I've been thinking...
About the work all these researchers put in for free and how unrewarding the job feels... Why not sell the yearly roster upgrades instead of giving them out for free?
Put something into place where the initial roster update at the beginning of the season costs something like 5$ on Steam, and the additional, smaller updates throughout the season are considered free add-ons to the paid, big early season update. Split the money between the researchers. An expansion pack, if you will. Obviously, being a paid update would probably come hand-in-hand with increased expectations and deadlines, but if there's money as an incentive, there's likely going to be more researchers willing to do the work.
Because I don't believe it's for the good of the game to have the 16-17 rosters come out in mid December or whatever it was this year... And I don't believe it's for the good of the long term growth of the game to expect people to put in tons of hours of their own time for free to keep the game up to date. If someone doesn't get the paid update every season, for example, version 1.2 of the game, he cannot get the subsequent free updates, for example, 1.2.1. But someone could skip the 1.2 version entirely and simply get the 1.3 version the year after if he doesn't feel like paying for the update every year, for example.
Because a new database essentially means a new game coming out every year. Except right now it's a free game every year, and being free, the people putting in the work don't get a whole lot out of it. Eventually, no one will do the research. So to keep the game going, having paid yearly updates might be the only way.