Losses as a Way to Stop Churning

[BGbootha]

My main $ league uses W-L in order to cancel it out, the only problem we are running into is the increase in ties.

[TheRock]

I'd personally start with a transactions limit to curb churning first before tinkering with the scoring format. But if need be, I'd replace K's with K/9 before I would add losses. If you add losses as a cat, what do you plan on adding on the hitting side? That is unless you're cool with playing a 5x6 format.

Replacing K with K/9 just makes SP obsolete. Throw all relievers and you win S, ERA, WHIP, and K/9.

[chadlincoln]

Speaking of churning....

http://archive.fantasysports.yahoo.com/pmlb/2006/577

This guy won his Yahoo H2H league with 558 transactions! Talk about needing a rules change.

Actually, he got 3rd.

[Sanctimonious Kid]

Is it just me...I don't see the benefit in churning in any league. Most times you are picking up crap, or borderline crap pitchers, that ultimately kill you in two categories. You may do well in K's just on picking up the extra innings, but wins are unpredictable. I just don't see why you would do it...Is it me?

[xeifrank]

We use a 50 maximum seasonal transaction limit. It works but teams can save their transactions for the playoffs and churn then. Of all the responses so far, I like the K/9 change the best. Adding losses is a terrible idea in my opinion and I wouldn't want to be in a league with that statistic, unless you removed whip to make room for it, but i prefer whip to losses.

vr, Xei

[Dan Charette]

In one of the h2h leagues I'm in we use walks allowed as a negative stat for pitchers. We also have a 40 innings minnimum per week.
It stops pitcher churning, but it makes teams use their starting pitchers.
I think it's nice to try to have settings that allow for different styles of managing.
In a different league we have losses, but we also have innings pitched as a category. We have unlimited moves. The teams that churn usually lose losses whip and era, while usually winning wins, innings, and k's.
It allows for different styles of managing, which is what we try to accomplish.

[TheRock]

Is it just me...I don't see the benefit in churning in any league. Most times you are picking up crap, or borderline crap pitchers, that ultimately kill you in two categories. You may do well in K's just on picking up the extra innings, but wins are unpredictable. I just don't see why you would do it...Is it me?

It really only makes sense in H2H. Actually, one of the main pitfalls of H2H. You trade all your pitchers for hitters, so you likely win all the hitting cats each week. Then you just pick up garbage off the wire every day, and collect as many RPs as you can. You do well in saves, punt ERA and WHIP, and run enough SP's through that you win W's and K's. You end up 7-3, 8-2 most every week. It's cheap, it ain't baseball, but it wins.

[great gretzky]

i don't really like transaction limits per se, but if I had to choose, that would be the one.

Losses stink, because while wins aren't exactly the result of the pitcher, I think sometimes losses disproportionately are.