League Rules

I.  Object

To assemble a lineup of 23 Major League baseball players whose statistics during the 162-game 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 our Rotisserie League composed of players from the 16 National League teams of Major League Baseball.

III.  Rosters

A team's ACTIVE roster consists of the following players: Five outfielders, two catchers, one first baseman, one third baseman, one corner man (either a first baseman or a third baseman), one second baseman, one shortstop, one middle infielder (either a second baseman or a shortstop), one utility player, and nine pitchers.

IV.  Auction Draft Day

A Major League player draft in the form of an open auction is conducted on the weekend before or the first weekend after Opening Day of the baseball season. Each team must acquire 23 players at a total cost not to exceed $260 (dollars refers to bid amounts rather than actual dollars). A team need not spend the maximum. The team bidding first opens with a minimum bid of $1 for any eligible player, and the bidding proceeds around the room at minimum increments of $1 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 players, by requisite position.

• Eligible players include players who are on a Major League roster at the time of the draft.
• Players who commence the season on a major-league team's disabled list are eligible to be drafted.
• 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.
• No player may bid for a player who qualifies only at a position (or positions) that the team has already filled.

V.  Reserve Draft Day

Immediately following the auction, a reserve player draft shall be conducted, in which each Rotisserie League team may acquire five players. National League players not already selected and Minor Leaguers associated with a National League team are eligible for the reserve draft. Players from the American League and farm systems of American League teams cannot be drafted. Players not associated with any Major League franchise as of draft day may be drafted.

• Selection takes place in five rounds of a simple draft, not an auction.
• The selection order of the reserve draft is determined by the order in which teams finished in the previous season. The last place team in the preceding season is awarded the first overall pick. The selection order is as follows:
  • Rounds 1, 3, 5: 10th place team, 9th, 8th, ... , 3rd, 2nd, 1st.
  • Rounds 2, 4: 1st place team, 2nd, 3rd, ... , 8th, 9th, 10th.
• The price and subsequent salary upon activation of each reserve player drafted is $10.

VI.  Position Eligibility

A player may be assigned to any position at which he appeared in 20 or more games in the preceding 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. If a player did not appear the prior season in the majors he qualifies for the position he appeared most frequently in any league(s) in which he played. If a player sat out the previous season for any reason these rules apply to the last season in which he played professional baseball. The 20-games/most games measure is used only to determine the position(s) at which a player may be drafted. 

To qualify at the utility position (UT), a player must have appeared in 20 or more games at one position AND in 20 or more games at all other positions combined, excluding DH. For example, in 2007, Alfredo Amezaga of the Florida Marlins appeared in 91 games in the Outfield, 18 games at Shortstop, 12 games at Third, 11 games at Second, and 4 games at First. By the 20 game rule, Amezaga qualifies for OF but does NOT qualify for SS, 3B, 2B or 1B. However, he does qualify for UT because he played a combined total of 45 games at positions other than the Outfield.

During the season, a player need only play another position one time to qualify at that position.

When determining eligibility at the utility position, the number of games played at DH for a former American Leaguer or during Interleague play is not considered.

VII.  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, except for the stats service, are payable into the prize pool and are subsequently distributed to the top four teams in the final standings.

1. BASIC: The annual fee due on Auction Draft Day is $100. This is a static amount. A team that does not spend their allotted $260 on player salaries still must pay the $100 fee.
2. TRADES: $1 per trade (no matter how many players are involved). In a trade, the transaction fee is normally split $.50/$.50, but the team that pays the fee is subject to negotiation.
3. ACTIVATION: $1 for each player activated from the reserve list or disabled list.
4. RESERVE: $1 for each player placed on a team's reserve list.
5. DISABLED LIST: $1 for each player placed on a team's disabled list.
6. FREE AGENTS: $1 for any player acquired from the list of eligible players not on any team's roster and placed on reserve; $2 for any player acquired from the list of eligible players not on any team's roster and activated.
7. WAIVERS: There is no fee for placing a player on waivers.
8. SEPTEMBER ROSTER EXPANSION: $5.
9. STATS SERVICE: An additional $18 per team charge is assessed to each team to pay for stats and upkeep of the web site.

VIII.  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 by being placed on and clearing waivers.

• The salary of a player acquired in the major league draft is his auction price.
• The salary of a player activated from a team's original 5-man reserve list is $10.
• The salary of a player acquired via waivers is the same as what it was when he was waived.
• The salary of a player acquired during the season from the free agent pool and immediately activated is the amount bid upon from a team's Free Agent Acquistion Budget (F.A.A.B.).
• The salary of a player acquired during the season from the free agent pool and placed on reserve is $10 OR the amount bid upon from a team's FAAB, whichever is higher.

IX.  Prize Money

All fees shall be promptly collected and wisely invested by the League Treasurer.  Fees shall be divided among the first four teams in the final standings as follows:

X.  Standings

The following criteria are used to determine team performance:

Teams are ranked weekly from first to last in each of the twelve categories and given points for each team they are ahead of starting with the last place team in each category getting one point. 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. Points are determined from total accumulated stats at any given point in the season from players on each team's active roster.

XI.  Stats

The stats compiled by the CBS Sportsline Fantasy Baseball website constitute the official data base for the computation of standings in our Fantasy Baseball League.

• The effective date of any transaction for purposes of statistical calculation is the Tuesday immediately after the weekly deadline for setting rosters.
• Transactions recorded on Auction Draft Day but before Opening Day, including trades and call-ups to replace disabled players, are effective Opening Day.
• When Auction Draft Day takes place after Opening Day, any transactions that occur immediately after the draft are effective the beginning of the second stat week.
• 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.

The deadline for setting rosters for each period during the season is Tuesdays, 9:00 AM PDT. Roster changes may be updated directly through your roster page on the website or reported to the commissioner via e-mail.

XII.  Trades

From the conclusion of the draft until the Monday one full stat week following the Major League trading deadline of July 31, teams are free to make trades of any kind without limit, so long as the required position distribution of both teams remains intact, and so long as the rules outlined below are adhered to. After the Major League trading deadline through the end of the season, trades may take place only between teams contiguous in the preceding week's standings. No trades may take place from the day rosters are frozen in March until completion of the draft. Trades involving a "player to be named later" or future draft choices are not allowed.

Players with a salary of $25 or more are considered "asterisk" players. Such players may be traded only under the following conditions:

• One team may trade asterisk players to another team provided that for each asterisk player traded, one is received in the same deal.
• The above notwithstanding, a team may trade one asterisk player to another team without an asterisk player coming in return, but may only make one such trade with each team in the course of the season.
• Between the end of the season and Roster Freeze Day, any player may be traded for any other player without restriction to position requirements or salary whatsoever.

All trades are subject to review. If a complaint against a trade is filed, a vote among all teams uninvolved in the trade will be taken.  A majority vote is required to overturn a trade as against the best interests of the league.

XIII.  The Reserve List

A team may replace any player on its 23-man roster at any point during the season, so long as the player called up keeps the required position distribution intact. To replace such a player, a team must first waive him, place him on its reserve list, or place him on its disabled list. A team reserves a player by making the appropriate change to its roster on the league website or by notifying the League Commissioner.  A reserved player is removed from a team's active roster at the end of the current stat period and placed on the team's reserve list. There can be no more than five players on a team's reserve list at any time during the season. It is acceptable to have less than five players on reserve.

Once a specific action has been taken to remove a player from its 23-man roster, a team is free to select any player from its reserve list or disabled list, a player acquired via waivers, or any eligible player from the free-agent pool that is acquired through F.A.A.B. Call-ups may be made at any time; however, a player's stats will not begin to accrue to until the beginning of the next reporting period.

XIV.  The Disabled List

Only players placed on their Major League team's disabled list may be put on a Rotisserie team's disabled list. An owner is not required to place a disabled player on its disabled list. There is no limit to the number of players a team may have on its disabled list.

• When a player on the disabled list returns to active major league duty, he must be reinstated to the active 23-man roster or placed on reserve within two full stat weeks after his "real-life" activation. Failure to make this change or to notify the League Commissioner shall be considered a waiver of the player on the disabled list.
• When a player is reinstated to the active 23-man Rotisserie League roster, another player on the active roster must be waived or placed on reserve, so long as the required position distribution remains intact. If the player is moved directly from the disabled list to the reserve list, then a player on the reserve list must be waived.

XV.  Waivers

Under certain conditions, a Rotisserie League player may be placed on waivers.

• When a team activates a player from its reserve list, the player to be replaced must either be reserved or placed on waivers.
• When a team activates a player from its disabled list, and there are no openings on its reserve list, a player must be waived or, if eligible, placed on the disabled list.
• When a team acquires a player from the free agent pool of players, and there are no openings on its reserve list, a player must be waived or, if eligible, placed on the disabled list.

A player placed on waivers, for a one week period following his release, may be claimed by any team other than the team that released him. If two or more teams claim the same player, the team lowest in the most recent end-of-week standings obtains the player. The salary of the player remains the same as it was prior to his release. Players not claimed after one week become free agents and can be acquired through F.A.A.B. Claims must be submitted to the League Commissioner by 8:00 PM PDT each Monday.

XVI.  September Roster Expansion

If he chooses, an owner may expand his roster for the pennant drive by calling up one additional player after August 31 from the free agent pool of players or his own reserve list. The performance stats of a player called up during September Roster Expansion start to accrue on the first Tuesday after the League Commissioner has been notified of the player's selection. The fee for adding a twenty-forth player is $5 plus any acquisition and activation costs.

XVII.  Roster Freeze List

Our fantasy baseball league runs on a three-year cycle. In the first year, all teams need to draft a full roster of 23 players. In the second and third years of the cycle, each team must keep a minimum of 7 and a maximum of 15 players from its current roster as of the date the freeze list is due. The salary of a player who is kept from one year to the next goes up $5 in the third year of the cycle. A player traded from one fantasy league team to another retains his salary and status. For example, if Ryan Zimmerman is drafted for $25 in the first year and kept over the next two years, his salary remains $25 in the second year and goes up to $30 in the third year. If Zimmerman gets traded in our league during the second year at $25, his salary still goes up to $30 the following year, even though he is on a different team.

XVIII.  Free Agent Acquisition Budget (F.A.A.B.)

The free agent pool of players is defined as any player who is on the major or minor league roster or disabled list of a National League team but who is not on an active roster, reserve list, or disabled list of any team in our Rotisserie League. The pool of free agents increases as players released by teams in our League clear waivers and are traded to or otherwise acquired by a National League team during the course of the season. 

Beginning with the first transaction period following conclusion of the the draft and continuing through the season until the last weekly transaction deadline, free agents in the free agent pool may be signed without limit in the following manner:

• Each team shall have, for the purpose of acquiring free agents, a supplementary budget of $100. This amount shall be known as the team's Free Agent Acquisition Budget (F.A.A.B.)

• Teams may submit bids for one or more free agents via e-mail to the commissioner or by sealed envelope. Bids must be received by the League Commissioner by 8:00 PM PDT each Monday.

• An alternative bid for another player may be placed in the event that a team is outbid on its first choice. Teams must place separate bids for every player it is interested in acquiring.

• The minimum bid for each player shall be $1, the maximum bid shall be the amount remaining in a team's F.A.A.B.

• A free agent 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 standings as of the end of the most recent stat week.

• A team may NOT bid on more than one player during the same transaction period with more than the amount remaining in its F.A.A.B. For example, a team may not bid $30 on one player and $30 on a second player if the team only has $50 remaining in its F.A.A.B. in anticipation of winning only one of the bids. 

Bids shall be opened and read shortly after the deadline, and the appropriate teams notified of the results. Free agents receiving bids will be added to the rosters of the winning bidders, and, if necessary another player waived in his place. The salary of a free agent signed in this manner and placed on the team's active roster is the amount of the winning bid. The salary of a player placed on reserve is $10 or the amount of the winning bid, whichever is higher. Minor leaguers may be activated in anticipation of a call-up during the upcoming stat week; however, if the player is not activated during that week, his salary becomes $10 if the winning bid was less than $10.

The normal acquisition and/or activation fees shall be charged, but these fees do not take away from the F.A.A.B. It is the responsibility of the winning bidder to notify the Commissioner which player(s), if any, will be waived from the roster.

If a player on a team's active roster is traded to the American League, a team may waive him and his salary will be added back to the current year's F.A.A.B.  Original reserve draft picks who are on reserves at the time of being traded will have $1 added back to their team's F.A.A.B. 

F.A.A.B. may not be traded to another team.

XIX.  Rule Proposals

Owners who want to propose a new rule or request a change in an existing rule may do so at anytime by submitting the request in writing to the Commissioner. Due to the structure of the league, most rule changes will not be implemented until after the current three-year cycle.  Requests will be collected and brought to the league for a vote during the off-season. A majority vote from the league owners is required for approval of any rule proposal.

No rule changes may take place during any given season unless the requestor specifically requests an immediate vote for change. The adoption of a rule or a change in a rule during the season requires a unanimous vote among all league owners (teams with more than one owner get one vote). If the proposal is not approved unanimously, the request will be put up for a vote again during the off-season unless the request is withdrawn.

    XX.  Disputes

If a dispute on league matters arises between two owners, the dispute should be taken to the Commissioner for resolution. One or both parties are responsible for notifying the Commissioner. Once notified, the Commissioner will request the parties involved to state the nature of the dispute and present their case. The Commissioner's decision will be based on a strict interpretation of the league's rules. If a party wishes to appeal the Commissioner's decision, the matter will be brought to the league for final resolution in which both sides once again state their case. All league owners not involved in the dispute will vote on the matter, and judgment will go in favor to whichever side receives the majority vote. This decision is final.

If the Commissioner is one of the owners involved in the dispute, the two parties will agree on a third owner to hear and resolve the matter as above.