Recruiting new owners in keeper leagues

[Snax]

I am commissioner of a 12 team keeper league that has lasted 20+years. Three owners have dropped this spring, an unprecedented number. One of the three teams is clearly superior to the other two (finished .5 points out of first last season).

In soliciting new owners, they mostly show interest only in the best available team (the other two aren't total dogs, but clearly have more work to do to contend). Would it be more fair (and more persuasive to prospective owners) to take all the players available for retention from the three abandoned teams and put them into a draft for those owners?

Other ideas are welcome.

[bigmck]

I don't think that is the right approach for the league as a whole. A keeper league means just that. If you get three owners in a one time, I would draw lots for the teams. If only one comes in, then he should get his pick of the teams. The next owner would get his choice of the remaining two. It might be harder that way, but it is the fair way to do it.

[bongovt]

had a similar issue...we drew for the teams randomly....one team was better, but the other was salvagable, so both were ok with the results...I'd go w/ this system, or first come, first served....

[Garry26]

A couple of years back a commish had a similar issue. It was only one team, but it was a free league so maybe that's why.

Commish's Solution:
Offer 1st pick in draft.
You have 2 teams, but maybe offering 1st & 2nd pick in draft (IF its straight draft) would help.

I grabbed that team and got Daisuke Matsusaka. I went pitching heavy. Along with a few decent hitter keepers the team had, it did 3-4 spots better than the near-last place finish it had the previous year.

[Matthias]

I am commissioner of a 12 team keeper league that has lasted 20+years. Three owners have dropped this spring, an unprecedented number. One of the three teams is clearly superior to the other two (finished .5 points out of first last season).

In soliciting new owners, they mostly show interest only in the best available team (the other two aren't total dogs, but clearly have more work to do to contend). Would it be more fair (and more persuasive to prospective owners) to take all the players available for retention from the three abandoned teams and put them into a draft for those owners?

Other ideas are welcome.

I like this idea.

The teams don't belong to the new guys so it's not like one of them deserves the better team over the others. I think your solution is probably the most fair I've heard; generally people just randomly assign teams. But I like your idea better.