I. League Purpose
The league is a fantasy baseball dynasty league established to promote a competitive and enjoyable experience for its members. The league aims to foster sportsmanship, camaraderie, and long-term engagement through the continued management of a team. The league also aims to be sufficiently complex to present a GM-like experience without overly complex rules. The hope is that it makes the league both enjoyable and easy to understand for new owners, as well as reducing the management time of the commissioner(s).
II. League Platform and Communication
The league will be hosted on Fantrax and all official league communication will take place through Discord. Members are expected to maintain active communication and respond to league-related inquiries in a timely manner.
III. League Configuration
The league will consist of 24 teams.
IV. League Fees and Prizes
1. Entry Fee
The annual entry fee for the league will be $100. The entry fee is due by October 15th each year. Owners who have not paid by the deadline will be subject to replacement unless the commissioner is notified prior to the deadline.
All money will be paid into and held by FanTrax Treasurer.
2. Payouts
All money paid into the league will be distributed to participants or used to pay for Fantrax fees. Payouts will occur as follows:
| Prize Criteria | Amount (Year 1) | Amount (Year 2) | Amount (Year 3) | Amount (3-Year Cycle) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st (Single-Season) | $400 | $400 | $400 | |
| 2nd (Single-Season) | $295 | $295 | $295 | |
| 3rd (Single-Season) | $225 | $225 | $225 | |
| 4th (Single-Season) | $190 | $190 | $190 | |
| 5th (Single-Season) | $155 | $155 | $155 | |
| 6th (Single-Season) | $120 | $120 | $120 | |
| 7th (Single-Season) | $85 | $85 | $85 | |
| 8th (Single-Season) | $50 | $50 | $50 | |
| 1st Half Hitting Winner | $40 | $40 | $40 | |
| 2nd Half Hitting Winner | $40 | $40 | $40 | |
| 1st Half Pitching Winner | $40 | $40 | $40 | |
| 2nd Half Pitching Winner | $40 | $40 | $40 | |
| N.L. Rookie of the Year | $40 | $40 | $40 | |
| A.L. Rooke of the Year | $40 | $40 | $40 | |
| Premium Commissioner | $130 | $130 | $130 | |
| 1st place (3-year cycle) | $365 | |||
| 2nd place (3-year cycle) | $270 | |||
| 3rd place (3-year cycle) | $230 | |||
| 4th place (3-year cycle) | $190 | |||
| 5th place (3-year cycle) | $150 | |||
| 6th place (3-year cycle) | $125 | |||
| 7th place (3-year cycle) | $100 | |||
| 8th place (3-year cycle) | $100 |
If a tie occurs for placement in a playoff bracket, then the following tiebreaks will be used to determine ranking:
- Total points
- Total points in 2nd half
- Total hitting points (in even number calendar years) or total pitching points (in odd number calendar years)
- Randomly determined (using randomizer via an online website or random() function in Microsoft Excel)
Payouts for the Rooke of the Year winners only occur if the player is on the major league roster at the start of the season.
Hitting and pitching winners are the team(s) who have the most hitting and pitching points during either the 1st or 2nd half. The 1st half consists of scoring periods 1-12, and the 2nd half consists of scoring periods 13-24. If for some reason a future season has an odd number of scoring periods, then the 1st half will consist of the total rounds divided by two, plus one. For example: if 23 scoring periods, then the 1st half will be consist of 12 scoring periods, and the second half will consist of 11 scoring periods. There are no tiebreaks for the hitting and pitching winners, and instead, the teams who are tied will split the payout.
3-year cycle winners are determined by adding the total number of points accumulated by each team during the three years. First place is the team with the most points, second place is the team with the second-most points, and so on. There are no tiebreaks for the 3-year cycle winners, and instead, the teams who are tied will split the payout (e.g., if two teams tie for 3rd, they will split the payout for 3rd and 4th).
Any money that remains in the pool at the end of the three years will be distributed to the top three places for the 3-year cycle (1st=50%, 2nd=30%, 3rd=20%)
V. Rosters and Positions
Rosters
Teams will have two rosters (Major League and Minor League) that both appear on the same team in Fantrax. Minor league players will be denoted as having $0 contracts
Maximum roster size will progress each year until roster reach the maximum of 46 players. Maximum roster sizes until then will be:
Year 1 (2024): 36 players (26 major league + 10 minor league)
Year 2 (2025): 41 players (26 major league + 15 minor league)
Year 3: (2026): 46 players (26 major league + 20 minor league)
In-season, teams do not have to maintain the strict major and minor league roster configurations. Teams are allowed to exceed 26 major leaguer players (excluding players on the injured list) by dropping players on their minor league roster. Minor league roster slots used in this way may not be filled by minor league players until the start of the next season
Note: Minor league players used in-season will begin their contract and be keepable for two years at a reduced rate (in-season call up = $0, Year 2 = $3, Year 3 = $7) rather than the pre-season call-up contract structure (Year 1 = $1, Year 2 = $2, Year 3 = $5).
Active Positions
Active positions scored each week:
C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, CI, MI, OF (5), UT, SP (4), RP (3), P (3)
Position Eligibility
Players will be eligible at any position for which they played at least 20 games the prior season. If a player does not play 20 games at a position, that player’s eligibility will be based on the position(s) for which the player played the most games.
Players will also gain eligibility at any position for which they have played at least 10 games in the current season.
If a player has played no positions, then their position will be the default position on Fantrax.
Injured List
Each team will have five (5) injured list roster slots. Teams will be required to remove players from the injured list once they are removed from the real-life MLB injured list. Otherwise, that team will not be able to complete any transactions.
VI. Keepers and Contract Inflation
The keeper deadline for salaried (>$0 contracts) players is February 15th.
All salaried players (players with >$0 contract) are eligible to be retained on their current team’s major league roster. Major league keepers may be retained at variable rates depending on how long the player has been on a major league roster and whether the player was promoted from a minor league roster or added to a major league roster via auction or free agency.
Promoted Minor League Players (pre-season)
Year 1: $1 contract
Year 2: $2 contract
Year 3: $5 contract
After Year 3: $5 added to previous contract
Promoted Minor League Players (in-season)
Year 1: $0 contract (in-season call-up counts as first year)
Year 2: $3 contract
Year 3: $7 contract
After Year 3: $5 added to previous contract
Players Acquired Via Auction or Free Agency:
Year 1: $1 added to previous contract
Year 2: $3 added to previous contract
After Year 2: $5 added to previous contract
Years do not reset if a player is traded to another team. Years do reset if a player is not kept at the beginning of a year, or if the player is released to free agency during the season.
Any number of non-salaried ($0 contract) players can be kept at the October 15th keeper deadline.
Contract Summary
| Keeper Type | Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | All Following Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major League Keepers (acquired FA or Auction) | $1 added | $3 added | $5 added | $5 added |
| Minor League Player (off-season promotion) | $1 contract | $2 contract | $5 contract | $5 added |
| Minor League Player (in-season promotion) | $0 (in-season contract) | $3 contract | $7 contract | $5 added |
| Non-salaried players ($0 contract) | No contract inflation | No contract inflation | No contract inflation | No contract inflation |
VII. Scoring and Schedule
The league scores based on H2H Points using Ottoneau weighted categories. Each team will be matched against every other team in the league. The team with the highest score for the week will be 23-0 and the team with the lowest score for the week will be 0-23.
Scoring weeks will run Monday through Sunday. Exceptions may be made to accommodate opening week, All-Star Break, and any other scheduling oddities that may arise. These will be configured prior to the beginning of the season.
Lineup Locks
Each player will lock five minutes before their first game of the week.
Playoffs
Eight teams will make the playoffs and be seeded:
1st round (4th week from end of MLB season)
Matchup #1: #1 vs. #8
Matchup #2: #2 vs. #7
Matchup #3: #3 vs. #6
Matchup #4: #4 vs. #5
2nd round (3rd week from end of MLB season)
Matchup #5: Winner of Matchup #1 vs. Winner of Matchup #4
Matchup #6: Winner of Matchup #2 vs. Winner of Matchup #3
Matchup #7: Loser of Matchup #1 vs. Loser of Matchup #4
Matchup #8: Loser of Matchup #2 vs. Loser of Matchup #3
3rd round (Last and next-to-last week of MLB season)
Matchup #9: Winner of Matchup #5 vs. Winner of Matchup #6
Matchup #10: Loser of Matchup #5 vs. Loser of Matchup #6
Matchup #11: Winner of Matchup #7 vs. Winner of Matchup #8
Matchup #12: Loser of Matchup #7 vs. Loser of Matchup #8
Note: Fantrax will determine the last round to be the final two scoring periods of the season. This will be more than one week but may not be precisely two weeks.
Places
1st place: Winner of Matchup #9
2nd place: Loser of Matchup #9
3rd place: Winner of Matchup #10
4th place: Loser of Matchup #10
5th place: Winner of Matchup #11
6th place: Loser of Matchup #11
7th place: Winner of Matchup #12
8th place: Loser of Matchup #12
The same bracket configuration will be used for teams that finish 9th-16th in the regular season and for teams that finish 17th-24th.
Commissioner Note: Consider listing out the structure.
Scoring Rules
| Hitting | |
| AB | -1.0 |
| H | 5.6 |
| 2B | 2.9 |
| 3B | 5.7 |
| HR | 9.4 |
| BB | 3.0 |
| HBP | 3.0 |
| SB | 1.9 |
| CS | -2.8 |
| Pitching | |
| IP | 7.4 |
| K | 2.0 |
| H | -2.6 |
| BB | -3.0 |
| HBP | -3.0 |
| HR | -12.3 |
| SV | 5.0 |
| HOLDS | 4.0 |
VIII. Drafts
Every team will participate in three drafts each year: MLB auction draft, MLB supplementary slow draft, and MiLB slow draft.
Drafts will use the snake format. Draft pick slot will be determined using the Kentucky Derby Style (KDS) selection process. Commissioner will establish a deadline for teams to submit their preferential order for the major and minor league draft. For the purposes of KDS only, the picks for both drafts will be together.
MLB Auction Draft
Each team will be required to select players until their major league roster has 23 players, which means they will select players equal to 23 – # of players kept (including minor league players promoted before either the October or the February deadline).
Each team’s budget will be equal to $260 minus the total value of keepers (after inflation), which also includes any minor league players promoted.
Teams must have enough money after keepers are decided to complete their 23-man roster via the auction draft. For example: If you keep 10 players, then you must have at least $13 available to draft 13 players to reach 23. Teams will have 48 hours to correct the issue once the commissioner(s) contact them.
The MLB Auction Draft will be conducted live over the course of two sessions. Each session will have a number of picks equal to half the spots available. The number of spots available are equal to 24 x (23 – the number of salaried players), where the number of salaried players equals the number of players kept from previous season and players promoted during offseason.
MLB Supplementary Slow Draft
The MLB Supplementary Slow Draft will consist of three rounds in snake order. Draft order will be determined based on reverse order of the previous year’s standings (24th in previous year =1st pick). Teams may pick any unrostered player. Players selected in the MLB Supplemental Slow Draft will have a contract of $2 that does not count against a team’s $260 cap for the auction draft or against a team’s FAAB budget for in-season free agent pickups.
Draft order will be determined by the previous season’s playoffs:
1st pick = 17th place team
2nd pick = 18th place team
3rd pick = 19th place team
4th pick = 20th place team
5th pick = 21st place team
6th pick = 22nd place team
7th pick = 23rd place team
8th pick = 24th place team
9th pick = 9th place team
10th pick = 10th place team
11th pick = 11th place team
12th pick = 12th place team
13th pick = 13th place team
14th pick = 14th place team
15th pick = 15th place team
16th pick = 16th place team
17th pick = 8th place team
18th pick = 7th place team
19th pick = 6th place team
20th pick = 5th place team
21st pick = 4th place team
22nd pick = 3rd place team
23rd pick = 2nd place team
24th pick = 1st place team
Minor League Slow Draft
Any player who has already been signed by an MLB team and not yet exceeded 130 at-bats (hitters) or 50 innings pitched (pitchers) is eligible to be drafted.
For the purposes of the minor league slow draft, the number of available slots on a team’s minor league roster is equal to the number of players dropped at the MiLB Keeper deadline + the number of players promoted at the MiLB keeper deadline + any commissioner-provided slots (note: as currently planned, these would only be the five additional slots in 2025 and 2026).
The intent of the above is to make clear that minor league roster slots used during the regular season will not be eligible for filling during the same calendar year (in other words, if a team drops a $0 contract minor league player during the 2024 regular season in favor of a MLB free agent pickup, then that minor league roster spot will not be available for a draft pick until the minor league draft in November 2025). This rule will also apply if you acquire MLB players in a trade that exceeds your number of available MLB roster slots, and you choose to drop a $0 contract (minor league player) instead of a MLB player to accommodate.
Draft order will be determined by the previous season’s playoffs. See section MLB Supplementary Slow Draft within VIII. Drafts for draft order.
Minor league keepers do not retain their draft positions. If a team has one minor league roster slot available, then that team picks in the 1st round (and no other round).
IX. Trades and Transactions
Trading
Teams may complete trades any time during the regular season until July 31st at 11:59 Central. Trades are subject to a 24-hour review process, during which any team may vote on whether the trade should be vetoed. If a majority of teams vote to veto a trade, then the trade is not processed. Votes are public. The commissioner (or designated individuals) may expedite trades on July 31st (trade deadline) if, in their judgment, the trade is not problematic.
When completing a trade, contract value has no impact on a team’s ability to trade (i.e., there is no in-season salary cap). Teams do need to adhere to roster sizes and are required to drop players if acquiring more players than traded away. Note: mentioned elsewhere in constitution, but be mindful that rostering more players with salaried contracts (>$0) than 26 (not counting injured list) will result in forfeited minor league roster slots until the beginning of the next season.
FAAB
Each team has an in-season budget of $100 for free agents. FAAB will run at 11:59 Central time on Sunday night. Teams have an unlimited salary cap in-season, and are only restricted by roster availability and FAAB budget when acquiring players via free agency.
X. League Calendar
February 1st – February 28th Dispersal Draft (if needed)
February 15th: Major League Keepers Due, Non-Keepers Added to Auction Player Pool
February 15th: Minor League Promotions Due (to obtain $1, $2, $5 contract structure)
March 1st – March 15th: MLB Auction Draft (two dates during this time range)
March 16th – Opening Day: MLB Supplemental Slow Draft
July 31st: Trade Deadline
First game of the 4th scoring period from end of season: Playoffs Start, All Claims Frozen
End of Regular Season: Deadline to Establish Off-Season Roster (no players on IL)
October 15th: League Fees Due
October 15th: Minor League Keepers Due
October 15th: Minor League Promotions Due (if wanting slot available for drafting)
November 1st: Minor League Slow Draft Begins
XI. Commissioner Authority and Responsibilities
The commissioner has the final say on all rule interpretations.
The commissioner is responsible for ensuring teams remain active and replacing any team that does not remain active. Activity will be judged based on roster adjustments (e.g., moving injured players to IL), setting keepers, participating in drafts, responding to trade offers, etc. No owner will be removed from the league without being provided at least one warning.
XII. Amendments and Changes
No rules will be changed during the season without the approval of at least 20 teams. Even then, all efforts will be made to not make changes during the season and will be considered for emergency reasons only.
Otherwise, rules will be proposed by the end of the regular season, and then voted on for immediate adoption for the following season (20 out of 24 teams) or the season after (13 out of 24 teams).
Example: If a rule change is proposed on (or by) September 1, 2024, then the rule will be adopted for the 2025 season if at least 20 teams vote yes to the proposal, for the 2026 season if at least 13 teams vote yes, and tabled for at least one year if a majority do not approve.
The commissioner will accept suggested rule changes from all owners. However, the commissioner has no requirement to put any rule suggestion up for a vote. The commissioner will make every effort to be transparent on all decisions regarding rule proposals.