and Carl put one idea on the table to do multi-phased trades. So, if you have any rule changes you want to propose, let me know and we'll vote. 

Next, the draft date. MLB starts in Korea this year with two games between the Dodgers and Padres a full week before the rest of the league gets going. Those games are March 20-21. I'd like to finish our draft before those games, so let's target March 17th for the draft. Any objects to an afternoon draft on the 17th?

Finally, keeper trading. Keeper trading has cooled the last few years as people realize the limited value change in a 4-rounds-of-value keeper and a 1-round-of-value keeper and people not wanting to seemingly 'help' out another team with improving their keepers; plus with the expansion of rosters without changing rounds of keepers (as in, from a previous year's pickup being worth an 11th round pick instead of, say, a 20th round pick), the value of an 8th round keeper vs an 11th round keeper when you need to pick 30 rounds worth of players is also a pretty marginal value change. I agree and disagree with some of this logic, but I've seen all of it (and said some of it) the last few years.

But some people still really enjoy it and I think the analysis is fun, so we continue on.

At face value, Michael and Cory have a slim edge on the field entering keeper trading, but if no moves get made, then Michael, Cory, Dean, and Arthur will all have a leg up to start the season. Arthur, BJ, Cory, Michael, and Paul all have a keeper with at least two rounds of value to spare, while Carl and Keith don't have three keepers with at least two-rounds of value. There is good opportunity for keeper trades this year.

Note that these average draft positions are pulled from the National Fantasy Baseball Championship website, not Yahoo, and are based on a 5X5 scoring system, not our league, so all these values won't directly match how our league will value players.

But what about the traded picks!? Last year was the first year that we re-introduced draft pick trading, it was a hit.

Paul, as we all remember, mortgaged his 2024 draft to acquire some great players at the deadline in 2023. It worked, carrying him to the 2023 title, but he might struggle early in 2024 with only three top-five round picks and seven top-ten round picks. Arthur was the big seller at the deadline last year, acquiring six top-five round picks, and 13 total top-ten round picks. All this to say, with good keepers and a lot of early round draft capital, Arthur is in great shape to start the season.

Final reminder, to help with any draft pick trades, here is the draft slot picking order this year. We'll start slot picking next week.

Put me in, coach. I'm ready to play. Let's get it going.