I can only answer the last one. Players close to going to the next star level are automatically placed on the list. Look at the players on the list and they will all be at the top of the 5 star range, I believe.

For the first one, the option was there for me for other teams in my league, but I didn't make any bids.

For the second one, I think we lose that many tokens only if the bid is accepted. 6 is a bit much for me.