Fantasy Baseball Rules

 

Roster

1. Roster Integrity:

  • 5 Outfielders
  • 1 First Baseman
  • 1 Second Baseman
  • 1 Third Baseman
  • 1 Shortstop
  • 1 Corner Infielder (1B/3B)
  • 1 Middle Infielder (2B/SS)
  • 2 Catchers
  • 1 Designated Hitter (AL)/Utility Hitter (NL)
  • 6 Starting Pitchers
  • 2 Relief Pitchers

2. Qualifications:

  • The Yahoo website will determine position players’ qualifications at a position.
  • The Yahoo website will determine pitchers’ qualifications as a starting pitcher or relief pitcher.
  • Players such as Shohei Ohtani who are defined by Yahoo as a two-way player and have separate entries as both a hitter and pitcher can be drafted separately as each and therefore appear on two rosters in different capacities. This only applies to those players as determined by Yahoo to be regular two-way players.

 

Scoring

1. There are five (5) Hitting and five (5) Pitching Categories as follows:

            Hitting                                                                        Pitching

            Hits                                                                             Wins

            Home Runs                                                                 Losses

            RBIs                                                                            Innings Pitched

            Runs Scored                                                                Strikeouts

            Stolen Bases                                                                Saves

2. Fantasy stats are totaled each week and ranked against one another by category, scoring from 1 to 6 points per category -- 6 points for highest total, 1 point for lowest total (except for losses which are scored just the opposite). In the event of a tie in the stats category, points will be split evenly between all those holding that total. Category scores are added together. Standings are based on highest total scores.

 

Transactions

1. Players cannot be replaced on your roster unless one of the following occurs:

  1. They are placed on the 10-Day (or 15-Day or 60-Day) Disabled List.*

*Anyone who is placed on the 7-Day Concussion Disabled List may be replaced effective the Monday following his 7th day on the Disabled List, however if the player returns and accumulates statistics before the transaction’s effective date, this will nullify the transaction.

  1. They are traded to the opposite league.
  2. They officially retire or die.
  3. They are suspended by Major League Baseball for a period of 15 or more games. If a player is placed on the Restricted List, you must wait until an official suspension has been levied or he misses 15 games.
  4. They are sent to the minor leagues.
  5. They are designated for assignment.*

*Anyone who is designated for assignment or released can be replaced, unless they wind up with a team in the same league before the Monday following the pickup. This means if a player is designated for assignment, the MLB team likely intend to send him to the minors. If this happens, any replacement is fine. If he refuses the assignment and gets released, then signs with another team in the same league by Sunday night, he cannot be replaced even if the replacement transaction has already been sent in.

  1. After September 1, they are deemed Out for the Season but not placed on the Disabled List because of the expanded rosters.*

*After September 1 when the rosters expand, generally players are not placed on the disabled list when injured. Therefore our rule is that each team in each league may replace one player during the expanded roster period if that player is deemed to be out for the rest of the season, even if he is not placed on the DL (this should be explicitly documented somewhere). This player may be reserved and the usual fees apply. If, for some reason, the player does come back before the end of the season he MAY NOT be reclaimed during that season and is only available to that team at the beginning of the next season.

  1. Mulligan Rule: Each team has one (1) waiver per season which may be used at any time. The player being waived cannot be reserved. Once a waiver has been requested for a player, it has been exhausted regardless of if the player is subsequently eligible for replacement under a different rule. The cost for using a waiver is $1.

2.      Any player who is replaced may be reserved at an additional cost. The decision to reserve a player must be made at the time of the transaction and cannot be rescinded once the new player has garnered statistics.

3.      All transactions must be made by Yahoo’s deadline of 3:00 AM on Mondays.

4.      All transactions will be effective on the following Monday, unless made prior to game time on a Monday, in which case it would be effective with the games that night. The only exception to this is during All Star week when the first game of the week generally does not occur until Thursday. In this case, transactions are due and effective with the first regular season (stat-counting) game of the week. Some leniency is given if a transaction is submitted after a game has started on Monday, but the new player's team has not yet played.

5.      Conditional transactions saying "I will pick up this player if he starts, otherwise I will pick up this other player..." will not be accepted.

6.      Conditional transactions saying "I will pick up whomever John releases" are accepted.*

*Please note, however the owner who already has a player on their roster always has first choice of that player, i.e. if I have a outfielder on my team for a reserved injured outfielder and I have another outfielder who gets injured during the same week the first injured outfielder returns, I can keep the selected players for my new injury (with a new transaction fee, of course) even if someone else has sent in a conditional transaction selecting whoever I release. I have technically not released the player. This voids any conditional transaction previously sent in by another owner.

7.      If the replacement player you pick up is himself currently on the Disabled List or eligible to be replaced for one of the other acceptable reasons above, it is permissible to do so, however you must wait a week to replace him. Further, if you have a player that is already reserved and you wish to change whom you have selected to replace him with, you may do so by reclaiming the reserved injured player (thus releasing the replacement player) and picking a new replacement player (with the option of re-reserving or releasing the original player). The new replacement player transaction would be effective the Monday following the effective date of the transaction reclaiming the injured player.*

*The exception to the week delay is at the initial draft. Players drafted or who are among the reserves prior to the draft can be replaced immediately after the draft.

8.      If you are picking up a player that cannot directly substitute for the player you're replacing, you must state how he is eligible to pick up when you send the transaction, i.e. if you are picking up someone to replace your 2B and that player does not qualify at 2B, you need to tell me that you are moving your 3B who does qualify at 2B there and putting the new player at 3B or the transaction will be refused. Please double check where the player is listed and instruct me accordingly.

9.      Transactions are strictly on a first come, first serve basis except for the special MLB Trade Deadline rules below.

10.  When a reserved player returns to play, teams have a minimum of one (1) week (Seven days plus the remaining days until the following Monday deadline) to decide whether to reclaim him or keep the replacement player. If no decision is made by the deadline, the reserved player will automatically be reclaimed and the replacement will be released. If a player has to be automatically reclaimed by the Commissioner because the owner has not done so, there will be a $1 fee for each such transaction. Yahoo’s deadline for a change to be effective on Monday is Sunday night/Monday morning at 3:00 AM EST. Automatic reclaims will be processed around midnight on Sunday night in order to be effective on Monday.

11.  Trades of players are permissible in season until September 1. Trades of draft picks are only allowed during the off season.

12.  Trades must conform to roster integrity.

13.   Teams may trade players who are replacing other players who are reserved due to injury, etc. without trading the injured player, however the player received in trade for the replacement player becomes the new replacement and will have to be released or retained when the injured player returns per #9 above.

14.  All transactions should be e-mailed to every team.

 

MLB Trade Deadline (usually July 31)

Due to the volatility of the Intra-League trades on the date of the Major League Trade Deadline, special rules apply on this date ONLY.*

  1. If a player changes leagues on July 31*, the team in the gaining league who is in last place will have 24 hours to pick him up. The team must have players who are eligible to be replaced. The team can pick up any/all players who have changed leagues with the only limit being the number of players who are eligible to be replaced.
  2. After midnight of the following day (usually August 1), any player who has changed leagues can be picked up by any team who has players eligible to be replaced on a first come, first serve basis.
  3. The 24-hour restriction applies solely to picking up players who have changed leagues on the date of the Major League Trade Deadline (usually July 31). Any team can make any transaction which does not involve picking up a player who has changed leagues on this date.
  4. If it is determined that a team has gone without replacing a player for more than 2 weeks prior to the trade deadline, they will not be eligible to receive the trade deadline last place exclusivity. These rights will be conferred upon the team in 5th place. This status will be determined by the Commissioner prior to the Trade Deadline.

*While the Major League Trade Deadline has traditionally been on July 31, in the event that it is designated to be a different day, these rules will apply exclusively to that specific date

 

Reserving Players prior to the Draft

  1. Teams must reserve up to eight (8) players from their previous year's roster.
  2. Teams who choose to reserve less than eight (8) players from their previous year's roster will select the extra players at the end of the draft.
  3. Teams may reserve a 9th player from their previous year's roster, but will forfeit their first round draft pick. You must retain YOUR first round pick to do so; another first round pick acquired via trade will not fulfill this requirement.
  4. Players who have never played in the major leagues ARE NOT eligible to be reserved.
  5. If a team still has replacement players for those who were injured, etc. during the previous season, the replacement player OR the player whom he replaces can be reserved for the draft, but not both.
  6. Players who are not signed with a major league team (i.e. free agents) may not be reserved.
  7.  Reserved players lists are due one week prior to the draft date.

 

Draft

  1. Draft is in reverse order of finish from the previous year, 6-1 in every round.
  2. Draft picks may be traded during the off season.
  3. Players who are not signed with a major league team (i.e. free agents) may not be drafted. Minor league players are signed with a major league team and are therefore eligible to be drafted.
  4. Players who have never played in the major leagues ARE eligible to be drafted and can be placed at either DH/Utility or their acknowledged position.
  5. Immediately following the draft, any team who has a player who is injured or eligible to be replaced can do so from among those players remaining. This will be done in reverse order of finish from the previous year.

 

Post-Draft

     In the time immediately following the draft until midnight prior to Opening Day, teams may replace players at no cost provided the MLB teams for which these players play has not had a regular season game (i.e. late Spring Training regular season games in Japan, etc.). Players replaced in this manner may not be reserved and must be released at the time of the acquisition of the new player. This option no longer exists once the official Major League Opening Day is reached even if the involved MLB teams have not yet played a regular season game.

 

Fees

  1. Each league costs $25 startup fee.
  2. Picking up a player costs $1; reserving a player costs an additional $1.
  3. In season trades costs $1 per player per team. Off season trades made prior to reserve submission are free.

 

Prizes

Prizes are awarded as follows, in each league:

1st Place: 50% of all fees collected for that league.

2nd Place: 30% of all fees collected for that league.

3rd Place: 20% of all fees collected for that league.

 

Any situation not explicitly covered by the rules listed above will be at the sole discretion and judgment of the Commissioner.