(b.)The commissioner shall have the power to rule on issues/rules deemed by him to be in the betterment of the league even if such issue/rule needs to be addressed during the course of the season. If the commissioner determines that the rulebook does a poor job in clarifying a rule or if a rule becomes obsolete, the commissioner has the right to make changes ( in-season, if need be) to the rulebook.
(c.) There are several league positions:
(d.) As long as both owners are making an effort (intent) to better their teams either this year or in the future, the policy of the No fehr League is to allow trades to happen.
This will make it difficult for trades to be overturned, but also allow trades to be vetoed if almost everyone thinks it is damaging to the league. Remember, a lot of trades are lopsided, but not all trades damage the league/race unduely.
(b.) Each team must acquire 23 players at a total cost not to exceed $260. A team need not spend the maximum. The team finishing in last place in the preceding season opens the draft by introducing a player, and bidding proceeds in an open auction 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.
(c.) If there are new owners in the league taking over expansion teams, they will make their first introduction of a player at the end of the first round, after all returning owners have introduced their first player. If there are two new owners, a coin flip will determine the order. If there are more than two new owners, they will draw numbers to determine their order.
(d.) No team may make a bid for a player it cannot afford. For example, a team with $3 left and two openings on its roster is limited to a maximum bid of $2 for one player.
(e.) 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 slot is occupied, may not enter the bidding for any player who qualifies only at catcher.
(f.) Players on the DL can be drafted, but they must meet the innings and AB's requirement in the rulebook to be held over for next year...and to take it a step further, all players, both auctioned and reserved, must meet said requirements to be held over.
(g.) Only players listed on National League teams' Opening Day rosters are eligible to be drafted in the auction draft.
(b.) A new owner who comes into the league and is taking over an existing team will draft in the same place as the previous owner would have in each round. If the previous owner has traded draft pick(s) away, the new owner will be given suplemental draft pick(s) at the end of each round to make up for those pick(s). (c.) Selection takes place in 12 rounds of a simple draft, not an auction.
(d.) In the first round of the draft, the NF team finishing in 5th (in the previous season) will get the first round reserve pick. The order will go: 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st.
(e.) If there are new owners in the league taking over expansion teams, they will make their selections after the first-place finisher from the previous year.
So if there are two new owners (and we have a total of 12 owners), the new ones would draft 11th and 12th in each round. If there are two new owners, a coin flip will determine the order. If there are more than two new owners, they will draw numbers to determine their order.
(f.) In subsequent rounds, the order will remain the same.
(g.) Upon activation of a reserve position player, the salary is to be determined as follows:
All players selected in the reserve draft are assigned "R" status; once activated, they are considered "A" players. Per rule 16(f), "In determining a player's status, 'season' is understood to be a full season or any fraction thereof."
(h.) Hitters must have 30 at-bats and pitchers 20 innings (or 5 games appearances) in order to be saved for the following year.
(i.) If reserve players do not meet the above requirements, their owners lose the player's rights the day after the end of regular season.
(j.) A team may replace any player on its active 23-man roster at any time during the regular season. To replace such a player, a team must place him on its reserve list. A team reserves a player by either making the transaction himself on the league's CBS Sportsline website, or if that is not possible, by contacting the stat manager, who will make the transaction for him. A reserved player is removed from a team's active roster at the end of the stat week (on Sunday) -- 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.
(k.) Once you have reserved a player from your 23-man roster, you must activate a player from your reserve draft pool or fill the spot(s) by activating a player acquired via trade. No open roster spots are permitted (i.e. a team may not reserve a player without replacing him). When you call up a minor-league player, the player must be placed at a position where he typically played in the minors or is expected to play in the majors.
(l.) The call-up takes effect as soon as it is recorded by the CBS Sportsline website or by the stat manager, although the player's stats do not begin to accrue until Monday of the week the stat manager records the call-up.
(b.) Exceptions to this rule may be made in abvious instances where a player is switching positions from one season to another (i.e. Cal Ripken playing one entire year at SS, then starting the next season exclusively at 3B).
(c.) Players selected for the utility slot may qualify at any position except pitcher.
(d.) In a strike-shortened season, the games required will be prorated (for example, a player would only need 18 game appearances in a 144-game season). Innings pitched and innings and poition eligibility requirements would also be adjusted.
(b.) The salary of a player acquired in the major league auction is auction price.
(c.) The $260 salary limit pertains to Auction Draft Day only. After Auction Draft Day, free agent signings and acquisition of high-priced players in trades may drive a team's payroll above $260.
Teams are ranked from first to last in each of the ten (10) categories and given points for each place. For example, the first-place team in a category receives 12 points, the second-place team 11, and so on down to 1 point for last place. The team with the most total points wins the pennant.
(b.) Minimum Innings Pitched requirement – A team must pitch a total of 1,150 innings. A team that does not acquire 1,150 innings will be penalized by adding one earned run and two hits for every inning it is below the 1,150 mark.
If a team does not reach the minimum IP (1,150) requirement by the end of the season they will automatically get the last reserve pick no matter where they finish in the standings. If two teams miss the requirement, then the team with the fewest innings gets the 12th pick and the other team gets the 11th pick.
(c.) If your team is in danger of falling short of the innings requirement it is your responsibility to e-mail the commish before the season ends with your ERA and WHIP before the final day and to cc the league on it. Failure to do so would result in you getting zero pitching points in both categories regardless of how close you are to not meeting the requirement.
(d.) Pitchers' offensive stats are not counted, nor are the pitching stats of the occasional position player called in to pitch.
(e.) In cases of ties in an individual category, the tied teams divide the point total for their spot.
(b.) Transactions recorded Auction Draft Day (upon completion of the draft), including trades and call-ups to replace disabled players, are effective the Monday immediately after the draft.
(c.) The effective date of any transaction for purposes of statistical calculation is 9 a.m. PST every Monday morning. Trades need to be completed by 9am (pst) Monday in order to be effective for that week. The lone exception is all-star week, where trades can be made until 9am (pst) on the day after the all-star game.
(d.) Standings are available at all times by logging on to the league's CBS Sportsline website. There is also an option to have reports e-mailed to you daily by the website. Check website for more details.
(b.) No trades are permitted from September 1 through the end of the season. Trades made from the day after the season ends until the beginning of the auction are not bound by the position distribution requirement.
(c.) To prevent rampant dumping that often negatively affects the competitiveness of a pennant race, No Fehr teams are allowed to trade only one B or D player to another owner during the entire regular season.
For example, if Jim trades a B and an A player to Thomas at any time during the regular season, he can not deal another B or D player to Thomas. Anytime thereafter, Thomas can deal a B or D to Jim, so long as Jim does not send another B or D player back to Thomas.
So the rule is one B or D player per team per season. Only one B or D player allowed to be traded from owner x to y in one regular season.
(d.) Starting in 2008, you can only trade a maximum of two reserve picks to the same team during one calendar year.
(e.)All trades become final as soon as both sides agree to the principals involved. Trades must then be announced to the rest of the league via league-wide e-mail ASAP. A trade can be voided only when there was clear deception involved on the part of one owner or if the trade is deemed too lopsided by the commish or a majority of the other owners of the league. There is no "cooling off" period when it comes to trades.
(f.)Once a trade is made, one of the owners involved should immediately send out a leaguewide email announcing the deal (once you complete the trade, just decide who's going to do it).
(b.) When a NF player is waived by a National League team, the NF owner retains his rights until (a) the player signs with an American League team or (b) the date next spring when each owner is required to submit his keeper list.
(c.) So if a NF player is waived by his NL team and picked up by another NL team several weekes later, the original NF owner retains his rights. But the minute he signs with an AL team, the NF owner must relinquish the player's rights.
(d.) A player's rights is lost once he's officially retired. Because at that point, he's no longer property of an MLB club and he's saying his career is over. If he changes his mind and returns, then you would still have rights to the player.
But you can't release a player who has already left the game because then you're throwing an invalid player into the FA pool. Since he's no longer property of an MLB club, he couldn't be selected as a FA. This is different than a player who is released by their NF team after being waived. At that point (during the time when he was waived and then possibly picked up by another team), there's still a chance that player could have value during the year. Only when the player signs w/an AL club do you lose his rights.
(b)When a player is traded to the AL during the season, the owner of the traded player gets that player's current salary added to his free agent budget and has an opportunity to keep that roster spot by releasing the traded player and signing a new eligible player within three scoring periods of the trade date.
If the owner of the traded player does not complete a successful free-agent pickup within that three scoring period window, he loses the rights to the traded player (the commissioner will manually release him from his roster) and that roster spot. To keep the roster spot, this must be a successful free agent pickup. Bidding for a player and not getting him does not count.
For example, for someone traded this week, the owner would have this Sunday's free agent deadline, next Sunday's and the Sunday after to complete a move that fills that traded player's spot. Otherwise, commish just drops player from their roster and that spot is gone from your team. You will still get the free agent dollars added to your budget.
It's the individual owner's responsibility to realize within three scoring periods that one of his guys has been traded and he needs to make a move.
This rule does not effect roster reserve spot numbers changed by league trades. For example in a 2 for 1 trade, the owner trading a two for one, losses the one roster spot as has always been the case. And depending on trades of draft picks one owner can end up with more reserve spots than another. For example, The Rat has 15 reserve spots this year because he collected a surplus of reserve draft picks in trades last season. And Surge only has 10 reserve spots because he traded away picks without getting another back.
Three scoring periods gives an owner a break if a trade was made on Saturday or Sunday and they didn't notice it. It also allows them to put in a few unsuccessfully free agent bids until the third scoring period when they realize hey I have to buy some scrub for $5 or make sure I win the bid to fill this spot or I lose it.
(c) During the offseason, owners of players traded get supplemental draft picks. If you lose a “C” player you get a first round supplemental pick. This was deemed fair because obviously an owner had committed to the player. For a “B” player, you get a supplemental 6th round pick. For an “A” player you get a 12th round pick. Owners who lose “D” players or players lost via free agency are not entitled to any compensation.
(b.) Players entering their third year of service on a team must be signed to a contract. This contract establishes the final length for which they will play before they are returned to the auction bidding pool. This contract is announced when final pre-draft freeze lists are turned in.
(c.) If released, the player returns to the auction pool and becomes available to the highest bidder at the next auction draft. If signed to a guaranteed long-term contract, the player's salary in each year covered by the new contract (which commences with the third year) shall be the sum of his current salary plus $5 for each additional year beyond the option year.
(d.) Players' status will be designated as follows:
(e.) Here is a sample salary structure for a player signed to a guaranteed long-term contract:
(f.) 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 1995 season and subsequently retained at the same salary without being released in 1996 enters his option year in 1997 and must be released or signed to a long-term contract.
(g.) A team may sign a player to only one long- term contract, at the end of which he becomes a free agent.
(h.) Salary status and long-term contracts are entirely transferable, both in rights and obligations; the trade of a player to another NF owner in no way affects his contract status.
(i.) If, during the course of a long-term contract, a player is traded from the National League to the American League, the contract is rendered null and void. The team that loses the player's services shall be under no further financial obligations.
(j.) In all other cases -- specifically including sudden loss of effectiveness -- a team must honor the terms of a long-term contract. In the case of a player's death during the contract period, the NF contract will be voided.
(k.) A player signed to a long-term contract who begins the season on the DL must be be frozen in the pre-draft list, and their salary still counts towards the $260 limit.
(a.) Rules may only be changed after the season and up until one week before the auction, unless the commissioner deems it necessary to make changes during the season if he determines that it is for the betterment of the league.
(b) To introduce a rule change proposal, the owners of three teams must present and endorse it to the whole league.
(c.) Following the introduction of a rule change proposal, there will be a "league comment/reflection" period that lasts one week.
(d.) All votes "yes/no" must be accounted for within this one week period.
(e.) A majority of "yes" votes is required to pass a proposal.
(f.) Rule change proposals must be presented exactly as they would be enforced and would not be allowed to be changed in any way during the 1-week period. To change the proposal, three owners would need to propose it again following the initial 1-week period.
(g.) Voting is simply "yes" or "no"--not "maybe, well if...."
(h.) Each team has one vote and it may not be changed once it has been given. Again, a team wishing to change its vote would have to wait another week.
(i.) Each team does not have to vote, but a majority of teams in the league must endorse a proposal to amend the No Fehr rulebook.
(b.) The names of players being retained must be announced on or before a deadline designated by the league. Specific notice must also be made at that time of any guaranteed long-term contract signings.
(c.) The cumulative salaries of players protected prior to Auction Draft Day are deducted from a team's $260 expenditure limit, and the balance is available for acquisition of the remaining players needed to complete the teams 23-man roster.
(d.) The stat manager shall 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.
(e.) Owners must submit their keeper lists by midnight (pst) on the due date (usually two mondays before opening day). For every day you are late with your list you lose one of your reserve picks (starting with No. 12). For example, if you're late two days you lose your No. 12 and No. 11 picks. Appeals will be heard by the commish, who will rule on each case on an individual basis. Owners with valid reasons for missing the deadline (according to the commish) will not be penalized.
(a.) Each team shall have, for the purpose of acquiring free agents during the course of the season, a supplementary budget of $100 (This is game money and not real money). Weekly FAAB totals will be posted on the No Fehr League Web Site in the Commissioner’s message column.
(b.) Any time between Monday and the following Sunday evening, by 8 pm, a team may submit bids using the CBS Sportsline Add/Drop function for one or more free agents. Until Sunday at 8 p.m. free agent bids are not set in stone. You can modify them or withdraw them if you wish. If you are in a situation where you cannot access the Web site, then it is ok to e-mail your bids to the commissioner.
(c.) In the interest of fairness, the commissioner must submit his bids to another league owner two hours before the Sunday, 8 pm deadline. However, the Commissioner has the right to submit a new bid if a player is traded into the league between 6 pm and 8 pm Sunday night or withdraw a bid if a player is injured.
(d.) The minimum bid shall be $5; the maximum shall be the amount remaining in a team's FAAB budget. (We set the minimum bid at $5 to prevent last place teams from stacking their rosters at the end of the season with $1 players.)
(e.) A free agent goes to the highest bidder. If more than one team bids the same amount for a player, and if that amount is the highest bid, the player goes to the team that is lowest in the most recently issued standings.
(f.) The salary of a free agent signed in this manner is his acquisition price. His contract status is that of a first-year player.
If a player is dropped and then picked up by another owner, it's just like a new free agent for the new owner. Both the salary and the contract status (if applicable) changes. The player isn't under his original contract anymore since he was dropped/released by his original NF owner.
(g.) For each free agent that it signs, a team must at the same time waive or release a player from its active roster or reserve roster.
(h.) If a Rotisserie League team loses a player to the AL in an inter-league trade, then the team's available FAAB dollars are increased by an amount equal to the lost player's salary. Owners DO NOT get a player’s salary back if they are waived by their major league team or dies.
(i.) With regard to inter-league trades, a trade must be approved by MLB and completed before a team can submit a bid. For example, if you are watching Baseball Tonight and Peter Gammons talks about the rumor of A-Rod to the Giants, you must wait until the deal is completed before submitting a bid. You cannot try to acquire A-Rod before the deal happens.
19(j.) There are no contingency bids (e.g., "If I don't get Bonds at $79, then I'll bid $22 on Schmidt, and if I don't get Schmidt..."). If an owner attempts to drop the same player multiple times, all bids involving the same player will be declared invalid.
(k.) You can't bid on a player that you've released at any point during the season.
(l.) If you spend less than $100 then you will owe that amount multiplied by .25. So, if you spent $50 in FAAB money you would owe $12.50. If someone has players traded out of the league and ends up spending more than $100 in FAAB money the max they will owe is $25.
However, if 81 or less games are played next year, then the owner will have the option of keeping a player at the same status as the current year or bumping them up to the next salary and/or status plateau.
So the owner can either keep an A as A's, B's as B's, C's as C's, and D's as D's or he can bump A's to B's, B's to C's, C's to D's or just release the player if his two years are up at that point.
For instance, let's use Rick Ankiel (a C in 2001, D in 2002) as an example. If less than half the season is played next year, then the owner will have the option of keeping Ankiel as a D player for one more season (the 2003 season), or releasing him, since technically, he has served his two-year contract.