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Widebar League Rules
April 2013
The Widebar League is a fantasy baseball league of 12 teams composed of American League players.
ARTICLE 0: DEFINITION
ARTICLE I: ADMINISTRATION
Section A. Committee of the Whole
The Widebar League is administered by a Committee of the Whole (COW) consisting of the management of each of the 12 teams. The COW is the ultimate authority in resolving questions and setting League policy.
1. The Committee meets as a body at least once per year, on Auction Draft Day (see Article 0), to conduct League business and amend these rules for the coming season.
2. The COW need not be assembled to make decisions. The Commissioner (see Section B) or his designee is authorized to poll the franchise owners on questions of policy and operations and to treat the results as an official vote. In such cases it is only necessary to consult with a sufficient number of owners such that the question at hand can be decided one way or the other.
3. Each franchise has one vote with regard to all issues decided by the Committee.
4. Votes may be cast by proxy.
5. Unless otherwise specified in these Rules, a simple majority of the currently active franchises is sufficient to decide an issue. If all 12 teams have owners, this means 7 votes are necessary. If one team is without ownership, only 6 votes are required.
Section B. League Officers
On Auction Draft Day each year, the COW must elect three officers who will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the League:
- Commissioner/Treasurer
- Vice-Commissioner
- League Secretary
1. Candidates must receive the votes of a majority of the active franchises (normally 7) to take office.
2. No one individual may hold more than one office.
3. Officers may be selected from the team owners or from outsiders.
4. Terms are for one year, ending on the next Auction Draft Day.
5. Officers may be removed from office before the end of their terms by a 3/4 vote of the COW (9 votes).
6. The Commissioner (or Acting Commissioner) is authorized to appoint individuals to vacant offices to serve in an Acting capacity until the COW can elect a successor or endorse the appointment.
7. Replacements for a resigning or dismissed officer serve only for the remainder of the original elected officer's term.
8. Officers and their designees are entitled to reimbursement for expenses incurred while conducting League business. This specifically includes the cost of printer paper and ink cartridges, but may include other items.
Commissioner/Treasurer. The Commissioner/Treasurer is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the League. The Commissioner has the authority to make decisions, resolve disputes, interpret rules, and set short-term League policy. Decisions of the Commissioner can be overruled by a 2/3 vote of the COW (normally 8 votes). Specific responsibilities of the Commissioner include:
1. Preparation of weekly transaction reports for transmittal to the League Secretary.
2. Maintaining official team rosters and tracking of players' contract status.
3. Maintaining a history of the League and an archive of League records.
4. Maintaining a current list of available free-agent players.
5. Preparation and distribution of Auction Draft Day materials; specifically a list of players eligible to be drafted.
6. Appointing an auctioneer to execute the auction-draft. The Commissioner may appoint himself.
7. Recording and
executing transactions and collection of transaction fees.
Additionally, the Commissioner...
1. has the authority to designate others to perform duties assigned to the office of the Commissioner.
2. can establish subcommittees of the COW for specific purposes, such as organization of the year-end banquet, review of the rules, or choosing a site for the Draft.
3. may designate temporary replacements for officers that are unable to perform their duties for short periods.
4. The person that fills these positions will not be required to pay the draft day entry fee ($26) for any season in which he serves in this capacity.
The
Commissioner/Treasurer is responsible for handling funds collected during the
course of the season.
1. The Commissioner/Treasurer is not authorized to place Widebar funds at risk in a mutual fund, casino, or savings & loan without the consent of the COW.
2. The Commissioner/Treasurer is entitled to keep any interest earned by Widebar funds, provided that the Treasurer pays taxes on this interest.
Vice-Commissioner. The Vice-Commissioner (VC) is responsible for acting as the Commissioner when so designated by the elected Commissioner or when the Commissioner is, for some reason, incapable of performing his duties. Decisions of the VC while acting as the Commissioner, can subsequently be nullified by a 2/3 vote of the COW (normally 8 votes). Typically, he performs Commissioner functions 2, 4, & 5 for the Commissioner.
League Secretary. The League Secretary (LS) is responsible for producing periodic (preferably weekly) standings and team statistics reports. The LS has the authority to correct errors in the official League standings and statistics, and is responsible for reporting such changes to the Commissioner. Any such corrections should be noted in the weekly reports. Because of the onerous nature of his duties, the League Secretary is not required to pay the draft day entry fee ($26) for any season in which he serves in this capacity.
Section C. Franchises
There are 12 teams in the Widebar League. Each team is owned by one or more individuals. The owners are responsible for informing the Commissioner of any transactions they wish to make and for paying the applicable fees. From time to time there may be vacant franchises, in which case the league will operate with less teams.
Franchise Moves. When an owner decides to unload his franchise, the franchise temporarily becomes the property of the League. The League will accept nominations of candidates for ownership and award the franchise to a new owner by consensus of the remaining owners. No fees may be collected by the previous owner. Franchises may not be sold. This fee restriction is waived if the transfer takes place during the season. In this case the previous owner can collect an amount not to exceed the amount of money spent in the current season by the previous owner.
Section D. The Rules
1. Initial adoption of these Rules must be by unanimous vote of the franchises.
2. The Rules may be amended during the off-season by a 2/3 vote of the teams. During the season, they can only be modified by a unanimous vote.
ARTICLE II: ROSTERS
Each Widebar League team consists of American League players filling 23 roster spots (and up to 28 during the roster expansion period). These are:
9 pitchers (P)
1 shortstop (SS)
2 catchers (C)
1 corner infielder (CO: 1B or 3B)
1 first baseman
(1B)
1 middle infielder (MI: 2B or SS)
1 second baseman
(2B)
1 third baseman
(3B)
1 designated hitter
(DH)
5 outfielders (OF)
Each position must be filled at all times, except while a transaction is in progress, and during the Winter (see below). No player may occupy more than one position. Player position eligibility is defined in Article V.
Winter Roster. At the end of the American League baseball season, all Widebar players lose their position and reserve list identities and become members of their Widebar team's winter roster. A team's winter roster consists of all players who were active, on the team's reserve list, or in an expanded roster slot, at the end of the regular season. Players in a team's farm system remain in place (see Article XV).
Transactions. All transactions are atomic actions. At the conclusion of each transaction, all team's rosters must be filled and meet all position eligibility requirements. Chained transactions are not allowed.
ARTICLE III: ROSTER FREEZE DAY
By Roster Freeze
Day (see Article 0) each team must choose up to 15 players from its winter
roster to retain for the upcoming season and report its selections to the
Commissioner. Teams must also report whether players entering their option year
are being signed to long-term contracts. All players not retained become free
agents and are released to the available players pool.
Each player must be placed in a position slot for which he is eligible (see
Article V). Players may not be retained on a team's reserve list.
Also on Freeze Day,
teams must announce whether they are retaining any of their farm players. Any
farm player whose minor league contract is renewed by his Widebar team on
Freeze Day and who subsequently makes his major league team's roster prior to
Auction Draft Day, may be added to his Widebar team (provided there is an
opening at his position) or dropped and made available in the auction draft.
When adding such a player to a Widebar roster, another player may be dropped
only if necessary to meet the 15 player limit. In any case, such a player may
not be retained in his Widebar team's farm system.
ARTICLE IV: AUCTION DRAFT DAY
The Auction Draft is the means by which all Widebar teams fill their 23 man rosters. Teams will be provided with lists of position players and pitchers available for the draft. These are all players on the Opening Day Roster (see Article 0) that were not retained by a Widebar team on Roster Freeze Day.
Section A. Eligibility
Players retained on Widebar rosters on Freeze Day who are no longer on the roster of an AL team on Auction Draft Day can be dropped from their Widebar team prior to the Auction. Players that go on the DL or are suspended cannot be dropped, nor can players that are perfectly healthy. Dropped players cannot be replaced on a Widebar roster prior to the draft.
Each team must fill its roster such that the combined salary of all the team's players, including retained players, does not exceed $26. Each team must pay a fee of $26 to participate in the draft.
Section B. Mechanics
The Auction Draft is administered by an Auctioneer appointed by the Commissioner. The Auctioneer is responsible for keeping track of players selected, money spent, and positions filled for all teams.
Players are nominated for bidding one at a time. Teams take turns nominating players, starting with the last place team from the previous season and proceeding in the reverse of the previous season's finishing order. The nominating team must bid at least $.10 on the nominated player. Bidding proceeds around the room, in the same order, in increments of at least $.10, until only one team remains. This team gets the player and must place him on its roster at a position for which the player is eligible. The salary of a player obtained in this manner is the bid amount for which he was obtained. The following restrictions apply to bidding:
1. A team that has "passed" on a player may not re-enter the bidding for that player.
2. A team may not bid for a player that it cannot afford.
3. A player may not bid for a player for which it has no position slot available.
Players may be shifted from one roster slot to another during the draft as long as they are eligible for the new slot. Following the auction draft, any drafted or retained players that are on the Opening Day Roster American League DL or long-term suspension may be reserved by their Widebar teams and replaced by players remaining in the free agent pool. The order for selecting such free agents is the reverse of the previous season's finishing order. No team is allowed to sign two free agents until all teams have had the chance to sign one. The statistics for all players drafted and signed as free agents on Auction Draft Day are retroactive to the start of the season. Note that players called up between the Opening Day Roster and Auction Draft Day are Special Free Agents available on the first regular transaction day.
Section C. Minor League Draft
Widebar League teams are allowed to maintain a farm system of up to three players. Following the Auction Draft, teams are given the opportunity to assign players to their farm system in a minor league draft. The minor league draft is a simple draft of two rounds. The selection order is determined by the previous season's finishing order as follows:
6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st
A team may make
more than two selections by trading for another team's draft choices. A team
with a full farm system may not make any more choices, though their picks may
be traded.
To be eligible for
the minor league draft, a player must be in the minor league system of an AL
team and be officially eligible to be a major league rookie as of Auction Draft
Day.
ARTICLE V: POSITION ELIGIBILITY
Section A. Auction Draft Day
On Auction Draft
Day, a player is eligible for a position slot if he appeared in 20 or more games
at that position in the previous season. If a player did not appear in 20 games
at any single position, he is eligible only at the position(s) at which he
appeared most frequently. If a player did not appear in any major league games
the previous season, or was used only as a pinch hitter or runner, the
Commissioner will assign a reasonable position based on the player's previous
major or minor league experience. To be eligible for
DH, a player must have appeared as DH according to the above rules.
Section B. After Draft Day
After the Auction Draft has been completed (and any replacement players selected), a player is eligible for any position slot at which he appears for his AL team in the current season as well as the positions for which he was eligible at the draft.
ARTICLE VI: FEES AND PRIZES
The following fees
are assessed for Widebar roster moves:
1. Entry fee for
Auction Draft - $26
2. Trades - $2
3. Free agent
call-up - $2
4. Reserving a
player - $1
5. Retain a farm
player - $1
6. Activate player
from farm or reserve list - $1
7. Waiver claim -
$1
8. September roster
expansion - $5
9. SFA fees are
listed in Article XIII Section B.
10. Bonehead fee -
Attempting to make an invalid move (pick up a player on someone else's team or
minor league roster, pick up a player before the person is eligible, activate a
player before he comes off the ML DL, etc.) - $1
11. Allowing a
player to freeze - $4.00
All fees are paid
into the prize pool.
After the season they are distributed to the top five finishers,
after league expenses are deducted, as follows:
1st place - 50%
2nd place - 20%
3rd place - 15%
4th place - 10%
5th place - 5%
It is further
mandated that the owner(s) of the first place team, in celebration of victory
and sportsmanship, must have Yoo-Hoo
poured over their heads at the Annual Awards Banquet, held at the end of the
season.
ARTICLE VII: PLAYER SALARIES
The salary of a
Widebar League player is determined as follows:
- The salary of a
player retained from the previous season is the same as it was during the
previous season, unless the player is signed to a long-term contract.
- The salary of a
player signed to a long-term contract is his contract price (see Article XVI)
- The salary of a
player obtained during the current season's draft is his auction price.
- The salary of a
player activated from a team's farm system is $.50.
- The salary of a
player claimed on waivers is $1.00 or his salary at the time he was waived,
whichever is higher.
- The salary of a
player called up from the normal free agent pool during the season is $1.00.
- The salary of a
special free agent signed during the season is his bid price (see Article XIII)
- The salary of a
player called up to fill a September Roster Expansion slot is $2.50 or, in the
case of a special free agent, his bid price, whichever is higher.
ARTICLE VIII: 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)
total wins (W)
total saves (S)
composite ratio (CR) where:
CR=((walks allowed + hits allowed) / innings pitched)
composite earned run average (ERA)
Teams are ranked
from first to last in each category and receive points depending on their
position. The first place team in a category earns 12 points,
second place 11 points, and so on, down to one point for 12th place. The
following restrictions apply:
1. Any team that
fails to accumulate at least 900 innings pitched by the end of the season
cannot be ranked in the ERA and CR categories ahead of any team that did.
2. Any team that
fails to accumulate at least 4250 at-bats by the end of the season cannot be
ranked in the BA category ahead of any team that did.
3. The offensive
statistics of players occupying pitcher roster slots do not count.
4. The pitching
statistics of players occupying non-pitcher roster slots do not count.
5. In case of ties
in individual categories, the teams are assigned points by totaling the points
for the ranks at issue and dividing by the number of teams tied.
6. In case of a tie
for total points, final places are determined by comparing the placement of the
tied teams in individual categories. If one team leads the other team(s) in
more categories that any other, that team wins the position.
7. If teams remain
tied after #6 above, each team's total at-bats are added to 3 times the team's
innings pitched (AB + (3 * IP)). The team with the highest total wins the
higher position.
8. Ties for total
points are only resolved at season's end. Ties for position during the season
are left unresolved unless a strict ordering of teams is needed.
ARTICLE IX: STATS
The weekly
player-performance statistics published by the
League's Stats Service constitutes the
official database for the computation of standings.
1. The effective
date of any transaction for purposes of statistical calculation is Monday
before the start of any game.
2. The deadline for
the weekly reporting of transactions to the Commissioner is 12 noon on Monday.
3. Performance
statistics of a player shall count toward a team only for weeks that the player
is on the team's 23 man active roster.
ARTICLE X: TRADES
Section A. Trading Periods
Auction Draft Day - July. From the completion of the Auction Draft until the first Monday in August, teams are free to make trades with each other without limit, except as stipulated below, so long as the active rosters of both teams involved in a trade reflect the required position distribution upon completion of the transaction, and so long as the anti-dumping rules outlined below are adhered to.
August. After the first Monday in August until the first Monday in September, trades may take place only between teams contiguous in the previous week's standings.
September - End of Season. No trades are permitted after the first Monday in September until the end of the season.
Off Season. Trades made from the day after the season ends until the rosters are frozen on Roster Freeze Day are not bound by the position distribution requirement. No trades between Roster Freeze Day and Auction Draft Day.
Section B. Anti-Dumping Restrictions
All players in the last year of a long-term contract, players playing out their option year, and players having a salary of $2.50 or more are designated asterisks players. Such players can only be traded under the following conditions:
1. A team may trade asterisks players to another team provided that for each asterisks player traded, one is received in return.
2. The previous point notwithstanding, a team may trade one asterisks player per season without receiving an asterisks player in return.
3. Between the end of the season and Roster Freeze Day, asterisks players may be traded without restriction.
Section C. Other Trade Restrictions
1. Trades may only involve players (be they active, reserved, or minor league) and minor league draft picks.
2. Trades involving players on the reserve list naturally include the active players they are linked to (see section XI).
Section D. Other
1. Trades do not affect the salaries or contract status of the players involved.
2. Each trade is subject to a $2 transaction fee. This fee is assessed per trade and is not affected by the number of players involved in the trade.
Section E. Protests
1. Any
team may protest a trade by formally notifying the Commissioner prior to the
next transaction deadline. If 2 or more teams protest the trade, the
Commissioner will put the trade to a vote of the COW, less the two involved
team owners. If a 2/3 majority of the non-involved owners vote to reverse the
trade, the protest is upheld, and the trade is reversed. An abstention, or lack
of a vote by a team owner, shall be counted as in favor of the trade being
upheld. If less than a 2/3 vote is obtained, the trade is upheld. However, the
two teams involved are encouraged (but not required) to consider the objections
raised, and to revise the trade to more acceptable
terms.
ARTICLE XI: REPLACING PLAYERS
Section A. Eligibility
A team may replace any player on its 23 man roster who is:
1. Placed on his AL team's disabled list
2. Released by his AL team
3. Traded to the National League
4. Sent to the minors by his AL team
5. Suspended for more than 10 days for drug use, gambling, or other legal or disciplinary problems. Players suspended for other reasons may not be replaced.
Section B. Reserving a Player
To replace such a player, a team must first either release him outright or place him on its reserve list. A team reserves a player by notifying the Commissioner and paying a $1 transaction fee. A reserved player is removed from the team's active roster at the end of the statistics week (Monday), when formal notification is given and the player is placed in reserve. There is no limit to the number of players that a team may carry on its reserve list at any given time.
Section C. Frozen Players/Positions
Once the Commissioner becomes aware of a player's eligibility to be replaced, the player's team has 2 weeks to take action. For these purposes, the 2 week clock starts on the first transaction deadline following the Commissioner becoming aware of the change in the player's status. If no action is taken within the allotted period, the player's position is frozen until the player returns. No player may be moved in or out of a frozen position by any means.
Section D. Replacement Players
Once a player has been removed from a team's active roster, the team is free to select any eligible player from the Normal Free Agent Pool. The team may also replace the player by activating an eligible farm system or reserve list player, claiming a player on waivers, or acquiring a Special Free Agent through the weekly auction.
If the same player is claimed from the Normal Free Agent Pool by more than one team, team lowest in the current standings has the rights to that player. Ties are resolved using the procedures outlined in Article VIII. However, if a player was released the prior week, the releasing team has last right to re-claim him.
Every reserve or release move must be accompanied by a corresponding replacement move. A roster slot may not be left vacant. If a player is reserved, the replacement player becomes linked to the reserved player. A reserved player may not be traded unless the linked replacement player is traded also.
Section E. Activation
When a player on a team's reserve list returns to active major league duty, he must be reinstated to his Widebar team's active roster within 2 weeks of the Monday after the Commissioner becomes aware of the player's return. If he is not reinstated, the player is waived by default, and his replacement takes over his roster slot "permanently". A player may not be reinstated or moved until he has been activated by his major league team.
When a player is reinstated, the linked replacement player must be waived, unless the replacement player or original player can be shifted to another natural opening on the roster for which he qualifies.
A player reinstated from the reserve list may not displace any active player on the Widebar team's active roster other than his linked replacement.
Section F. Replacing Replacements
If a replacement player is legally released, his replacement becomes linked to the original player.
If a replacement player is legally reserved, his replacement becomes linked to him, and the reserved player remains linked to the original reserved player.
If the original player in such a multi-player chain is activated, both players "above" him be waived or moved. If they are moved, they remain linked.
Section G - After September 1st
Because major league rosters increase to 40 players on September 1st, an injured player is often not placed on the disabled list. In the event a player is considered 'out for the season', he can be replaced even if he is not officially placed on the DL by his major league team. It is up to the team owner to show the Commissioner something to indicate that the player is out for the season. Once replaced, he cannot be reactivated in that season, even if a miracle occurs and he becomes healthy again.
ARTICLE XII: WAIVERS
Section A. Eligibility
Under the following conditions, a Widebar player may be placed on waivers by his Widebar team:
1. When a player on a Widebar team's reserve list is activated by his major league team, either he or his replacement must be waived, unless the player to be waived can be placed into a natural roster opening.
2. When a team activates a player from its farm system, any player dropped from the active roster to make room for him must be waived.
3. When a team signs a Special Free Agent, any player dropped from the active roster to make room for him must be placed on waivers.
4. When a team claims a player on waivers, any player dropped from the active roster to make room for him must be placed on waivers.
In the above cases, if the player to be waived is no longer on the active roster of an AL team and his position has been taken by a replacement (free agent, reserve, or farm player), he may not be waived, but instead he must be released. Likewise, if a waived player becomes inactive during the period between the reporting of the transaction and the beginning of the waiver period, he may not be waived and must be released instead. If a player becomes inactive while on the waiver wire, he immediately becomes ineligible to be claimed and all previous claims are nullified. Such a player becomes a free agent if he remains on an AL roster and is completely removed from the player pool otherwise.
Section B. Mechanics
The waiver period begins at the next transaction deadline after the Commissioner has been notified that a player has been waived and lasts for one week. At the end of the week, the player shall become the property of the lowest ranked team in the current standings to have claimed him. Exception: the team which waived the player has last right to reclaim him. To make room on its roster, a team acquiring a player in this manner must place the player in a natural opening or waive a player. Teams must meet position eligibility rules both before and after waiver claim has been processed. Players who clear waivers (are not claimed by any team) enter the Normal Free Agent pool.
Section C. Restrictions
1. A Widebar team
can claim no more than one player on waivers in a
given week.
2. A player with a guaranteed long-term contract may not be
waived.
3. A player whose salary does not change when he is claimed
on waivers has his contract status transfer to his new team. Players whose
salaries increase through being claimed on waivers have their contract status
revert to year one.
4. The salary of a player claimed on waivers is $1 or his
current salary, whichever is higher.
ARTICLE
XIII: SIGNING FREE AGENTS
Section
A. Normal Free Agents
All AL players not on any Widebar team roster at the end of
the Auction Draft become Normal Free Agents (NFAs). As other players enter the
American League and clear the weekly Special Free Agent auctions, they are
added to the Normal Free Agent Pool. As players are removed from AL teams, they
are likewise removed from the Normal Free Agent Pool. In other words, NFAs are
AL players who are not on a Widebar team and are not Special Free Agents (see
below). NFAs may be signed as needed throughout the season according to the
rules above (see Article XI).
Section
B. Special Free Agents
Special Free Agents (SFAs) are those players who are in
their first full stats week of AL play. Specifically, this includes players
called up from the minors or traded to an American League team from the
National League during the previous week. SFA's who are placed on their AL team's
disabled list become ineligible for the SFA Auction and become NFAs at the end
of the week. SFA’s
that are sent back to the minor leagues before the SFA auction have not cleared
SFA status and are eligible to be bid on the next time they are called up. SFAs
that are ‘designated for assignment’ or traded to the National League before
the SFA auction would also retain SFA status should they reappear in the
American League.
SFAs are acquired through weekly sealed-bid auctions. Bids
are submitted during each week for players making their season debuts on an AL
roster during that week. The bids are opened at the transaction deadline. The
team submitting the highest bid for a particular player gets that player and
may waive another player from its active roster to make room. The salary of a
player acquired in this manner is the amount bid for him, unless he is placed
in a September Roster Expansion slot (see Article XIV), in which case his
salary is $2.50 or the bid amount, whichever is higher. The following
restrictions apply to the acquisition of SFAs:
1. The fee for acquiring a Special Free Agent is $2 plus a
signing bonus of the bid amount rounded up to the nearest half dollar. A player
signed for $.60 would cost $3.00. A player signed for $1.10 costs $3.50. There
is no limit on the number of SFAs a team can sign in a given week except that
imposed by its annual SFA budget (see 2).
2. Each team starts the season with an SFA budget of $10.
Each time a team signs an SFA, the amount bid for that player is subtracted
from the teams SFA budget. A team may not bid more than remains in its budget.
Neither the $2 transaction fee nor the rounded amount is charged against the
team -- only the actual amount bid. This also applies to SFAs signed into
expansion slots.
3. Sealed bids must be submitted by 12 noon on the weekly
transaction deadline day to be accepted.
4. Bids may not be contingent on other bids.
5. The minimum bid is $.50.
6. In case of a tie, the team lowest in the most recent
standings gets the player.
7. An SFA signed for a bid of $2.50 or greater is deemed to
have a limited no-trade clause in his contract, and may not be traded, waived,
or released during the current season unless he is traded to the NL or retires.
In addition, if such a player is not protected by his Widebar team the
following season, then a contract buy-out fee in the amount of twice his
current salary or $10, whichever is greater, shall be paid by the team owning
the contract. Such a player may be left unprotected without penalty only if he
is not on the roster of an AL team on Roster Freeze Day. This rule does not apply
to SFAs assigned to September Roster Expansion slots unless their bid price was
actually $2.50 or higher. These players are known as double-asterisks (**)
players.
8. If a team gets itself into a situation where it must, by
rule, release a double-asterisks player (for example because he is linked to
another double-asterisks player who has become active), the team must
immediately pay the contract buy-out fee. However, this can only be done after
all other options have been exhausted. Such other options might be waiting
until the last deadline to see if some other slot opens up into which the **
player could be placed. If there is a choice between releasing a ** player and
any other player, the non-** player must be released.
ARTICLE
XIV: SEPTEMBER ROSTER EXPANSION
A Widebar team may expand its roster for the pennant drive
on or after the first transaction deadline in September. The expanded roster
can be filled with NFAs, SFAs, waiver claims, and activated reserve list or
farm system players. A team may add up to 5 players to its active roster. They
may be pitchers, position players, or any combination. The fee for expanding a
team's roster is $5.
Section
A. Roster Expansion Draft
On the first transaction deadline in September, a special
Roster Expansion Draft takes place. Each team may select up to 5 players from
the Normal Free Agent Pool and place them into expansion slots. The selection
order for the Roster Expansion Draft is the reverse of the current standings. The lowest ranked team fills their
first slot, the second lowest ranked team fills their
first slot from the remaining players, and so on, down to the highest ranked team
filling their first slot. The process then restarts for the teams to fill their
second slot, then again for third, fourth, and fifth slots. A team is not obligated
to fill all five slots.
The Draft is held prior to any other transactions becoming
official for that week, and Roster Expansion call-ups take precedence over
normal free agent signings. After the Roster Expansion Draft transaction
precedence returns to normal. Players may be added to expansion slots at any
time after the draft subject to the normal rules to acquiring players.
A
Procedural Clarification: Due to changes in the SFA rules
(Article XIII) some procedural changes relating to September Roster Expansion
have become necessary. The SFA draft will occur prior to the September Roster
Expansion Draft, but after rosters have been expanded. SFAs can be placed in
expansion slots before the Draft. Of course, this limits the number of players
that can be obtained in the Expansion Draft for teams that do this. The salary
for an NFA signed into an expansion slot is $2.50. The salary for an SFA signed
into an expansion slot is $2.50 or his bid price, whichever is higher. If the
bid is less than $2.50, only the actual bid price will count against the
signing team's SFA budget. The salary of players claimed on waivers and placed
into expansion slots is $2.50. Players activated into expansion slots from the
reserve list or farm system retain their normal salaries.
Section
B. Restrictions and other Niceties
A player may not be moved from an expansion slot to a
regular roster slot or vice-versa. Likewise, once in an expansion slot a player
may not be released, reserved, waived, or otherwise dropped from the team for
any reason. In other words, once a player occupies an expansion slot, he will
finish the season in that spot.
ARTICLE
XV: FARM SYSTEM
A Widebar team can carry up to three minor league players
in its farm system. Farm system players can only be acquired during the Minor
League Draft on Auction Draft Day or by trade with another Widebar team.
If a farm system player is promoted to his AL team's active
roster during the regular season prior to September 1st, his Widebar team has
two weeks to either activate or waive him. If the player is not activated in
the allotted time period, he is automatically waived. Players promoted to the
AL after September 1st need not be activated by their Widebar club.
When a farm system player is activated, he may be placed
into an existing opening or September Roster Expansion slot, or a player may be
waived to make room for the farm player.
A player activated from a Widebar team's farm system may
not be returned to the farm during that season. He may, however, be placed on
the team's reserve list should his AL team return him to the minors. If a farm
player is returned to the minor leagues by his AL team before his Widebar team
activates him and before the activation period expires, he must be retained in
his team's farm system. If the player is activated by his major league team and
placed on the disabled list before he is activated by his Widebar team, he
still must be activated by his Widebar team before 2 weeks is up or he is
released into the free agent pool (players on the disabled list cannot be
waived).
Farm players may be traded during authorized trading
periods, as may a team's picks in the minor league draft. Farm system players
may be traded without regard for number or position eligibility,
provided no team exceeds the three player farm system limit.
If a farm player is not activated to his Widebar League
team during the season, the player may be carried over in his Widebar team's
farm system to the following season provided the Commissioner is notified on
Roster Freeze Day and a fee of $1 is paid per player to be retained. Such a
player must be classified as an official major league rookie and play for a
team in the minor league system of an American League team on Roster Freeze
Day.
ARTICLE
XVI: OPTION YEARS AND GUARANTEED LONG-TERM CONTRACTS
Section
A. Standard Contracts and Option Years
Any player who has been under contract to a Widebar team at
the same salary during two consecutive seasons and whose service has been
uninterrupted (that is, he has not been waived or released, though he may have
been traded) must, prior to the Roster Freeze Day of his third season, he
released, signed at the same salary for his option year, or signed to a
long-term contract.
If released, the player returns to the Free Agent Pool for
the upcoming Auction Draft. If retained for his option year, the player remains
on his Widebar team for one more season at his current salary, after which he
must be released into the Player Pool for the next Auction.
Section
B. Long-Term Contracts
If signed to a long-term contract the player is retained
for the duration of the contract, but must be released into the Free Agent Pool
following expiration of the contract. There is no option year in a guaranteed
long-term contract.
To sign an eligible player to a long-term contract, the
Commissioner must be notified prior to Roster Freeze Day of the player and the
duration of the contract. The player's option year (more properly, what would
have been his option year) becomes year one of his new long-term contract.
The annual salary of a player signed to a long-term
contract is the sum of his current salary and $.50 for each additional year of
the contract beyond the option year. In addition, a signing bonus of 1/2 of the
total value of all long-term contracts signed by a team, rounded up to the
nearest dollar, shall be paid to the prize fund.
An example: At the end of the 1919 season, you have to
decide whether to keep George Ruth at $1.10 or sign him to a long-term
contract. You wisely decide to give him a three year deal. You must pay him an
additional $.50 for each of the years beyond his option year (1921 and 1922).
Thus his salary for 1920-1922 will be $2.10. In the end, however, you trade him
to the Yankees for a couple of beers and a bucket of chicken.
Section
C. Weaseling Out of A Long-Term Contract
If a player is traded to the National League during a
long-term contract, the contract becomes null and void. This is the only way
out of a long-term contract that doesn't cost any money. Players under
long-term contract cannot be waived or released during the regular season for
any other reason, though they may be reserved. If a player becomes
incapacitated because of a non-baseball-related injury, the COW must decide
whether to allow the contract to be nullified.
A player signed to a long-term contract may be released
back into the Free Agent Pool on Roster Freeze Day only on payment of a fee of
twice the remaining value of the player's contract, rounded up to the nearest
dollar.
Section
D. Miscellaneous
In determining a player's contract status, a season is
defined as a full major league season, or any fraction thereof.
Option year and long-term contracts are entirely
transferred in the event of a trade.
The total value of a player's contract is defined as the
player's annual salary times the duration of the contract.