To The Wall Baseball League Rules

As other issues come up, the League Guidelines may be modified.

Updated 05/12/10

Basic Rules

The League requires all owners to do their best to maintain a well-formed organization from top to bottom. Owner responsibilities include:

• To maintain a roster by exporting regularly.
• To be responsive to emails, IMs, and posts/PM's on the message boards.
• To participate in league votes and drafts.

Being an owner in this League gives you the following rights:

• The right to be heard; both for trade offers, and in suggesting changes to the league.
• The right to have the league work effectively (i.e. without extended down periods) in perpetuity.
• The right to be able to participate in any future leagues.

The Commissioner will be gone intermittently for work, vacations, family functions etc. In the event that I will be gone for a significant amount of time, I will let the league know via email and/or forum post. Similarly, if you as an owner cannot fulfill your duties for an extended period of time or if you lose interest in the league, please notify me and we will make the appropriate arrangements.

Each season will take approximately three months “real time” to complete. It will constitute of 162 regular season games, a best-of-seven Division Series, a best-of-seven League Championship, and a best-of-seven World Series. Seven (7) days will be simulated, and sims will typically be run on Monday/Wednesday/Friday– sometimes in the morning, other times in the afternoon / evenings, depending on the commissioner’s schedule. There will be interleague play consisting of each team from one league playing each other team in the other league for one series. There will be approximately two to three weeks off between seasons, barring unforeseen circumstances.

League Setup and Financials

The League is entirely fictional, and will begin in the year 2007. The league uses OOTPX, but we may migrate to the latest version of OOTP (currently OOTPX) depending on interest and participation. There are two leagues – the Patriotic League and the Nationalist League – each consisting of ten teams. Each league is divided into two divisions of teams. Both leagues will have a designated hitter. The top two teams in each division make the playoffs, and the two teams that did not win a division title with the best record in each league will also make the playoffs as wildcards. Player ratings will be 1-100+ across the board where applicable. Star ratings will also be displayed and are based on positions. We will not be implementing the coaches / scouts feature.

League financials have been designed to ensure competitiveness across all teams. The salary cap is $90 million, and the minimum player salary is $500,000. Teams may not exceed the cap at any time during the regular season and playoffs, and if a team is over the cap, the Commissioner will release players at his discretion in order to get said team under the cap. Teams are allowed to be over the cap during the offseason and spring training, but all teams must be below the cap for the starting day of the regular season. Each team will have a budget of $90 million per season granted its current balance is greater than or equal to $0. A negative current balance at the end of the season means that the budget will be decreased by that negative amount, effectively giving that team a lower salary cap than the standard $90 million. Media revenue will be $40 million. The maximum cash balance at the beginning of the season is $30 million, with any money in excess of $30 million being removed. The market size for all teams will be 15 (on a 1-20) scale and will not be allowed to fluctuate. Fan interest and fan loyalty will be allowed to fluctuate. The average attendance will be 30,557 and average ticket prices will be $15.

Roster Rules

The League runs with standard modern roster rules. The major league (i.e., “active”) roster is limited to 25 men, and we play with a 40-man roster rule (follow this link for a complete explanation). Along with 40-man rosters, we have waivers (the waiver period is precisely one day longer than a sim- 6 days), and minor league free agency. To facilitate roster motion, you are allowed to DFA players for up to 15 days (follow this link for a complete explanation).

From the moment a player plays in the major leagues, they get a major league contract of 500k/yr. This lasts three years, upon which they get arbitration for three years, and finally are granted free agency at the end of the six year period. For the purposes of calculating playing time, 172 days constitutes a year, and players have only 3 option years where they can be shuffled between major league and minor league rosters.

Roster Constituency

You must ensure that you can field a reasonable major league team at all times. This means you must have 5 healthy SP's on your roster and 4 healthy MR's at all times. In addition to having a healthy starter for all 8 positions, you must also have a capable backup at each of these positions, although a single player can back up multiple positions. You must have at least 3 positional backup players, including at least one capable of playing C, one capable of playing IF, and one capable of playing OF. At key junctures during the season (the start of the season, the all-star break, and one month after a major injury on your team), I will make whatever changes necessary to make sure you field a reasonable team if you have not. If this occurs, I will most likely start looking for a replacement owner for your team shortly afterwards.

Roster Moves

Roster moves will be processed before every sim. Your lineup exports will effectively take care of not just your lineups, but also waivers, waiver claims, free agent signings, contract extensions, and player releases.

Free agency and contract extensions will be handled using the game's built-in engine. Each owner will be able to make offers to their own players along with free agents from within the game. The owner must export his file in order for these offers to be processed.

Trades must be confirmed in the forums by all teams involved before they will be processed. Trading is allowed only between the beginning of the offseason and July 31 without waivers, between August 1 and the end of the regular season for players clearing waivers.

Trades allowed include:

• Players
• Draft Picks (ONLY rounds 1-5 of upcoming draft may be traded)
• Cash

Trades may NOT include:

• Future Considerations
• Players to be named later

Team Option Rule

In order to prevent abuse of team options, if the commissioner catches anyone implementing a final team option that's greater than 150% of the lowest annual salary on players with an average annual salary of $10 million or greater, (not including incentives) after 02/26/13 in the game, that team option will be converted to a player option.

Draft

The amateur draft is 12 rounds long, and picks will initially be processed via email or the draft utility that is included as a part of OOTPOU. For rounds 1-5, each round will be processed through e-mail or the draft utility per day. All remaining rounds will be CPU’d. Owners who pick that day will send the Commissioner a draft queue OR build a queue through the draft utility – if an owner does not submit a queue, the computer will make the pick. If required and / or time permits, a live draft will be run to conclude the draft.

Rule 5 Draft

Starting with the 2017 season we will be instituting the Rule 5 draft during each offseason. The Rule 5 draft is a yearly draft, typically held in December, wherein major league teams can select certain players who are not protected by their teams. The draft was originally intended to prevent teams with better financial situations from hoarding young players.

Differences between OOTP and Real-World Rule 5 Drafts

OOTP's implementation of the Rule 5 draft does not match the real-world version of the draft in every way. Here are the ways in which the OOTP Rule 5 differs from the real world:

· In the real world, Rule 5 draft picks are offered back to their original teams when these conditions are not met. In OOTP, Rule 5 draft picks are never offered back to their original franchise. You simply have to obey the roster rules explained above.

· In the real world, teams pay a fee for selecting a player. This fee does not exist in OOTP.

· In the real world, a minor league phase of the Rule 5 exits. It does not exist in OOTP.

Rule 5 Draft Roster Rules

There are a number of roster rules relating to Rule 5 drafts.

1. A team that wants to select a player in the Rule 5 draft must have at least one spot open on its secondary roster.

2. A player selected in the Rule 5 draft must remain on the selecting team's active roster or disabled list for the entire season.

3. A player who was drafted in the Rule 5 draft can be waived. If he is claimed, then the player must remain on the claiming team's active roster for the remainder of the season.

4. A player selected in the Rule 5 draft can be traded. The team that receives the player must keep the player on its active roster for the remainder of the season.

5. A player selected in the Rule 5 draft must spend 90 days on the active roster. This rule prevents teams from picking players and then dumping them on the disabled list for an entire season to avoid using an active roster spot. This rule can extend into the following season if necessary.

Rule 5 Draft Eligibility

A player is eligible for the Rule 5 draft if he meets the conditions listed below. Follow the links to learn more about some of the terms used below:

1. The player has at least three but fewer than six years of professional service time, and the player was age 19 or older when he first signed a contract.

2. The player is not on the team's secondary roster.

Note: Players who were age 18 or younger when they entered the league are eligible if they have at least four, but fewer than seven years of professional service time. In other words, young players get an extra year before they become eligible for the Rule 5 draft.

Another way of looking at this rule is this:

A player not on a team's secondary roster is eligible for the Rule 5 draft if the player was age 18 or younger when he first signed a contract and this is the fourth Rule 5 draft since he signed, OR if he was age 19 or older when he first signed a contract and this is the third Rule 5 draft since he signed.

Players who are eligible for the Rule 5 draft are designated by a pound sign (#) on the Transactions page. You can also see a player's Rule 5 eligibility on the Contract & Status subpage.

Rule 5 Draft Process

The Rule 5 draft progresses in reverse order of the team's final record in the previous season. The draft proceeds just like any other player draft in OOTP, with one notable difference: only a team with an available slot on its secondary roster can select a player. If a team does not have an available slot, its turn is skipped. The draft continues until all teams have either selected a player or had their turn skipped. Most Rule 5 drafts are relatively short affairs, with only a few teams selecting players.

Type A and Type B Free Agents

If a team loses a player to free agency, that team may be entitled to compensation in the form of prospects. Compensation is determined by star rating at the position the free agent played the most defensive innings at throughout the year he becomes a free agent. The game will determine the free agent type, and can be viewed from the “Contracts and Status” page of the player from within the game itself (note: the player must be in his final contract year for the free agent type to display).

Compensation for catchers, first basemen, second basemen, shortstops, third basemen, left fielders, center fielders, right fielders, and starting pitchers (Cs, SSs, and CFers will receive slightly higher rated prospects due to the nature of their position):

Type A:

A supplemental draft pick in the 1^st round. This pick will occur after all regular 1^st round picks have been made.

Type B:

A supplemental draft pick in the 2^nd round. This pick will occur after all regular 2^nd round picks have been made.

Compensation for closers, and designated hitters:

Type A:

A supplemental draft pick in the 2^nd round. This pick will occur after all regular 2^nd round picks have been made.

Type B:

A supplemental draft pick in the 3^rd round. This pick will occur after all regular 3^rd round picks have been made.

Compensation for middle relievers:

Type A:

A supplemental draft pick in the 3^rd round. This pick will occur after all regular 3^rd round picks have been made.

Type B:

A supplemental draft pick in the 4^th round. This pick will occur after all regular 4^th round picks have been made.

Cavaets

• If the free agent is a pitcher, teams will only be compensated if the pitcher in question had over 30 innings pitched and an ERA below 6.5 during the year he became a free agent. A free agent closer must have record 15 saves during that year to be counted a closer instead of middle reliever.
• If the free agent is not a pitcher, teams will only be compensated if the player in question had an OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) over .600 while having over 150 at bat during the year he become a free agent.

• Players with no rated defensive position will be classified as a designated hitter.
• If player played multiple positions during his free agent year, he will be rated at the position where he played the most defensive innings where he has an established rating.
• If a team signs the same free agent he lost during free agency, no compensation will be given.
• The player must sign during the established free agency period (typically between November and February) in order for compensation to be given. Teams that release players during the season will not be compensated regardless of when that player is signed. In other words, a player’s contract must expire in its own (i.e, no buyouts) in order for the chance for compensation to occur. Choosing not to pick up a team option on a player will forfeit the compensated picks.
• Compensation will be delivered after the established free agency period.

Career Ending Injuries

Career ending injuries will be converted to 12 month injuries if the owner of the injured player informs the commissioner within one (1) month game time of the injury. The 12 months will be retroactive to the date of the career ending injury.

Stadium

Each team will start out with seating capacity of 45,000, and can be purchased at the rate of $1 million per 1,000. New seats can only be installed during the offseason, and stadium capacity cannot exceed 60,000.

Ballparks may be modified at the beginning of any season at a cost of $5 million. No park factor will be allowed to exceed 1.300, and no park factor will be allowed to go below .700.