Post by Jason Hunt (Athletics GM) on Feb 28, 2012 11:44:44 GMT -5
Work in Progress - This thread will be used to write up specifically all rules in a constitution-style format. When this is completed, this thread will be the final arbiter on any decisions made on rules questions.
1. OBJECT
-1a. The object of this constitution is to give guidelines and rules for the Fake Teams Dynasty League.
2. DEFINITIONS
-2a. League - The Fake Teams Dynasty League
-2b. Organization - A team within the league. Currently there are 16.
-2c. Owner - The person(s) who manage an Organization.
-2d. Major Leaguer - A player on the Major League roster of a Fake Teams organization..
-2e. Minor Leaguer - A player on the Minor League roster of a Fake Teams organization. This could be a player who was either acquired via the Minor League draft, or via free agency and demoted to the minor league roster by their Fake Teams organization.
-2f. Prospect - A player on the Minor League roster who was acquired initially via the Minor League draft.
3. TEAMS AND ROSTERS
-3a. The League shall be made up of 16 organizations, each represented by either one or multiple Owners.
-3b. Each organization shall have two rosters, a Major League roster and a Minor League roster.
-3c. Major League Roster:
--3c1. Roster shall have a maximum of 26 players at any time.
--3c2. This amount shall not include any player on the disabled list, as dictated by Yahoo and MLB.
-3d. Minor League Roster:
--3d1. Roster shall have no maximum amount of players.
--3d2. Any player can be demoted to the minor league roster, regardless of how they were acquired. However, the salary of any player who is acquired with a contract (either via the initial draft or via free agency) will still count against their organization's salary cap.
-3e. Starting Lineup:
--3e1. The starting lineup for all organizations will be as follows: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, Util, Util, SP, SP, SP, RP, RP, P, P, P
--3e2. Only players in the starting lineup shall accumulate statistics.
--3e3. There shall be 8 bench spots on the Major League roster, from which organizations can switch players already on their Major League roster. These 8 bench spots will not accumulate any statistics.
--3e4. In addition, there will be 3 disabled list spots available to teams.
--3e5. Only players eligible for the disabled list in Yahoo will be eligible to be placed in these spots.
4. FEES
-4a. Currently there are no fees for the Fake Teams Dynasty League. could change later, but would need to follow the guidelines for rule changes in section #
5. PRIZES
-5a. Currently, there are no prizes for the Fake Teams Dynasty League. This could change later, but would need to follow the guidelines for rule changes in section
6. STATISTICS
-6a. Currently, the Fake Teams Dynasty League plays the following categories:
--6a1. Hitting: Runs Scored (R), Batting Average (AVG), Home Runs (HR), Runs Batted In (RBI), Stolen Bases (SB), Walks (BB), On-Base Percentage (OBP)
--6a2. Pitching: Pitching Wins (W), Saves (SV), Holds (HLD), Strikeouts (K), Earned Run Average (ERA), Walks+Hits Per Inning Pitched (WHIP), Quality Starts (QS)
--6b. All tracking shall be done by Yahoo, and Yahoo shall be considered the final arbiter for any concerns or questions regarding scoring.
7. STANDINGS, SCORING, and PLAYOFFS
-7a. Scoring
--7a1. The league is a Head-to-Head league with 14 total categories. During each matchup (1 week each, unless noted by Yahoo), two teams will compete in each of the 14 categories, with 1 win awarded for each category per week. A "perfect" record in a week would be 14-0-0.
--7a2. The 14 categories used are split between hitting (7) and pitching (7), which follow each of the categories listed in Section 6 (STATISTICS).
--7a3. Yahoo tracks all scoring, and is considered the final arbiter for any concerns regarding scoring.
-7b. Standings
--7b1. Standings are determined by total won-loss record in all matchups. Yahoo will be the final determinant for the standings, and their rulings are considered final.
-7c. Playoffs
--7c1. Each season, 8 teams will participate in the playoffs, and will be the top 8 teams in the standings at the end of the regular season. Playoffs will last 3 weeks, with each matchup lasting 1 week. The matchups will be determined in a bracket-style matchup with seeding matchups as follows:
---1 vs. 8, 4 vs. 5, 3 vs. 6, 2 vs. 7
--7c2. After each round, matchups will be determined by reseeding within Yahoo, which will match the highest remaining see with the lowest remaining seed, and the second highest remaining seed with the second lowest remaining seed.
-7d. Consolation Bracket
--7d1. The other 8 teams (standings positions #9 through 16) will play in a consolation bracket as well, which will work in a similar manner to the playoff bracket. Currently there is no prize for winning the consolation bracket.
-7e. Minor League Draft Order
--7e1. Minor League draft order for the following offseason shall be determined by the final standings from the regular season, and not the playoff results.
8. MAJOR LEAGUE DRAFT PROCESS
-8a. The Major League draft was held between the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Going forward, there will be no Major League draft, as all players will be subject to contracts and free agency rules instead.
9. MINOR LEAGUE DRAFT PROCESS
-9a. Minor League Draft
--9a1. A 5 round minor league draft will be held each offseason on the Proboards website.
-9b. Minor League Draft Order
--9b1. The order of all future minor league drafts will be determined by reverse order of the most recently completed season's final standings.
-9c. Pool of Eligible Players
--9c1. To be eligible for the minor league draft, a player must fit within the following criteria:
---9c1a. Player must not have played in 1 Major League game.
---9c1b. Player must not have been drafted by any other organization in a previous minor league draft, unless said player has been released by that organization.
---9c1c. Player must have signed a contract with a real-life MLB organization.
-9d. Exceptions
--9d1. The following exceptions exist, and all future exceptions will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
--9d2. Yu Darvish - Player was posted from Japan, and was widely viewed as extremely unlikely to play even one minor league game. As a result, player was subject to free agent pool rather than to Major League or Minor League drafts.
10. POSITION ELIGIBILITY
-10a. As the league is hosted on Yahoo, their position eligibility rules will be used as the final determinant on all players in our league.
11. PLAYER SALARIES, PLAYER CONTRACTS, AND SALARY CAP RULES
-11a. Salary Cap
--11a1. All organizations must operate within a $120 salary cap. Each player is acquired via a free agent bidding process, with the exception of minor leaguers (prospects0, who are subject to the Minor League draft process.
--11a2. Teams will not be allowed to bid more than they currently have available in their salary cap.
--11a3. All saiaries are rounded to the nearest $0.25, using standard rounding convention (up/down).
-11b. Contracts
--11b1. All players on Major League rosters are subject to a contract based on either the initial draft or based on free agent bidding process.
--11b2. All players who are drafted via the Minor League draft are assigned a $1, 6 year contract when they are called up to a Major League roster (within the league). Until they are called up for the first time, any Prospect's contract will not start the 6 year length and will not count against that owner's salary cap.
--11b3. No player can be signed to a contract longer than 5 years via free agency.
--11b4. The minimum annual salary on a contract is $1
--11b5. The minimum contract length shall be 1 season. If signed in-season, that contract shall be through the end of the season.
--11b6. Contract structure shall be flat across the length of the contract. As a result of this, there is no front-loading or back-loading of contracts.
-11c. Contract Extensions
--11c1. Any player currently under a contract can be offered an extension at any time under the following provisions:
As an example:
Brett Lawrie is currently under contract for $10 per season. If I were to extend his contract by the following amount of seasons, his average annual value per season would be as follows:
--11c2. Contract extensions shall not change the value of the current contract, and contract extensions shall begin at the end of the current contract.
-11d. Option Years
--11d1. Option years are not currently allowed to be added to contracts.
-11e. Minor League Players
--11e1. All players who were drafted via the Minor League draft are assigned a $1/6 year contract when they are called up to a Major League roster (within the league).
--11e2. Until they are called up for the first time, any Prospect's contract will not start the 6 year length and will not count against that owner's salary cap.
--11e3. This call up is when it happens within the FT League, not specifically related to when that player is called up by his real-life organization.
--11e4. Once drafted by an organization, a team shall retain the rights to a Prospect until they reach either 250 at bats or 100 innigs pitched in the Major Leagues.
--11e5. If a Prospect surpasses those totals and their owner has not called up the player to their Major League roster at least once, the Prospect will become a free agent and subject to the Free Agency rules.
-11f. Partial Seasons
--11f1. For all intents and purposes, a 1 year contract is considered to be until the end of the current season.
--11f2. As an example, a free agent is signed on July 3, 2012 to a 1 year contract. His contract shall expire at the end of the 2012 season.
--11f3. In terms of managing prospect contracts, the first season of a prospect contract is the season that prospect is called up by his Fake Teams organization.
--11f4. As an example, Prospect is called up by his Fake Teams organization, on June 20, 2012. 2012 is now year 1 of his contract, and the 6 year contract would expire after the 2017 season as a result.
-11g. Player Retirement
--11g1. Should a player retire during the season, the owner may release the player without penalty.
--11g2. Should a player retire during the offseason, their owner is no longer liable for any remaining years on their current contract, and can be released without penalty.
--11g3. Should a player retire and then return from retirement at a later date, player shall be treated as a free agent and all previous contracts shall be ignored.
12. TRANSACTIONS
-12a. Promotions
--12a1. Any player currently on the minor league roster can be promoted to the Major League roster given that there is a spot to do so.
--12a2. For prospects, the first promotion of that prospect to the Major League roster officially starts their $1/6 year contract.
-12b. Demotions
--12b1. Any player currently on the Major League Roster can be promoted to the Minor League roster at any time.
--12b2. The contract of any player demoted from the Major League Roster to the Minor League Roster will continue to count against the organization's salary cap until the contract ends or the player is released by their FT organization.
--12b3. Any player can be demoted to the minors two times free of charge. if a player is demoted a third time, they are subject to waivers, and eligible by any team to claim the player.
-12c. Disabled List
--12c1. Players can be placed on the disabled list provided that they are considered to be on the disabled list by Yahoo.
-12d. Releases from Contract
--12d1. If a Fake Teams organization chooses to release a player from their contract, that organization would be responsible for half of the remaining contract cost.
--12d2. That penalty will count in full against the current season's salary cap.
--12d3. Should releasing a player from their contract force a team over the salary cap, they will not be able to release the player from their contract at that time.
-12e. Free Agency
--12e1. Eligibility
---12e1a. Any player who has played at least one Major League game and is not under contract with a Fake Teams organization is subject to the free agency rules should an organization wish to add the player to their roster.
--12e2. Process
---12e2a. All free agency transactions shall be completed on the Proboards website.
---12e2b. A player's name shall be posted, along with a contract average annual value and contract length, in a new post.
---12e2c. Process shall follow a slow-auction mentality, where each new bid will be posted as a response to the original post for that player.
---12e2d. Each bid after the first one must increase the AAV of the contract by at least $0.25.
---12e2e. The highest bid posted must remain the top bid for 24 hours in order for an organization to win that player.
---12e2f. The highest bid shall be considered the one with the highest AAV, so as an example a contract worth $4 for 2 years is considered higher than a contract worth $3 for 3 years.
-12f. Trades
-12f1. Trades are approved via a voting system on the Proboards website.
-12f2. All trades are to be completed initially on the Proboards page, and will then be processed via Yahoo.
-12f3. Voting is done via a poll within Proboards, and owners are voting accordingly:
--12f3a. Whether or not the trade shows collusion between two owners.
--12f3b. The vote is NOT to indicate whether or not you believe the trade is fair, or that you would or would not do the trade.
-12f4. Trade Eligibility
--12f4a. Any player (Major League, Minor League, prospect) is eligible to be traded at any time.
--12f4b. Any minor league draft pick is eligible to be traded as well. However, for ease of tracking, draft picks can only be traded from the next minor league draft. This could be subject to change at a later date, based on the review process.
--12f4c. Salary and salary cap are not eligible to be traded.
-12f5. Any trade completed must leave both teams within their salary caps. Failure to do this will void the trade until such time as they can complete the trade while staying under the salary cap.
-12g. Waivers
-12g1. Waiver Process
--12g1a. Any player can be placed on waivers by their owner at any time. This is considered to be releasing a player.
--12g1b. All teams have an opportunity to claim the listed player off of waivers within a 7 day period.
--12g1c. If the player is claimed by another team, that team may place him on their roster. Once a player is waived, there are "no refunds". The owner that waived the player, may not re-bid on them until after the 7 day window.
--12g1d. Any player may be sent down to your minor league roster, regardless of whether he is in the MLB or the minor leagues at the time. If you send down the same player 3 or more times, he must clear the Waivers process each time you wish to send him down to the minor leagues.
--12g1e. A team which places a claim on a player will be responsible for the full amount of the contract, including the full amount of the current season's amount.
-12h. Roster Expansion
-12h1. Major League Rosters do not expand at any point during the season. This is related to the fact that Yahoo cannot be customized to handle this.
-12h2. Minor League Rosters do not expand at any pint, as there is no limitation currently on how large the roster can be.
13. OWNERSHIP
-13a. Expectations of Each Owner
--13a1. Each owner shall be expected to be active participants in this league.
--13a2. Active participation can include, but not limited to:
---Setting lineups on a regular basis
---Checking in on the Proboards page
---Responding to messages from the Commissioner or other administrators of the league.
---Notifying Commissioner or other Administrators of the League if they will not be able to access their team for an extended period of time. This can include any number of reasons.
---Notifying Commissioner or other Administrators of the League if they will not be able to continue as an owner within the league so that they will be able to find a replacement in a timely manner.
-13b. Requisites for Replacing an Owner
--13b1. Requisites for Replacing an Owner shall be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Commissioner and Administrators.
-13c. Process of Replacing an Owner
--13c1. The Commissioner and Administrators shall engage in finding a new owner should the need arise, until such time as the new owner has been found.
-13d. Rights of A New Owner
--13d1. New Owners shall receive the following compensation in order to facilitate inclusion into the league. This compensation is given to help teams to improve in case of poor performance by the previous owner.
---13d1a. If the team they take over finished in places 1 through 8 (regular season standings) in the previous season, they will receive no additional compensation.
---13d1b. If the team they take over finished in places 9 through 12 (regular season standings) in the previous season, they will receive as compensation a minor league draft pick. This pick will appear between the last round (currently 5th) and the second to last round (currently 4th) of the minor league draft, and will follow those rounds (last and second-to-last) if we expand the draft at a later date.
---13d1c. If the team they take over finished in places 13 through 16 (regular season standings) in the previous season, they will receive as compensation a minor league draft pick. This pick will appear between the second-to-last round (currently 4th), and the third-to-last round (currently 3rd) of the minor league draft, and will follow those rounds (second-to-last and third-to-last) if we expand the draft at a later date.
---13d1d. These compensation picks will be in the next, offseason minor league draft. So if an owner takes over at any point during a season, they will receive these picks in the following offseason. If for some reason ownership changes more than once between minor league drafts, they will only be eligible for compensation once:
---- Team A has a new owner (Owner X) on May 15th. Team A will receive compensation based on the guidelines above.
---- Owner X drops out on October 1st, and Owner Y takes over for Team A. Team A will still only receive the initial compensation, and will not receive multiple picks due to multiple ownership changes.
---13d1e. Compensation picks will be ordered based on standings, same as the minor league draft itself.
14. LEAGUE GOVERNANCE
-14a. Commissioner
--14a1. Currently, the commissioner is the owner of the Oakland Athletics, Jason Hunt
--14a2. Commissioner's Powers
---14a2a. The commissioner shall be the final arbiter in any disputes between other owners within the league.
---14a2b. The commissioner shall be able to delegate authority as necessary to other owners and other people within the league.
---14a2c. The commissioner shall have the authority to change any rule which leads to an unforeseen loophole post de facto (after the fact) for the good of the league.
---14a2d. The commissioner shall have the authority to make changes for teams which appear to be abandoned or no longer being run by their owner. This can include:
----setting lineups
----making offers on free agents
----drafting as needed
----dropping players as needed
---14a2e. The commissioner shall make good faith efforts to contact the owner of any team which appears to have been abandoned, but will have the authority to make moves on their behalf should there be no response.
----14a2f. The commissioner shall be able to set lineups for abandoned teams, and shall give their best effort to create a "set-it-and-forget-it" lineup for that team. This would involve setting the best lineup over an extended period of time.
--14a3. Commissioner Responsibilities
---14a3a. The commissioner shall be responsible for preparing the league site each season, including accurate rostering of players for all teams.
---14a3b. The commissioner shall be responsible for updating and maintaining the Proboards website with accurate information in a timely manner.
---14a3c. The commissioner shall be responsible for
-14b. Administrators and Global Moderators
--14b1. There shall also be Administrators and Global Moderators to help administer the league along with the Commissioner.
--14b2. Currently, there are 2 Administrators: Texas Rangers (Robert Bishop) and Fake Teams (Ray Guilfoyle).
--14b3. Currently, there are 2 Global Moderators: Boston Red Sox (Scott), and Miami Marlins (Rocky).
--14b4. Administrators and Global Moderators have the ability to make changes on the Proboards pages as is deemed necessary, including the finalizing of free agents, trades, and any other transactions.
-14c. Changes to Constitution and League Rules
--14c1. This amendment to the FTDL Constitution was ratified on 7/6/2012 with 12 'Yes' votes.
--14c2. Original notes can be found here.
--14c3. Rule changes can be suggested throughout the year, at any time. However, all rule changes not previously voted on will be determined in a "down time" period coinciding with the MLB playoffs/World Series. This can be overriden if it is determined that the rule change needs to be handled immediately rather than waiting for the "down time period".
--14c4. All rule changes must be "seconded" by a different owner, as to indicate that there is interest in making this change.
--14c5. Prior to this downtime, the Commissioner or Administrators will put together all of the suggested rule changes which were seconded, along with a brief paragraph/statement on what impact they believe this change could have, (both good or bad) if any. The Commissioner or Administrators will also indicate the details related to the rule change, including the implementation date.
--14c6. During this downtime, all owners will be required to vote on each rule change with a reply to the post for the rule change.
--14c7. Voting for each rule change will end either when every owner has cast their vote for that change or when enough votes have been cast to determine pass/fail. Their votes will be counted as such:
Yes vote: 1 point
No vote: 0 point
To enact a rule change, there must be at least 75% of possible points voted for a change. If all 16 owners vote, this means that at least 12 must vote Yes. In the event that we are in the process of replacing owners, the vote total must surpass 75% of available votes.
--14c8. Owners who have been added within the past 1 month are not allowed to vote on these changes, but can voice their opinions in the thread as well. This can also be modified as determined by the Commissioner or Administrators.
--14c9. All rule changes will have their effective date determined as follows:
---14c9a. If said rule change is related to the mechanics of the game itself, it will skip a minimum of 1 turn around the league. Examples include any rule changes involving scoring, contracts, etc. This is to allow for the fact that owners might have managed differently had they known the rule would exist for the next season.
---14c9b. If said rule change is not related to the mechanics of the game itself, it will become effective immediately. Examples of this would include changes to host site, cost/payouts of league, etc.
--14c10. Commissioner shall state in all rule changes which are passed when the rule change is effective.
1. OBJECT
-1a. The object of this constitution is to give guidelines and rules for the Fake Teams Dynasty League.
2. DEFINITIONS
-2a. League - The Fake Teams Dynasty League
-2b. Organization - A team within the league. Currently there are 16.
-2c. Owner - The person(s) who manage an Organization.
-2d. Major Leaguer - A player on the Major League roster of a Fake Teams organization..
-2e. Minor Leaguer - A player on the Minor League roster of a Fake Teams organization. This could be a player who was either acquired via the Minor League draft, or via free agency and demoted to the minor league roster by their Fake Teams organization.
-2f. Prospect - A player on the Minor League roster who was acquired initially via the Minor League draft.
3. TEAMS AND ROSTERS
-3a. The League shall be made up of 16 organizations, each represented by either one or multiple Owners.
-3b. Each organization shall have two rosters, a Major League roster and a Minor League roster.
-3c. Major League Roster:
--3c1. Roster shall have a maximum of 26 players at any time.
--3c2. This amount shall not include any player on the disabled list, as dictated by Yahoo and MLB.
-3d. Minor League Roster:
--3d1. Roster shall have no maximum amount of players.
--3d2. Any player can be demoted to the minor league roster, regardless of how they were acquired. However, the salary of any player who is acquired with a contract (either via the initial draft or via free agency) will still count against their organization's salary cap.
-3e. Starting Lineup:
--3e1. The starting lineup for all organizations will be as follows: C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, Util, Util, SP, SP, SP, RP, RP, P, P, P
--3e2. Only players in the starting lineup shall accumulate statistics.
--3e3. There shall be 8 bench spots on the Major League roster, from which organizations can switch players already on their Major League roster. These 8 bench spots will not accumulate any statistics.
--3e4. In addition, there will be 3 disabled list spots available to teams.
--3e5. Only players eligible for the disabled list in Yahoo will be eligible to be placed in these spots.
4. FEES
-4a. Currently there are no fees for the Fake Teams Dynasty League. could change later, but would need to follow the guidelines for rule changes in section #
5. PRIZES
-5a. Currently, there are no prizes for the Fake Teams Dynasty League. This could change later, but would need to follow the guidelines for rule changes in section
6. STATISTICS
-6a. Currently, the Fake Teams Dynasty League plays the following categories:
--6a1. Hitting: Runs Scored (R), Batting Average (AVG), Home Runs (HR), Runs Batted In (RBI), Stolen Bases (SB), Walks (BB), On-Base Percentage (OBP)
--6a2. Pitching: Pitching Wins (W), Saves (SV), Holds (HLD), Strikeouts (K), Earned Run Average (ERA), Walks+Hits Per Inning Pitched (WHIP), Quality Starts (QS)
--6b. All tracking shall be done by Yahoo, and Yahoo shall be considered the final arbiter for any concerns or questions regarding scoring.
7. STANDINGS, SCORING, and PLAYOFFS
-7a. Scoring
--7a1. The league is a Head-to-Head league with 14 total categories. During each matchup (1 week each, unless noted by Yahoo), two teams will compete in each of the 14 categories, with 1 win awarded for each category per week. A "perfect" record in a week would be 14-0-0.
--7a2. The 14 categories used are split between hitting (7) and pitching (7), which follow each of the categories listed in Section 6 (STATISTICS).
--7a3. Yahoo tracks all scoring, and is considered the final arbiter for any concerns regarding scoring.
-7b. Standings
--7b1. Standings are determined by total won-loss record in all matchups. Yahoo will be the final determinant for the standings, and their rulings are considered final.
-7c. Playoffs
--7c1. Each season, 8 teams will participate in the playoffs, and will be the top 8 teams in the standings at the end of the regular season. Playoffs will last 3 weeks, with each matchup lasting 1 week. The matchups will be determined in a bracket-style matchup with seeding matchups as follows:
---1 vs. 8, 4 vs. 5, 3 vs. 6, 2 vs. 7
--7c2. After each round, matchups will be determined by reseeding within Yahoo, which will match the highest remaining see with the lowest remaining seed, and the second highest remaining seed with the second lowest remaining seed.
-7d. Consolation Bracket
--7d1. The other 8 teams (standings positions #9 through 16) will play in a consolation bracket as well, which will work in a similar manner to the playoff bracket. Currently there is no prize for winning the consolation bracket.
-7e. Minor League Draft Order
--7e1. Minor League draft order for the following offseason shall be determined by the final standings from the regular season, and not the playoff results.
8. MAJOR LEAGUE DRAFT PROCESS
-8a. The Major League draft was held between the 2011 and 2012 seasons. Going forward, there will be no Major League draft, as all players will be subject to contracts and free agency rules instead.
9. MINOR LEAGUE DRAFT PROCESS
-9a. Minor League Draft
--9a1. A 5 round minor league draft will be held each offseason on the Proboards website.
-9b. Minor League Draft Order
--9b1. The order of all future minor league drafts will be determined by reverse order of the most recently completed season's final standings.
-9c. Pool of Eligible Players
--9c1. To be eligible for the minor league draft, a player must fit within the following criteria:
---9c1a. Player must not have played in 1 Major League game.
---9c1b. Player must not have been drafted by any other organization in a previous minor league draft, unless said player has been released by that organization.
---9c1c. Player must have signed a contract with a real-life MLB organization.
-9d. Exceptions
--9d1. The following exceptions exist, and all future exceptions will be decided on a case-by-case basis.
--9d2. Yu Darvish - Player was posted from Japan, and was widely viewed as extremely unlikely to play even one minor league game. As a result, player was subject to free agent pool rather than to Major League or Minor League drafts.
10. POSITION ELIGIBILITY
-10a. As the league is hosted on Yahoo, their position eligibility rules will be used as the final determinant on all players in our league.
11. PLAYER SALARIES, PLAYER CONTRACTS, AND SALARY CAP RULES
-11a. Salary Cap
--11a1. All organizations must operate within a $120 salary cap. Each player is acquired via a free agent bidding process, with the exception of minor leaguers (prospects0, who are subject to the Minor League draft process.
--11a2. Teams will not be allowed to bid more than they currently have available in their salary cap.
--11a3. All saiaries are rounded to the nearest $0.25, using standard rounding convention (up/down).
-11b. Contracts
--11b1. All players on Major League rosters are subject to a contract based on either the initial draft or based on free agent bidding process.
--11b2. All players who are drafted via the Minor League draft are assigned a $1, 6 year contract when they are called up to a Major League roster (within the league). Until they are called up for the first time, any Prospect's contract will not start the 6 year length and will not count against that owner's salary cap.
--11b3. No player can be signed to a contract longer than 5 years via free agency.
--11b4. The minimum annual salary on a contract is $1
--11b5. The minimum contract length shall be 1 season. If signed in-season, that contract shall be through the end of the season.
--11b6. Contract structure shall be flat across the length of the contract. As a result of this, there is no front-loading or back-loading of contracts.
-11c. Contract Extensions
--11c1. Any player currently under a contract can be offered an extension at any time under the following provisions:
Length of Extension | % Increase in Salary] |
1 year | 50% |
2 years | 45% |
3 years | 40% |
4 years | 35% |
5 years | 30% |
As an example:
Brett Lawrie is currently under contract for $10 per season. If I were to extend his contract by the following amount of seasons, his average annual value per season would be as follows:
Length of Extension | % Increase in Salary] |
1 year | 15 |
2 years | 14.5 |
3 years | 14 |
4 years | 13.5 |
5 years | 13 |
--11c2. Contract extensions shall not change the value of the current contract, and contract extensions shall begin at the end of the current contract.
-11d. Option Years
--11d1. Option years are not currently allowed to be added to contracts.
-11e. Minor League Players
--11e1. All players who were drafted via the Minor League draft are assigned a $1/6 year contract when they are called up to a Major League roster (within the league).
--11e2. Until they are called up for the first time, any Prospect's contract will not start the 6 year length and will not count against that owner's salary cap.
--11e3. This call up is when it happens within the FT League, not specifically related to when that player is called up by his real-life organization.
--11e4. Once drafted by an organization, a team shall retain the rights to a Prospect until they reach either 250 at bats or 100 innigs pitched in the Major Leagues.
--11e5. If a Prospect surpasses those totals and their owner has not called up the player to their Major League roster at least once, the Prospect will become a free agent and subject to the Free Agency rules.
-11f. Partial Seasons
--11f1. For all intents and purposes, a 1 year contract is considered to be until the end of the current season.
--11f2. As an example, a free agent is signed on July 3, 2012 to a 1 year contract. His contract shall expire at the end of the 2012 season.
--11f3. In terms of managing prospect contracts, the first season of a prospect contract is the season that prospect is called up by his Fake Teams organization.
--11f4. As an example, Prospect is called up by his Fake Teams organization, on June 20, 2012. 2012 is now year 1 of his contract, and the 6 year contract would expire after the 2017 season as a result.
-11g. Player Retirement
--11g1. Should a player retire during the season, the owner may release the player without penalty.
--11g2. Should a player retire during the offseason, their owner is no longer liable for any remaining years on their current contract, and can be released without penalty.
--11g3. Should a player retire and then return from retirement at a later date, player shall be treated as a free agent and all previous contracts shall be ignored.
12. TRANSACTIONS
-12a. Promotions
--12a1. Any player currently on the minor league roster can be promoted to the Major League roster given that there is a spot to do so.
--12a2. For prospects, the first promotion of that prospect to the Major League roster officially starts their $1/6 year contract.
-12b. Demotions
--12b1. Any player currently on the Major League Roster can be promoted to the Minor League roster at any time.
--12b2. The contract of any player demoted from the Major League Roster to the Minor League Roster will continue to count against the organization's salary cap until the contract ends or the player is released by their FT organization.
--12b3. Any player can be demoted to the minors two times free of charge. if a player is demoted a third time, they are subject to waivers, and eligible by any team to claim the player.
-12c. Disabled List
--12c1. Players can be placed on the disabled list provided that they are considered to be on the disabled list by Yahoo.
-12d. Releases from Contract
--12d1. If a Fake Teams organization chooses to release a player from their contract, that organization would be responsible for half of the remaining contract cost.
--12d2. That penalty will count in full against the current season's salary cap.
--12d3. Should releasing a player from their contract force a team over the salary cap, they will not be able to release the player from their contract at that time.
-12e. Free Agency
--12e1. Eligibility
---12e1a. Any player who has played at least one Major League game and is not under contract with a Fake Teams organization is subject to the free agency rules should an organization wish to add the player to their roster.
--12e2. Process
---12e2a. All free agency transactions shall be completed on the Proboards website.
---12e2b. A player's name shall be posted, along with a contract average annual value and contract length, in a new post.
---12e2c. Process shall follow a slow-auction mentality, where each new bid will be posted as a response to the original post for that player.
---12e2d. Each bid after the first one must increase the AAV of the contract by at least $0.25.
---12e2e. The highest bid posted must remain the top bid for 24 hours in order for an organization to win that player.
---12e2f. The highest bid shall be considered the one with the highest AAV, so as an example a contract worth $4 for 2 years is considered higher than a contract worth $3 for 3 years.
-12f. Trades
-12f1. Trades are approved via a voting system on the Proboards website.
-12f2. All trades are to be completed initially on the Proboards page, and will then be processed via Yahoo.
-12f3. Voting is done via a poll within Proboards, and owners are voting accordingly:
--12f3a. Whether or not the trade shows collusion between two owners.
--12f3b. The vote is NOT to indicate whether or not you believe the trade is fair, or that you would or would not do the trade.
-12f4. Trade Eligibility
--12f4a. Any player (Major League, Minor League, prospect) is eligible to be traded at any time.
--12f4b. Any minor league draft pick is eligible to be traded as well. However, for ease of tracking, draft picks can only be traded from the next minor league draft. This could be subject to change at a later date, based on the review process.
--12f4c. Salary and salary cap are not eligible to be traded.
-12f5. Any trade completed must leave both teams within their salary caps. Failure to do this will void the trade until such time as they can complete the trade while staying under the salary cap.
-12g. Waivers
-12g1. Waiver Process
--12g1a. Any player can be placed on waivers by their owner at any time. This is considered to be releasing a player.
--12g1b. All teams have an opportunity to claim the listed player off of waivers within a 7 day period.
--12g1c. If the player is claimed by another team, that team may place him on their roster. Once a player is waived, there are "no refunds". The owner that waived the player, may not re-bid on them until after the 7 day window.
--12g1d. Any player may be sent down to your minor league roster, regardless of whether he is in the MLB or the minor leagues at the time. If you send down the same player 3 or more times, he must clear the Waivers process each time you wish to send him down to the minor leagues.
--12g1e. A team which places a claim on a player will be responsible for the full amount of the contract, including the full amount of the current season's amount.
-12h. Roster Expansion
-12h1. Major League Rosters do not expand at any point during the season. This is related to the fact that Yahoo cannot be customized to handle this.
-12h2. Minor League Rosters do not expand at any pint, as there is no limitation currently on how large the roster can be.
13. OWNERSHIP
-13a. Expectations of Each Owner
--13a1. Each owner shall be expected to be active participants in this league.
--13a2. Active participation can include, but not limited to:
---Setting lineups on a regular basis
---Checking in on the Proboards page
---Responding to messages from the Commissioner or other administrators of the league.
---Notifying Commissioner or other Administrators of the League if they will not be able to access their team for an extended period of time. This can include any number of reasons.
---Notifying Commissioner or other Administrators of the League if they will not be able to continue as an owner within the league so that they will be able to find a replacement in a timely manner.
-13b. Requisites for Replacing an Owner
--13b1. Requisites for Replacing an Owner shall be determined on a case-by-case basis by the Commissioner and Administrators.
-13c. Process of Replacing an Owner
--13c1. The Commissioner and Administrators shall engage in finding a new owner should the need arise, until such time as the new owner has been found.
-13d. Rights of A New Owner
--13d1. New Owners shall receive the following compensation in order to facilitate inclusion into the league. This compensation is given to help teams to improve in case of poor performance by the previous owner.
---13d1a. If the team they take over finished in places 1 through 8 (regular season standings) in the previous season, they will receive no additional compensation.
---13d1b. If the team they take over finished in places 9 through 12 (regular season standings) in the previous season, they will receive as compensation a minor league draft pick. This pick will appear between the last round (currently 5th) and the second to last round (currently 4th) of the minor league draft, and will follow those rounds (last and second-to-last) if we expand the draft at a later date.
---13d1c. If the team they take over finished in places 13 through 16 (regular season standings) in the previous season, they will receive as compensation a minor league draft pick. This pick will appear between the second-to-last round (currently 4th), and the third-to-last round (currently 3rd) of the minor league draft, and will follow those rounds (second-to-last and third-to-last) if we expand the draft at a later date.
---13d1d. These compensation picks will be in the next, offseason minor league draft. So if an owner takes over at any point during a season, they will receive these picks in the following offseason. If for some reason ownership changes more than once between minor league drafts, they will only be eligible for compensation once:
---- Team A has a new owner (Owner X) on May 15th. Team A will receive compensation based on the guidelines above.
---- Owner X drops out on October 1st, and Owner Y takes over for Team A. Team A will still only receive the initial compensation, and will not receive multiple picks due to multiple ownership changes.
---13d1e. Compensation picks will be ordered based on standings, same as the minor league draft itself.
14. LEAGUE GOVERNANCE
-14a. Commissioner
--14a1. Currently, the commissioner is the owner of the Oakland Athletics, Jason Hunt
--14a2. Commissioner's Powers
---14a2a. The commissioner shall be the final arbiter in any disputes between other owners within the league.
---14a2b. The commissioner shall be able to delegate authority as necessary to other owners and other people within the league.
---14a2c. The commissioner shall have the authority to change any rule which leads to an unforeseen loophole post de facto (after the fact) for the good of the league.
---14a2d. The commissioner shall have the authority to make changes for teams which appear to be abandoned or no longer being run by their owner. This can include:
----setting lineups
----making offers on free agents
----drafting as needed
----dropping players as needed
---14a2e. The commissioner shall make good faith efforts to contact the owner of any team which appears to have been abandoned, but will have the authority to make moves on their behalf should there be no response.
----14a2f. The commissioner shall be able to set lineups for abandoned teams, and shall give their best effort to create a "set-it-and-forget-it" lineup for that team. This would involve setting the best lineup over an extended period of time.
--14a3. Commissioner Responsibilities
---14a3a. The commissioner shall be responsible for preparing the league site each season, including accurate rostering of players for all teams.
---14a3b. The commissioner shall be responsible for updating and maintaining the Proboards website with accurate information in a timely manner.
---14a3c. The commissioner shall be responsible for
-14b. Administrators and Global Moderators
--14b1. There shall also be Administrators and Global Moderators to help administer the league along with the Commissioner.
--14b2. Currently, there are 2 Administrators: Texas Rangers (Robert Bishop) and Fake Teams (Ray Guilfoyle).
--14b3. Currently, there are 2 Global Moderators: Boston Red Sox (Scott), and Miami Marlins (Rocky).
--14b4. Administrators and Global Moderators have the ability to make changes on the Proboards pages as is deemed necessary, including the finalizing of free agents, trades, and any other transactions.
-14c. Changes to Constitution and League Rules
--14c1. This amendment to the FTDL Constitution was ratified on 7/6/2012 with 12 'Yes' votes.
--14c2. Original notes can be found here.
--14c3. Rule changes can be suggested throughout the year, at any time. However, all rule changes not previously voted on will be determined in a "down time" period coinciding with the MLB playoffs/World Series. This can be overriden if it is determined that the rule change needs to be handled immediately rather than waiting for the "down time period".
--14c4. All rule changes must be "seconded" by a different owner, as to indicate that there is interest in making this change.
--14c5. Prior to this downtime, the Commissioner or Administrators will put together all of the suggested rule changes which were seconded, along with a brief paragraph/statement on what impact they believe this change could have, (both good or bad) if any. The Commissioner or Administrators will also indicate the details related to the rule change, including the implementation date.
--14c6. During this downtime, all owners will be required to vote on each rule change with a reply to the post for the rule change.
--14c7. Voting for each rule change will end either when every owner has cast their vote for that change or when enough votes have been cast to determine pass/fail. Their votes will be counted as such:
Yes vote: 1 point
No vote: 0 point
To enact a rule change, there must be at least 75% of possible points voted for a change. If all 16 owners vote, this means that at least 12 must vote Yes. In the event that we are in the process of replacing owners, the vote total must surpass 75% of available votes.
--14c8. Owners who have been added within the past 1 month are not allowed to vote on these changes, but can voice their opinions in the thread as well. This can also be modified as determined by the Commissioner or Administrators.
--14c9. All rule changes will have their effective date determined as follows:
---14c9a. If said rule change is related to the mechanics of the game itself, it will skip a minimum of 1 turn around the league. Examples include any rule changes involving scoring, contracts, etc. This is to allow for the fact that owners might have managed differently had they known the rule would exist for the next season.
---14c9b. If said rule change is not related to the mechanics of the game itself, it will become effective immediately. Examples of this would include changes to host site, cost/payouts of league, etc.
--14c10. Commissioner shall state in all rule changes which are passed when the rule change is effective.