Copy of Matt's 2017 proposal (voted down):
Limit on number of contract years
1. Each year a player is under contract prior to reaching Free Agency (FA) represents a year of Service Time (ST).
2. After six years of ST, players have reached FA and must enter the auction.
3. Upon completion of their FA year, players may then be placed back under renewable contracts with a maximum contract of one year only.
4. Buyout years do not count towards ST.
5. Rookie contracts do not count towards ST.
6. A multi-year contract cannot be written past a players ST limit.
7. Transition: The system becomes operational with 20XX keeper contracts wherein ALL players begin with zero ST. Existing contract years extending into 20XX and beyond will count towards ST.
8. Matt will be responsible for keeping ST information current and public.
Limit on number of contract years
1. Each year a player is under contract prior to reaching Free Agency (FA) represents a year of Service Time (ST).
2. After six years of ST, players have reached FA and must enter the auction.
3. Upon completion of their FA year, players may then be placed back under renewable contracts with a maximum contract of one year only.
4. Buyout years do not count towards ST.
5. Rookie contracts do not count towards ST.
6. A multi-year contract cannot be written past a players ST limit.
7. Transition: The system becomes operational with 20XX keeper contracts wherein ALL players begin with zero ST. Existing contract years extending into 20XX and beyond will count towards ST.
8. Matt will be responsible for keeping ST information current and public.