We received clarity from our data providers today and there is some MLB clarity as well. Players on the new “COVID-19” IL will give an extra roster spot, similar to 60-day IL. We will work to have this new designation available on the site this week.
This designation will hold for players both put on the list due to illness and who opt out of the 2020 season.
Niv, will the data provider just be placing confirmed players on this IL, or making educated guesses as to who is actually on the IL? Since it appears the names won’t be released by MLB.
Good question. MLB cannot post this information because it violates player privacy. I believe this means that our data provider will be making educated guesses. I’m working with them to understand exactly what we should expect in-season if and when a player is added to this list.
Thanks Niv!
Hey Niv, do you know if the data provider is going to start making these guesses before the season starts? A few Phillies hit the 10-day IL with undisclosed injuries today, and I was wondering if they will be going on the COVID IL for Ottoneu purposes. Thank you
I’m still working with our data provider to figure out how they will handle it. Hopefully I’ll have some solid answers after the holiday. Good questions to ask and I really want to have some solid info soon.
Ottoneu Fantasy Baseball now has a designation for players placed on the COVID-19 IL. This is only for players who have tested positive and have been placed on the special COVID-19 IL by their MLB team. We currently have 4 players on this list from our data provider, and I’m working with them to understand exactly who is given this designation. Players on this list from our data provider will give their Ottoneu teams an extra roster spot, just like a player placed on the 60-day IL.
I’m also working with our data provider to get a complete list of players who opt-out of the MLB season, and Ottoneu will add that designation once it is made available. Rostering these players will also result in an additional roster spot once we have the correct data available.
good afternoon Niv…hope all is well with you
just a thought on the “opt-out” list…players who opt out will not be paid and will not earn service time…are you considering not to count opt out player salaries against the cap for the season and come season’s end, not increase these players’ salaries?
Niv,
As of midday on July 7th, Freddie Freeman shows on the 10-day IL, not the Covid-19 IL. Perhaps this is because that’s what where the Braves listed Freeman, but given that he has a publicly acknowledged case of Covid-19, this seems out of sync with the spirit of the Covid-19 IL roster spot idea at Ottoneu. Not sure if there is anything that can be done here, data provider-wise.
There is not, unfortunately. The Braves placed him on the 10-day IL according to our data provider, not the distinct COVID-19 IL.
https://www.rotowire.com/baseball/player.php?id=9902
This isn’t a question of ‘in the spirit’ - Philadelphia placed their players on the COVID-19 IL, and the Braves did not do that with Freeman.
I understand where this is coming from, but no Ottoneu players will be specifically exempt from arbitration and salary increases at the end of this season, assuming it is completed. This includes players who opt-out now or during the season.
I’m actually more interested in the cap relief…IL player salaries count against the cap; I see we are getting an additional roster slot for them, but if owners aren’t paying voluntary opt outs I don’t think their salaries should count against the cap…what do you think?
No, there won’t be any cap relief for players you have rostered that opt-out of the MLB season.
additional roster spots won’t be worth much in that case…
thanks for considering anyway
If you want to provide cap relief for opt out players in your leagues, I believe the commissioner has the tools to do this.
Can these layers who opted out be released in order to free up salary?
Yeah, no changes to how cutting players works at all. You are free to cut anyone on your team’s roster that you want to.
For the covid19 and optout list, does the 30-day lockout period for rebidding on them if you drop apply otto-wide or is there a way leagues can override manually. Seems like this might be a way for leagues to have a bit of a midseason redraft as well
Your commish could make it a penalty free cut and then you’d be able to take part in an auction, I believe. Not 100% sure about the last part.
What I’ve proposed in one of my leagues is to allow a PF cut, but then put the player on the restricted list until next year’s auction.
Any cut across anywhere in the site is subject to the 30-day re-auction rule.