My Ben Sheets Rule

"The Ben Sheets Rule" states that a team over the luxury tax limit cannot sign a player on an incentive laden contract and must sign a player to a minimum of 3 years fully guaranteed and no option years. The rule also pertains to if the incentive laden contract were to put the team into that tax realm; the contract would have to then be guaranteed.

This proposed rule comes after the Yankees showed that if they wanted to they could swoop in at the last minute and "steal" a free agent by offering more money than other teams could. With Ben Sheets though, no team wants to offer him too much guaranteed money. Teams would be willing to say give him $5-8 million guaranteed plus incentives that could bring it from anywhere in the $14-18 million total. If the Yankees wanted to take on $16 million/3 years guaranteed that would be their deal. Other teams though would be permitted to work any deal out for him that they could including incentives and option years.

Would this prevent teams of the Yankees nature from taking the low risk/high reward players from teams on the lower end of the team salary spectrum? Hope so. What if a player really wanted to play in a "New York? " My advise... sign early.

Here's another thing that was brought to my attention from no one else but myself. That makes sense, right? I guess I should say I was just thinking. C.C., Tex and Burnett each signed huge contracts this offseason, all with the New York Yankess. They are proven players and they deserve the money. None of those three have injury histories and they all deserve the money they "won." My point: This rule does not prevent big signings past the luxury tax line, but prevents them from stealing players like Ben Sheets who a cheaper team couldn't keep up with when the price goes up and would then also prevent teams like the Yankees from driving prices up.

I'm sure Red Sox fans are still bitter about how the Texiera situation turned out, not to mention the Orioles and Nationals, so I had to talk about why that was fair to an extent.

Feedback appreciated.