The 2003 HBTSOTR Rule Guide
The RULES:
I. OBJECT
To assemble a lineup of 24 American League baseball players whose cumulative statistics during the regular season,
compiled and measured by the methods described in these rules, exceed those of all other teams in the League.
II. TEAMS
There are ten teams in a duly constituted Rotisserie League composed of American League players.
III. ROSTER A team's active roster consists of the following players: Five outfielders, two catchers, one second baseman, one shortstop, one middle infielder (either second baseman or shortstop), one first baseman, one third baseman, one corner man (either first baseman or third baseman), one designated hitter, and nine pitchers. An optional 24th player can be employed at any position. IV. AUCTION DRAFT DAY A Major League Player Auction is conducted on the first weekend after Opening Day of the baseball season. Each team must acquire 23 or 24 players at a total cost not to exceed $26.00. A team need not spend the maximum. The First Place team opens the bidding minimum salary bid of $.10 for any eligible player, and the bidding proceeds around the room at minimum increments of $.10 until only one bidder is left. That team acquires the player for that amount and announces the roster position the player will fill. The process is repeated, with successive team owners introducing players to be bid on, until every team has a squad of 23 or 24 players, by requisite position. A team may pass it's turn at naming a player up to three times, during the auction. A team must start the bidding on a player that they brought up for auction. · The bidding order starts with the winner of previous year and rotates clockwise around the room. · Players eligible at more than one position may be shifted during the course of the draft. · No team may make a bid for a player it cannot afford. For example, a team with $.30 left and two openings on its roster is limited to a maximum bid of $.20 for one player. · No team may bid for a player who qualifies only at a position that the team has already filled. For example, a team that has acquired two catchers, and whose utility or designated hitter slot is occupied, may not enter the bidding for any player who qualifies only at catcher. · Players who commence the season on a major-league team's disable list are eligible to be drafted. If selected, they may be replaced upon completion of the auction draft (see below, Article XII, for details). A Minor League Player Draft is conducted immediately following the major league auction, in which each Rotisserie League team may acquire players who: a. are not on any American League team's active roster, and b. still have official rookie status, as defined by Major League baseball. NOTE: The major league rule reads: "A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 30 innings pitched in the major leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a major league club or clubs during the period of a 24-player limit (excluding time in the military service)." · Selection takes place in two rounds of a simple draft, not an auction. · In the first season, the selection order shall be determined by drawing paired numbers from a hat (that is, positions 1 and 20, 2 and 19, and so on in a ten-team league). · In subsequent years, the selection order is determined by the order in which the teams finished in the previous season. Teams shall draft in reverse order of the previous years standings through all rounds. · A team may protect up to 4 minor leaguers in any one year. A team may draft as many players as needed to reach the 4 player maximum. · The prices and subsequent salary upon activation of each farm-system player drafted is $.50. · If a team's minor league player was called up during the previous season but is still considered a rookie (see NOTE above), that team retains his minor league rights the following season. Provided that player does not make the Major League roster.(See Roster Protection rules section XVII)During the course of a season, any minor leaguer brought up to a MLB roster
and subsequently activated onto a roto team roster may be replaced by another MLB minor
leaguer onto the minor league system of that same team. If the minor leaguer is
not activated onto a roto team roster, he may not be replaced by another minor leaguer.
Any roto team minor leaguer who is waived due to not be activated after the
3 Monday deadline may not be replaced. A roto team minor leaguer
who is traded to the National League may be replaced IAW the above rule.
A roto team minor leaguer who is traded to another roto team team as part of a trade may not
be replaced IAW with the rule mentioned above. The replacement minor
leaguer must be named the same transaction period the initial minor leaguer is placed on the roto team roster.
· See Article XIII for operational rules governing farm systems. V. POSITION ELIGIBILITY A player may be assigned to any position at which he appeared in 20 or more games in the previous season. If a player did not appear in 20 games at a single position, he may be drafted only at the position at which he appeared most frequently. The 20-games/most games measure is only used to determine the position(s) at which a player may be drafted. Once the season is under way (but after Auction Draft Day), a player becomes eligible for assignment to any position at which he appears at least five times. The 24th player can play any position. VI. FEES The Rotisserie League has a schedule of fees covering all player personnel moves. No money passes directly from team to team. No bets are made on the outcome of any game. All fees are payable into the prize pool and are subsequently distributed to all of the (AL) teams in the final standings except the last place team (see below, Articles VIII and IX). 1. BASIC: The cumulative total of salaries paid for acquisition of a 23-24 man roster on Auction Draft Day may not exceed $26.00. 2. TRANSACTIONS: $1.00 per trade (no matter how many players are involved) or player activation (from reserve list or farm system). In a trade, both teams pay the fee. 3. CALL-UP FROM FREE AGENT POOL: $1.00 until the All-Star Game, $2.00 thereafter until season's end. This cost does not include the $1 for salary. 4. RESERVE: $1.00 for each player placed on a team's reserve list (see Article XII). 5. FARM SYSTEM: $1.00 for each player in a team's farm system (see Article XIII). 6. ACTIVATION: $1.00 for each player activated from the reserve list or farm system. 7. WAIVERS: $1.00 for each player's salary claimed on waivers (see Article XIV). 8. SEPTEMBER ROSTER EXPANSION: $5.00 (see Article XV). VII. PLAYER SALARIES The salary of a player is determined by the time and means of his acquisition and does not change unless the player becomes a free agent or is signed to a guaranteed long-term contract (see below, Article XVI). · The salary of a player acquired in the major league draft is his auction price. · The salary of a player called up from the free agent pool during the season is $1.00 (regardless of his call-up fee). · The salary of a player activated from a team's farm system during the season is $0.50. · The salary of a player claimed on waivers is $1.00. · The salary of a player called up during September Roster Expansion as an extra (24th or 25th player) is $2.50 if he is drawn from the free agent pool (see below, Article XIV). VIII. PRIZE MONEY All fees shall be promptly collected and wisely invested by the League Treasurer, who is empowered to subject owners to public humiliation and assess fines as needed to ensure that payments are made to the League in a timely fashion. All league fees need to be paid by the first of the month to avoid fines of 10% owed. The monies collected shall be divided among the teams in the final standings with the last place team giving their single share to the winner and the second to last getting two shares, third to last getting three shares, and so on. the total funds will be divided by the number of shares to determine the value of one share. IX. STANDINGS The following criteria are used to determine team performance: · Composite batting average (BA) · Total home runs (HR) · Total runs batted in (RBI) · Total stolen bases (SB) · Composite earned run average (ERA) · Total wins (W) · Total saves (S) · Composite ratio: {bases on balls (BB) + hits (H)}/ innings pitched (IP) Teams are ranked from first to last in each of the eight categories and given points for each place. For example, in a 10-team league, the first-place team in a category receives ten points, the second-place team nine, and so on down to one point for last place. The team with the most total points wins the pennant. NOTE: A team that fails to pitch a total of 1000 innings cannot be ranked ahead of any team that does pitch 1000 innings, in either ERA or Ratio. (This is a new rule, passed in 1988, to prevent an "all-relief" strategy). · In cases of ties in an individual category, the tied teams are assigned points by totaling points for the rankings at issue and dividing the total by the number of teams tied. · In cases of ties in total points, final places in the standings are determined by comparing placement of teams in individual categories. Respective performances are calculated and a point given to each team for bettering the other. Should one team total more points than the other, that teams is declared the winner. · Should the point totals still be equal, the tie is broken by adding each team's total at-bats at season's end, plus triple the number of its innings pitched. The team that scores a higher total by this measure wins the pennant. X. STATS The weekly player-performance summaries published in USA Today beginning in April constitute the official database for the computation of standings in Rotisserie League Baseball. · The effective date of any transaction for purposes of statistical calculation is the Monday (AL) immediately after the deadline for reporting transactions to the League Secretary. NOTE: This is because cumulative weekly stats appear in USA Today on Tuesday for AL games through the preceding Monday. Reporting deadlines should be established as close to these breaks as possible but not later than the start of any game at the beginning of a new week. We will use 4 pm on Monday (AL players). · Transactions recorded on Auction Draft Day, including trades and call-ups to replace disabled players, are effective retroactive to Opening Day. Transactions occurring after Auction Draft Day but before the closing date of the first cumulative summaries to appear in USA Today in April are effective the Monday (AL) immediately after the first closing date. · Performance stats of a player shall be assigned to a Rotisserie League team only when he is on the active 23-man roster of that team. · Standings shall be tabulated and issued in a regular and timely fashion, as determined by the League owners. XI. TRADES Trading is unrestricted all season with the present anti-dumping rule in effect until the All-Star break and a new zero dumping rule after the All-Star game. If any team questions whether a dump is involved in a two for one trade they may object, through the office of the commissioner within one week of the trade appearing in the transaction section of the standings sheet. A vote of all owners will then determine if the trade is valid. · Trades do not affect the salaries or contract status of players. · Each trade is subject to the $1.00 transaction fee. The fee is not affected by the number of players involved in the trade. · Unless you want knife to break out among owners, prohibit all trades involving cash, "players to be names later," or "future considerations." Trust us. · A player can not be acquired via trade and activated in the same transaction period. (The Chuck Martin rule) XII. THE RESERVE LIST A team may replace any player on its 23-24 man roster who is: · placed on the disabled list · released · traded to the other league, or · sent down to the minors by his major league team To replace such a player, a Rotisserie League team must first release him outright or place him on its reserve list. A team reserves a player by notifying the League Secretary and paying the $1 transaction fee. A reserved player is removed from a team's active roster at the end of the stat week (Monday) - when formal notification is given - and placed on the team's reserve list. There is no limit to the number of players a team may have on its reserve list. Reserving a player protects a team's rights to that player. A team has an indefinite period to take action once a player is placed on the disabled list, released, traded to the other league, or sent to the minors by his major league team. · A suspended player may not be reserved, released, or replaced. · Once a specific action has been taken to remove a player from its 23-24 man roster (via release or placing him on the reserve list), a team is then free to select any eligible player from the free agent pool of players not already owned by another Rotisserie League team. The salary assigned to the player so selected from the free agent pool is $1.00; the call-up fee is determined by the time of the season in which the call-up is made (see above Article VI). · If the same player is claimed by more than one team in a given week, he goes to the team ranking lowest in the most recent standings. · Every reserve move must be accompanied by a concomitant replacement move (i.e., a team may not reserve a player without replacing him). · Placing a player on the reserve list and activating a player from the reserve list are each subject to a $1 transaction fee. · The call-up takes effect as soon as it is recorded by the League Secretary, although the player's stats do not begin to accrue to his new team until Monday of the week the League Secretary records the call-up. · A player on a Rotisserie League reserve list may not be traded unless the replacement player linked to him is also traded. · A replacement player may be traded or otherwise replaced (i.e., in case of injury, he could be reserved and a free agent called up to fill his slot). In such a case, the newly acquired player becomes linked to the original reserved player. · When a player on a reserve list returns to active major league duty, he must be reinstated to the active 23-24 man roster of his Rotisserie League team two weeks after his activation or be waived. Failure to notify the League Secretary shall be considered a waiver of the player on the reserve list. A player may not be reinstated or waived until he has been activated by his major league team. · When a player is reinstated to the active 23-24 man Rotisserie League roster from a team's reserve list, the player originally called up to replace him must be waived, unless another player is released or reserved; then the original player called up can now be tied to the new reserved player. A reserved player does not have to qualify for the position he is tied to, however he cannot be activated unless a position he qualifies for opens up. · If the replacement player has himself been replaced (i.e., he is injured, put on reserve, and a free agent is called up), then his replacement becomes linked to the original player on the reserve list. · A player reinstated from the reserve list may not displace any active player on the rotisserie League team's 23-24 man roster other than his original replacement (or his successor). XIII. FARM SYSTEM If a farm system player is promoted to the active roster of a major league team at any time during the regular season prior to September 1 (when major league rosters may expand to 40), his Rotisserie League team has two weeks after his promotion to activate him (in any position for which he qualifies) or waive him. · The fee for activating a player from a team's farm system is $1.00 . · If a farm system player is activated, the player displaced from the 23-24 man roster to make room for him must be placed on waivers, unless the farm system player can be activated into a natural opening, in which case no waiver is required. Example: One of your pitchers is placed on a major league disabled list; you reserve him and activate a pitcher from your farm system who has been called up by his major league team. · Once brought up from its farm system by a Rotisserie League team, a player may not be returned to it, although he may be placed on a team'sreserve list in the event he is returned to the minor leagues by his major league club. · A farm system player not brought up to a team's 23-24 man roster during the season of his initial selection may be kept within the farm system in subsequent seasons upon payment of an additional $1.00 per year, so long as he retains official rookie status and the League Secretary is duly notified on April 1 each year, when rosters are frozen (see also Article XVII). · At no time may a team have more than four players in its farm system. · A farm system player may be traded during authorized trading periods, subject to prevailing rules governing transactions, as may a team's selection rights in the minor league draft. XIII-A. SIGNING FREE AGENTS Active major league players not on any Rotisserie League team's roster at the conclusion of the auction draft become free agents. During the course of the season the pool of free agents may also include minor league players not in any Rotisserie League's farm system (see Article XIII) who are promoted to an active major league roster; waived players who are not claimed; and players traded from the "other" major league. Such players may be signed in the following manner. From Opening Day until the All-Star Game: Free agents may be called up to replace players placed on a Rotisserie League team's reserve as outlined in Article XII. The only exception to Article XII's provisions for signing free agents during this period is that players traded into the league from the "other" major league may be signed by a Rotisserie League team with its Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB), as described below. After the All-Star Game: From the All-Star Game until the last weekly transaction deadline before September 1, free agents may be signed, without limit in number, but within the limitations of a Rotisserie League team's Free Agent Acquisition Budget: · Each team shall have, for the purpose of acquiring free agents during the course of the season, a supplementary budget of $10.00. · At the deadline established by each league for recording weekly transactions, a team may submit a sealed bid for one or more free agents. · The minimum bid shall be $.50; the maximum shall be the amount remaining in a team's FAAB. · A free agent so selected goes to the highest bidder. If more than one team bids the same amount on a player, and if that amount is the highest bid, the player goes to the team that is lowest in the most recently compiled standings. · The salary of a free agent signed in this manner is his bid price. His contract status is that of a first-year player. · In addition to the player's acquisition price, a team signing a free agent must pay the $2.50 transaction fee for calling up free agent as set forth in Article VI. · For each free agent that is signed, a team must at the same time waive a player at the same position from its active roster. (The waived player must also be on an active major league roster at the time; a player on a major league disabled list may not be waived, even if he is on the active roster of his Rotisserie League team.) · The only exception to the above requirement is when a team employs FAAB to sign a free agent to replace a player who has been placed on a major league team's disabled list, released, traded to the "other" league, or demoted to the minors, in which case the team need not waive an active player. · A free agent signed for a salary of $2.50 or more is deemed to have a limited no-trade clause in his contract, and may not be traded, waived, or released during the current season (i.e. if he is released into the free agent pool at the time rosters are frozen on April 1), then a contract buyout fee in the amount of twice his salary or $10.00, whichever is greater, shall be paid by the team owning his contract at the time. XIV. WAIVERS Under certain conditions, a Rotisserie League player may be placed on waivers. · When a player on a Rotisserie League team's reserve list is activated by his major league team, either he or the player called up earlier to replace him must be placed on waivers (see Article XII). · When a team activates a player from its farm system, except into a natural opening (see Article XIII), the player dropped from the 23-24 man roster to make room for him must be placed waivers. · A player no longer on the active roster of his major league team and who Rotisserie League position is taken by a player activated from the reserve list or farm system may not be placed on waivers but must be released outright. · The waiver period begins at 4 pm on Monday (NL) after the League Secretary has been notified that a player has been waived and lasts one week, at the end of which time the player shall become the property of the lowest-ranked team to have claimed him. To make room on its roster, the team acquiring a player on waivers must assign the player to a a natural opening or waive a player at the same position played by the newly acquired player. · Waiver claims take precedence over the replacement of injured, released, or demoted player. That is, a player on waivers in a given week may be signed by a team with a roster opening at his position only if no other team lower in the standings claims the player on waivers. The team waiving a player has the last chance at reaquiring him at $1.00. (The Mike Evans rule) · A team may acquire on waivers no more than one player in a given week, but there is no limit to the number of players a team may acquire on waivers during the season. · A player who clears waivers-that is, is not claimed by a team-returns to the free agent pool. · The fee for acquiring a player on waivers is his $1.00 salary. · A player with guaranteed long-term contract may not be waived during the season. However, he may be released and replaced if he is traded to the "other" league. · A player may be given his outright release only if he is: unconditionally released, placed on the "designated for assignment" list, sent to the minors, placed on the "disqualified" list, traded to the "other" major league, or placed on the disabled list. XV. SEPTEMBER ROSTER EXPANSION If it chooses, a team may expand its roster for the pennant drive by calling up one additional player after September 1 from the free agent pool, its own reserve list, or its own farm system. · The order of selection for September roster Expansion is determined by the most recent standings, with the last place team having first selection, and so on. During this 24-hour period, September Roster Expansion claims take precedence over waiver claims and routine call-ups to replace players who are disabled, released, or traded to the other league by their major league teams. This selection order pertains until midnight, September 2 only, after which time a team forfeits its order in the selection process, though not its right to make a selection. Selection after midnight, September 2, on a first-come, first-served basis. Also, after midnight, September 2, waiver claims and routine call-ups to fill natural openings take precedence over September roster expansion claims. · The performance stats of a player called up during September Roster Expansion start to accrue on Monday (AL) after the League Secretary has been notified of the player's selection. · The fee for expanding the roster in September $5.00. · The salary assigned to a September call-up from the free agent pool is $2.50. The salary of a September call-up from a team's reserve list or farm system is the salary established at the time he was previously acquired (on Auction Draft Day, or subsequently from the free agent pool, or via waivers). XVI. THE OPTION YEAR AND GUARANTEED LONG-TERM CONTRACTS A player who has been under the contract at the same salary during two consecutive seasons and who service has been uninterrupted (that is, he has not been waived or released, although he may have been traded) must, prior to the freezing of rosters in his third season, be released; signed at the same salary for his option year; or signed to a guaranteed long-term contract. If released, the player returns to the free agent pool becomes available to the highest bidder at the next auction draft. If signed at the same salary for an option year, the player must be released back into the free-agent pool at the end of that season. If signed to a guaranteed long-term contract, the player's salary in each year covered by the new contract (which commences with the option year) shall be the sum of his current salary plus $.50 for each additional year beyond the option year. In addition, a signing bonus, equal to one half the total value of the long-term contract, but not less than $.50, shall also be paid. · In determining a player's status, "season" is understood to be a full season or any fraction thereof. Thus, a player called up from the free agent pool in the middle of the 1988 season and subsequently retained at the same salary without being released in 1989 (even though he may have been traded) enters his option year in 1990 and must be released, signed at the same salary for an option year, or signed to a long-term contract. · A team may sign a player to only one long-term contract, at the end of which he becomes a free agent. · Option-year and long-term contracts are entirely transferable, both in rights and obligations; the trade of a player in no way affects his contract status. · If, during the course of a long-term contract, a player is traded from the AL to the NL (or vice versa), the contract is rendered null and void. The team that loses the player's services shall be under no further financial obligations. · In all other cases-specifically including sudden loss of effectiveness-a team must honor the terms of a long-term contract, as follows: A player with such a contract may be released back into the free agent pool (that is, not protected on a team's roster prior to Auction Draft Day), but a team that chooses to do so must pay into the prize pool, above the $26.00 Auction Draft Day limit, a sum equal to twice the remaining value of the player's contract. XVII. ROSTER PROTECTION The maximum number of players to be retained is 12. There is no minimum amount of players that must be kept. · The names of players being retained must be recorded with the League Secretary by midnight, April 1 or approximately 2 weeks prior to the auction date. Specific notice must also be made at that time of any guaranteed long-term contract signings and farm system renewals. · The cumulative salaries of players protected prior to Auction Draft Day are deducted from a team's $26.00 expenditure limit, and the balance is available for acquisition of the remaining players needed to complete the team's 23-24 man roster. · The League Secretary should promptly notify all teams in the league of each team's protected roster, including player salaries, contract status, and amount available to spend on Auction Draft Day. · Failure to give notice of guaranteed long-term contract for a player in his option year will result in his being continued for one season at his prior year's salary and then released into the free agent pool. Failure to renew a farm system player's minor league contract will result in his becoming available to all other teams in the subsequent minor league draft. · A farm system player whose minor league contract is renewed on April 1 and who subsequently makes his major league team's active roster may, at his Rotisserie League owner's option, be added to the protected list of players on Auction Draft Day (and another player dropped, if necessary, to meet the 15-player limit), or he may be dropped and made available in the auction draft. He may not be retained in his Rotisserie League team's farm system. XVIII. SUBSTANCE ABUSE After one year from the ratification of this article, the manufacture, sale, or transportation intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited. XIX. GOVERNANCE The Rotisserie League is governed by a Committee of the Whole consisting of all team owners. The committee of the Whole may designate as many League officials as from time to time it deems appropriate, although only two-the League Secretary and the League Treasurer-ever do any work. The Committee of the Whole also designates annually an Executive Committee composed of three team owners in good standing. The Executive Committee has the authority to interpret playing rules and to handle all necessary and routine League business. All decisions, rulings
