Why are managers who have been in the league the full season given free looks at players? Who is doing their scouting and who is paying for it? Does the fact that they're not putting a dime into scouting simply reflect the fact that they think they can do as well as those of us who invest in it?
Not sure what you mean by "free look." Managers who don't spend money to scout can only see prospects' game stats, which are the least valuable of the indicators in my opinion. I think it's true that if you spend $20K weekly on scouting, you have to get an MVP or perennial all-star at least to sell for enough to make your money back, and there's no guarantee you get that guy, but you could always look on the transfer market instead.