League Rules: Part 2
2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Notes

• Chapters aren't consecutive because I based these rules on this Constitution.
• All times are Central Time.

I. WEEKLY TRANSACTIONS PROCESS

1.1. The WEEKLY TRANSACTIONS PROCESS runs every Monday at noon. In other words, the deadline for submitting waiver claims and free agent bids is Monday at noon.

II. DRAFT

2.1. Each team must acquire 26 players (which includes their "keepers") at a total cost not to exceed $260 (not real money). A team need not spend the maximum.

2.2. Each player is auctioned off to the league. The highest bidder obtains the player and their bid becomes the player's salary.

2.3. The minimum bid is $1.

2.4. Bids must be in minimum increments of $1. In other words, no $5.50 or $6.45 bids. Only $5, $6, $7, etc.

2.5. After the draft, a salary cap of $320 applies.

2.6. The draft is held on the Saturday one week before the MLB regular season begins, at Noon Central Time.

IX. TRADES

9.0. The trade deadline is 11:59 PM Central Time on July 31.

SCHEDULE DETAIL

9.1. From the completion of the draft until the first day of the season, owners are free to make trades of any kind without limit and without roster requirements.

9.2. From the first day of the season until the trade deadline, owners are free to make trades of any kind without limit, so long as the active rosters of all teams involved reflect the required position distribution upon completion of the transaction. This would include subsequent pickups, drops, etc.

9.3. No trades may take place from the trade deadline until the end of the fantasy playoffs.

9.4. From the day after the fantasy playoffs end until three weeks before the draft, owners are free to make trades of any kind without limit and without position requirements.

9.5. No trades may take place from three weeks before the draft until the completion of the draft.

9.6. There are no limits to the number of trades a team may make.

9.7. Only players may be traded.

REQUEST FOR COMMENT & APPROVAL

9.8. After a trade is accepted by the owners involved, it must be communicated to the rest of the league.

9.9. When the league is notified of the trade, a Request For Comment (RFC) period begins. During the RFC period, owners may submit their comments regarding the trade to the Commissioner (publicly or privately). The Commissioner will approve or veto the trade based on the RFC's and his own judgment.

9.10. Once the RFC period has begun, the owners involved cannot withdraw the trade.

9.11. If the trade involves the Commissioner's team, the Co-Commissioner will make the final judgment. If the Commissioner and Co-Commissioner are both involved in the trade, another owner, agreed upon by the league, will make the final judgment.

9.12. If a trade is approved by the Commissioner, it will be executed during the WEEKLY TRANSACTIONS PROCESS.

9.13. During the season, trades are subject to at least a 48-hour RFC period, and 48 of those hours must be during the week (Monday-Friday). That means the league must be notified about the trade by Thursday at noon if the trade is going to be executed that week.

9.14. In the off-season, the RFC period is 7 days. If the trade is approved by the Commissioner, it will be executed ASAP.

X. WAIVERS

10.1. A player released by a team goes on waivers.

10.2. The waivers process will be run during the WEEKLY TRANSACTIONS PROCESS.

10.3. The team highest on the waivers list gets their first choice of the players on waivers. When they get a player, they are moved to the bottom of the list and the process is repeated.

10.4. At the beginning of the season, the waivers list starts out in reverse order of the previous year's final standings.

10.4.1. Regular season: The list is reordered each week based on the standings. The team with the worst overall record is at the top of the list. If two or more teams have the same overall record, the team with the worst breakdown record is higher on the list. (Breakdown: What a team's record would have been if they played every team in the league every week of the season. Click Standings / Breakdown.) If two or more teams have the same breakdown record, a coin will be flipped (if two teams are tied) or team names will be blindly drawn from a hat (if more than two teams are tied) to determine who is higher on the list.

10.4.2. Playoffs: The list is not reordered each week. The list is based on playoff seeding -- the lowest seeded team is at the top of the list.

10.5. When a player is claimed off waivers, his salary either becomes $10 or remains the same, whichever is higher.

10.6. After the waiver period has passed, if the player has not been claimed, he becomes a free agent.

10.7. The team who waived the player cannot claim the player off waivers unless no one else does. In other words, for that player only, the team who waived him is at the bottom of the waiver list.

XI. FREE AGENTS

11.1. Any player who is not owned by another team and is not currently on waivers may be acquired as a free agent.

11.2. No free agents may be acquired from the day after the fantasy playoffs end to the completion of the draft.

11.3. Free agents may be picked up from the conclusion of the draft to the last day of the fantasy playoffs.

11.4. Free agents are bid on. The bids are blind; no one, including the Commissioner, knows who bid what amount until the deadline. The deadline for submitting bids is the start of the WEEKLY TRANSACTIONS PROCESS.

11.5. The highest bidder acquires the free agent. His bid becomes the player's new salary.

11.6.1. Regular season: If there is a tie for highest bid, the team with the worst overall record wins. If they have the same overall record, the team with the worst breakdown record wins. (Breakdown: What a team's record would have been if they played every team in the league every week of the season. Click Standings / Breakdown.) If they have the same breakdown record, a coin will be flipped (if two teams are tied) or a team name will be blindly drawn from a hat (if more than two teams are tied) to determine who wins.

11.6.2. Playoffs: If there is a tie for highest bid, the team with the higher playoff seed number wins. Example: If playoff seeds #2 and #7 tie for highest bid, playoff seed #7 wins.

11.7. The minimum bid is $5.

11.8. Bids must be in minimum increments of $1. In other words, no $5.50 or $6.45 bids. Only $5, $6, $7, etc.

11.9. The waivers list is for waivers only. If you sign a free agent (because you are the highest bidder), you do not move to the bottom of the waivers list.

XIII. MINOR LEAGUES

13.0.1. MAJOR league player: Any player with an "A" or "DL" in the "MLB" column on a team's SportsLine Lineup web page.

13.0.2. MINOR league player: Any player who is not a major league player.

13.1. Minor league players may be drafted, picked up on waivers, or picked up as free agents.

13.2. Minor league players may not be placed on a team's active roster.

13.3. If a major league player becomes a minor league player while on a team's active roster, he may remain on the team's active roster indefinitely.

XIV. ROSTER PROTECTION AND CONTRACTS

14.1. From season to season, each team must retain between 5 and 10 players.

14.2. The names of the players being retained must be reported to the Commissioner before the draft.

14.3. After two seasons (a season is defined as any part of a major league season) of a player being owned by any team without having been released to the free agent or draft pool, the player must be signed to a long-term contract, given his option contract, or released.

14.4. If a player is released, he is made available to all teams in the draft.

14.5. If a player is given his option contract, his salary remains the same for one season. After that season is complete, the player must be released and made available for the next draft.

14.6. If a player is signed to a long-term contract, his salary will be raised by $5 for each year of the long-term contract. For example, if a player’s salary is $9 and a team wishes to sign him to a three-year contract, his salary is increased by $15 to $24.

14.7. If a player is released before the end of his long-term contract, the team releasing him is responsible for that player's salary for the length of the long-term contract. Example: Mark Prior's salary is $18. At the end of his two-year contract, you long-term him for 3 years. His salary increases by $15 (3 years x $5) to $33. During the 2nd year of the long-term contract, Prior breaks his leg and you release him. His $33 salary counts against your salary cap for the rest of that year and the next year -- the length of the long-term contract you signed him to.

14.7.1. If a player is released before the end of his long-term contract, he immediately becomes a free agent. He does not go through the waivers process.

14.8. A player may be signed to only one long-term contract. After the contract has expired, the player must be released and made available for the next draft.

14.9. Trades and waiver claims do not affect the contract status of a player.

14.10. Once a player has been released to the free agent or draft pool, his contract status is cleared. In other words, the team that acquires a player via free agency or the draft does not inherit that player's previous contract.

14.11. If a player is released before the end of his option or long-term contract, the releasing team cannot reacquire the player until two WEEKLY TRANSACTIONS PROCESSES (WTP) have passed. Example:

WTP 1: Team releases a player with an option or long-term contract
WTP 2: Releasing team cannot reacquire the player
WTP 3: Releasing team cannot reacquire the player
WTP 4: Releasing team can reacquire the player

XVI. LINEUP CHANGES & LIMITS

16.1. Teams may change their lineup daily.

16.2. There is a maximum of 12 pitching starts per week during the fantasy regular season and 24 pitching starts per two-week round during the fantasy playoffs with no per week restriction. After your 12th/24th start, any pitches thrown by a pitcher who starts a game will not count.

16.3. If your 12th/24th and 13th/25th starts occur on the same day, the following tie-breakers will be used to determine who the pitcher of record will be: (1) the pitcher with the worst ERA for that one game, (2) the pitcher with the worst WHIP for that one game.

XVII. TEAM OWNERSHIP CHANGES

17.1. If more than one owner leaves the league and more than one owner is brought in to take their place, a random drawing will determine which new owner will inherit which available team. Unless a team is inherited by a new owner directly from the team's old owner.

XVIII. REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

18.1. There are 21 regular season games.

18.2. Each team plays every division opponent 3 times and every non-division opponent, except one, twice. In other words, each team plays 12 division and 9 non-division games.

18.3. There is no home field advantage.