Constitution Index and Change Log

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Section I MLB Baseball Constitution
1.1 Code of Conduct
1.2 Teams
1.3 Divisions
1.4 Team Ownership
1.5 Rule Changes
1.6 Commissioner Discretion

Section II Roster and Scoring
2.1 League Scoring
2.2 Scoring Categories
2.3.1 Regular Season Format
2.3.2 Playoff Format
2.3.3 Regular Season and Playoff Scheduling
2.3.4 MBL End of Season
2.4 Yearly Divisional Pairings
2.5.1 Regular Season Standings
2.5.2 Divisional Winners
2.5.3 Divisional Winner Seedings
2.5.4 Wildcards
2.6.1 Regular Season Tiebreakers
2.6.2 First Tiebreakers
2.6.3 Second Tiebreaker
2.6.4 Third Tiebreaker
2.6.5 Fourth Tiebreaker
2.6.6 Fifth Tiebreaker
2.6.7 Sixth Tiebreaker
2.6.8 Seventh Tiebreaker
2.6.9 Final Tiebreaker
2.7 Playoff Tiebreakers
2.8.1 Roster Limits
2.8.2 Playoff Roster Restrictions
2.9 Identification of 1st Year Players
2.10 Players Missing from a Roster
2.11 Proboards Roster Updates
2.12 Roster Moves On The Scoring Website
2.13 New Owner Dispensation to Optionally Reduce One Multi-Year Contract to an Expiring Contract
2.14 Starting Lineup
2.15 Hitting and Pitching Minimums
2.16 Hitting and Pitching Maximums
2.17 Active Rosters of Unowned Teams
2.18 Position Eligibility
2.19 New Roster Maintenance Period
2.20 Historical Rosters
2.21 Loss of Proboards

Section III Salary Cap and Arbitration
3.1 Salary cap
3.2 Calculating the arbitration year for a player
3.3 Arbitration clock
3.4 Salaries for 1st - 3rd year players
3.5.1 Salaries for 4th - 6th year players
3.5.2 Two-way players
3.6 ESPN Player Rater
3.7 Clarifications

Section IV Trades and Retirements
4.1 Trade Block
4.2.1 Posting an Agreed Trade
4.2.2 Player Details in Posted Trades
4.3 Confirming Acceptance of a Posted Trade
4.4 Trading money/cap
4.5 Trading "players to be named later"
4.6 Dropping Players Involved in a Posted Agreed Trade
4.7 Trade Approval/Veto
4.8 Formation of TC
4.9 TC Voting on Agreed Trades
4.10 Trade Deadline
4.11.1 1st Year Players with 0 MLB Plate Appearances and 0 MLB Batters Faced
4.11.2 Players Traded After the end of the MBL Regular Season
4.12 Withdrawing from Posted Trades
4.13 Posting to Request the Removal of a Contract of a Retired Player
4.14 Conditions for Validating Player Retirement
4.15 TC Voting on Retired Players
4.16 Retirement Request Deadline

Section V Free Agency
5.1 Free Agent Eligibility
5.2 Free Agency Rounds
5.3 Free Agency Contract Lengths
5.4.1 Free Agency Round Commencement
5.4.2 Free Agency Deadline
5.5 Free Agency Bid Format
5.6 Free Agency Bids are Final
5.7 Minimum Free Agency Salary Offers
5.8.1 Club Options
5.8.2 Club Option Bid Format
5.8.3 Accepting or Declining Club Options
5.8.4 Accepted Club Options
5.8.5 Declined Club Options
5.8.6 Club Options Neither Accepted or Declined by the Start of Free Agency
5.9.1 Automatic Free Agent Contracts For Unowned Teams
5.9.2 Automatic Free Agent Contract Length
5.9.3 Automatic Free Agent Contract Salary
5.9.4 Rostering Automatic Free Agents
5.9.5 New Owner Permission to 'Drop' Automatic Free Agent Signings
5.9.6 Automatic Free Agent Signings Exceeding Salary Cap
5.10.1 Hometown Discounts
5.10.2 Hometown Discount Bid Format
5.10.3 Hometown Discount Salary Calculation
5.10.4 Bettering a Hometown Discount Bid
5.10.5 Available Cap Space Required for Hometown Discount Bids
5.10.6 Hometown Discounts on Option Contracts
5.11.1 Free Agent Initial No-trade Window
5.11.2 Free Agent signed with a Hometown Discount Initial No-trade Window
5.12 Free Agent Bid Prerequisites
5.13.1 Invalid Free Agent Bids
5.13.2 Non-Leading Invalid Bids
5.13.3 Leading Bids Identified As Invalid Whilst The Player Auction Is Still In Progress
5.13.4 Invalid Bids Found To Have Won An Auction (Identified Before The 'Previously Unlisted Free Agents' Group)
5.13.5 Invalid Bids Found To Have Won An Auction (Identified After The 'Previously Unlisted Free Agents' Group)
5.14 Winning Bids

Section VI Penalties and Infractions
6.1 Cheating and Collusion
6.2 Correcting Errors
6.3.1 Exceeding the Salary Cap
6.3.2 Exceeding the Salary Cap via Players Missing from a Roster
6.4.1 Accumulating Stats with Ineligible Players
6.4.2 Accumulating Stats with Missing Players
6.5 Failure to Maintain Historical Rosters
6.6 Invalid Free Agency Bids
6.7 Editing or Deleting Free Agency Bids
6.8 Protecting Players Not Eligible To Be Protected
6.9 Failure to Update Proboards Roster Following a Transaction
6.10 Failure to Meet the Roster Page Creation Deadline
6.11 Inactivity
6.12 Self-Reporting Infractions

Section VII Unprotecting/Protecting 1st - 6th Year Players
7.1 Players Eligible to be Protected
7.2 Format for Protecting Players
7.3 Players Eligible to be Unprotected
7.4 Unprotecting 1st - 6th Players Who Are Not The Property of Your Real Life Team
7.5 Unprotecting 1st - 6th Players Who Are The Property of Your Real Life Teams

7.6 Format for Unprotecting Players

7.7 Availability of Players with Non-Guaranteed Contracts Missing from a Roster

7.8 Protects and Unprotects During Roster Maintenance Period

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Rule 5.3.1 previously stated:

5.3.1 Minimum Contract Lengths
If a Free Agent finished in the top 5 in the ESPN rankings (per position) then he will receive a minimum 5 year deal.
If a Free Agent finished in the top 10 in the ESPN rankings (per position) then he will receive a minimum 4 year deal.
If a Free Agent finished in the top 20 in the ESPN rankings (per position) then he will receive a minimum 3 year deal.


It has been changed to:

5.3.1 Free Agency Contract Lengths
Free agents will receive guaranteed contracts (meaning that they cannot be unprotected) ranging from 2 years to 5 years in length, with a possible club option to add another year to the end of the contract.
If a Free Agent finished in the top 5 in the ESPN rankings (per position) then he will receive a minimum 5 year deal.
If a Free Agent finished in the top 10 in the ESPN rankings (per position) then he will receive a minimum 4 year deal.
If a Free Agent finished in the top 15 in the ESPN rankings (per position) then he will receive a minimum 3 year deal.
All other players will receive a minimum 2 year deal.

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Rule 5.5 previously stated:

5.5 Free Agency Bid Format
Free agency bids should be made in the following format:
[Player name] [Salary offered] [Contract expiry]

For example:
Joe Player $4.0 2015


It has been changed to:

5.5 Free Agency Bid Format
Free agency bids should be made in the following format:
[Player name] [Salary offered] [Year of contract expiry]

For example:
Joe Player $4.0 2017

Here, if this were the winning bid, Joe Player would have a guaranteed salary of $4.0 until the end of the 2017 season - at which time he would become a free agent.

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Rule 5.7 previously stated:

5.7 Minimum Free Agency Salary Offer
The minimum salary that may be offered as a free agency bid is $0.3.


It has been changed to:

5.7 Minimum Free Agency Salary Offer
The minimum initial salary that may be offered as a free agency bid is $0.3.
The minimum increment for a free agency bid is $0.1.
All free agent bids must be a multiple of $0.1 (ie salaries to two decimal places or more are invalid).

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Rule 5.3.1 previously stated:

5.3.1 Free Agency Contract Lengths
Free agents will receive guaranteed contracts (meaning that they cannot be unprotected) ranging from 2 years to 5 years in length, with a possible club option to add another year to the end of the contract.
If a Free Agent finished in the top 5 in the ESPN rankings (per position) then he will receive a minimum 5 year deal.
If a Free Agent finished in the top 10 in the ESPN rankings (per position) then he will receive a minimum 4 year deal.
If a Free Agent finished in the top 15 in the ESPN rankings (per position) then he will receive a minimum 3 year deal.
All other players will receive a minimum 2 year deal.


It has been changed to:

5.3.1 Free Agency Contract Lengths
Free agents will receive guaranteed contracts (meaning that they cannot be unprotected) ranging from 2 years to 5 years in length, with a possible club option to add another year to the end of the contract.
If a Free Agent finished in the top 5 in the ESPN rankings (per position) then he will receive a minimum 5 year deal.
If a Free Agent finished in the top 10 in the ESPN rankings (per position) then he will receive a minimum 4 year deal.
If a Free Agent finished in the top 15 in the ESPN rankings (per position) then he will receive a minimum 3 year deal.
DH-only eligible players will be allocated minimum contracts in line with performance of the 1B position.
All other players will receive a minimum 2 year deal.

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Rule 3.5 previously stated:

3.5 Salaries for 4th - 6th year players
Salaries for 4th-6th year players are calculated using a percentage of that player's value from the previous season, as determined by our customised ESPN Player Rater scoring (see rule 2.6).
Fourth year (4th) = 50% of ESPN's overall player rater value
Fifth year (5th) = 75% of ESPN's overall player rater value
Sixth year (6th) = 100% of ESPN's overall player rater value
The minimum salary for 4th-6th year players is $1.0.


It has been changed to:

3.5 Salaries for 4th - 6th year players
Salaries for 4th-6th year players are calculated using a percentage of that player's value from the previous season, as determined by our customised ESPN Player Rater scoring (see rule 2.6).
Fourth year (4th) = 50% of ESPN's overall player rater value
Fifth year (5th) = 75% of ESPN's overall player rater value
Sixth year (6th) = 100% of ESPN's overall player rater value
Any 4th-6th year salaries calculated to return a salary including two or more decimal places will be rounded to the nearest $0.1.
The minimum salary for 4th-6th year players is $1.0.

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Rules for Free Agency in 2016 have been added to Section V as a reply to the standard rules.

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Rule 5(2016).10 previously stated:

5(2016).10 Free Agent Initial No-trade Window
You may not trade a Free Agent signing until May 3rd of the season he is signed.


To reflect the result of this rule vote mlbbaseballleague.proboards.com/thread/291/point-free-agents-traded it has been changed to:

5(2016).10 Free Agent Initial No-trade Window
You may not trade a Free Agent signing until 30 days has elapsed after that player's signing.

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Rule 4.9 previously stated:

4.9 Trade Deadline
The Trade Deadline is 2359pm ET on July 31st. The trade does not need to be approved by this time, but does have to be posted and accepted by all parties.


It has been changed to:

4.9 Trade Deadline
The Trade Deadline is 11:59pm ET on July 31st. The trade does not need to be approved by this time, but does have to be posted and accepted by all parties.

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Rule 4.11.5 previously stated:

4.11.5 Trade Waivers Deadline
The Trade Waivers Deadline is 2359pm ET on August 14th. The trade does not need to be approved by this time, but does have to be posted and accepted by all parties.


It has been changed to:

4.11.5 Trade Waivers Deadline
The Trade Waivers Deadline is 11:59pm ET on August 14th. The trade does not need to be approved by this time, but does have to be posted and accepted by all parties.

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Rule 5.7 previously stated:

5.7 Minimum Free Agency Salary Offer
The minimum initial salary that may be offered as a free agency bid is $0.3.
The minimum increment for a free agency bid is $0.1.
All free agent bids must be a multiple of $0.1 (ie salaries to two decimal places or more are invalid).


It has been changed to:

5.7 Minimum Free Agency Salary Offers
The minimum initial salary that may be offered as a free agency bid is $0.3.
The minimum increment for a free agency bid is $0.1. Any bid failing to increase the annual salary offered by $0.1 or more will be ignored (with the clock of the existing winning bid remaining unaltered).
All free agent bids must be a multiple of $0.1 (ie salaries to two decimal places or more are invalid).

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Rule 5(2016).7 previously stated:

5(2016).7 Minimum Free Agency Salary Offer
The minimum initial salary that may be offered as a free agency bid is $0.3.
The minimum increment for a free agency bid is $0.1.
All free agent bids must be a multiple of $0.1 (ie salaries to two decimal places or more are invalid).


It has been changed to:

5(2016).7 Minimum Free Agency Salary Offers
The minimum initial salary that may be offered as a free agency bid is $0.3.
The minimum increment for a free agency bid is $0.1. Any bid failing to increase the annual salary offered by $0.1 or more will be ignored (with the clock of the existing winning bid remaining unaltered).
All free agent bids must be a multiple of $0.1 (ie salaries to two decimal places or more are invalid).

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Rule 5.5 previously stated:

5.5 Free Agency Bid Format
Free agency bids should be made in the following format:
[Player name] [Salary offered] [Year of contract expiry]

For example:
Joe Player $4.0 2017

Here, if this were the winning bid, Joe Player would have a guaranteed salary of $4.0 until the end of the 2017 season - at which time he would become a free agent.


It has been changed to:

5.5 Free Agency Bid Format
Free agency bids should be made in the following format:
[Salary offered] [Year of contract expiry]
or
[Year of contract expiry] [Salary offered]
For example:
$4.0 2017
or
2017 $4.0

Here, if this were the winning bid, the player under auction would have a guaranteed salary of $4.0 until the end of the 2017 season - at which time he would become a free agent.

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

Rule 5(2016).5 previously stated:

5(2016).5 Free Agency Bid Format
Free agency bids should be made in the following format:
[Player name] [Salary offered] [Year of contract expiry]

For example:
Joe Player $4.0 2017

Here, if this were the winning bid, Joe Player would have a guaranteed salary of $4.0 until the end of the 2017 season - at which time he would become a free agent.


It has been changed to:

5(2016).5 Free Agency Bid Format
Free agency bids should be made in the following format:
[Salary offered] [Year of contract expiry]
or
[Year of contract expiry] [Salary offered]
For example:
$4.0 2017
or
2017 $4.0

Here, if this were the winning bid, the player under auction would have a guaranteed salary of $4.0 until the end of the 2017 season - at which time he would become a free agent.

[Rangers GM (Stephen)]

The following rules have been added (with changes to other numbers in the rules to accommodate the addition):

5.12.1 Invalid Free Agent Bids
All invalid free agency bids will be voided by the Commissioner.

Examples of invalid free agency bids:
- A free agency bid that would take the bidding team over cap if all outstanding offers were winning offers
- A free agency bid including a club option that would take the bidding team over the maximum annual allowance of club options if all outstanding offers were winning offers
- A free agency bid made in a window from which the bidding team has already been disqualified
- A free agency bid claiming a hometown discount which is not available to that team

5.12.2 Invalid Bids Discovered Whilst The Player Auction Is Still In Progress
If a current winning bid is identified to be invalid it will be immediately voided by the Commissioner. At this point the last valid bid will be reinstated, and the auction clock reset to 24 hours to allow rival teams fair opportunity to beat that bid.

5.12.3 Invalid Bids Discovered After The Player Auction Has Finished But Before The Final Round For Free Agents
If a winning bid is identified to be invalid after the auction has finished but before the Final Round for Free Agents has begun then the bid will be voided by the Commissioner. The player will be removed from the roster of the 'winning' team and added to the Final Round for Free Agents. The 'winning' team will be prohibited from bidding in that player auction in the final round.

5.12.4 Invalid Bids Discovered After The Final Round For Free Agents Has Finished
If a winning bid is identified to be invalid after the the Final Round for Free Agents has begun then the bid will stand and the player will remain rostered with the 'winning' contract as it was made.