Have you looked in the roster section at some of the rosters put together of players from the past seasons? That could be something to do to change it up a bit.
I was going to suggest doing a draft, but you've tried that.
You could also try and choosing a National League team to play thru a season/franchise as a different team. Or you could do 30 team control where you control the roster moves, and play select games on a given day (I have a friend who plays this way)
Myself, because I'm using a carryover save, my franchise is my own separate world where the Orioles are good, the Yankees stink, and I'm trying to win a World Series (10 seasons played and no WS yet
)