Cranston Fantasy Baseball League
League Constitution

I. Teams & Rosters
II. Fees
III. Scoring
IV. Auction
V. Salary Cap & Player Salaries
VI. Expiring Contracts
VII. In-Season Free Agency
VIII. Waivers
IX. Trades
X. MLB Player Changes
XI. Minor Leagues
XII. Transition Players
XIII. Governance


I. TEAMS & ROSTERS

1.1. There will be 10 teams in the Cranston Fantasy Baseball League. Teams will be composed of only American league players. Each team will consist of up to 22 players

1.2. A team’s major league roster consists of the following players(not counting players on the disabled list):
3 outfielders
1 catcher
1 second baseman
1 shortstop
1 first baseman
1 third baseman
1 utility player/designated hitter (non-pitcher who can be any offensive player)
5 starting pitchers
2 relief pitchers
6 bench players (any combination of position players, starting pitchers and relief pitchers)

1.3. A team need not have a complete roster.

1.4. Each team also has a minor league roster consisting of 15 players. Each team may also designate 3 transition players.

1.5 A team may exceed the 15 man minor league roster limit or the 3 man transition player limit in the case of trade following the auction.

1.6. An unlimited amount of players may be placed on the disabled list (DL). Players must be on the MLB disabled list to be placed on the CFBL DL. Players on the DL do not count towards roster limits but do count against the salary cap. Players on the MLB DL may be picked up as in season free agents or bought at auction.

1.7. The CFBL is a dynasty league. This means players are retained by contract from year to year.


II. FEES

2.1. The entrance fee is $100.00.

2.2. All fees must be paid by DRAFT DAY! Unless arrangements have been made, the commissioner may freeze rosters until fees are up to date.

2.3. All transactions made throughout the season are free.


III. SCORING

3.1. The CFBL is a head to head scoring league.

3.2. The CFBL uses ten scoring categories:
On Base Percentage (OBP)
Home Runs (HR)
Runs Batted In (RBI)
Runs Scored (R)
Stolen Bases (SB)
Pitching Wins(W)
Earned Run Average (ERA)
Strikeouts (K)
Walks and Hits divided by Innings Pitched (WHIP)
Saves (S)

3.3. The CFBL championship is determined by playoffs.

3.4. Tie-breakers for the regular season and the playoffs will be the default tiebreakers for the online system the league uses.


IV. AUCTION

4.1. Each year an auction will be held prior to the season

4.2. Players are awarded to the team that makes the highest bid.

4.3. The salary of a player acquired in the major league auction is his final bid amount.

4.4. The length of contract for a player acquired in the free agent auction is the length of the player’s contract in MLB.

4.5. No team may make a bid for a player it cannot afford.

4.6. The order of players to be bid on will be determined prior to the auction.

4.7. Once the bidding is opened teams proceed to bid, first come first serve.

4.8. The minimum bid for a player at auction is $500,000.



V. SALARY CAP & PLAYER SALARIES

5.1. The salary of a player does not change during the season.

5.2. Player contracts are half-guaranteed.

5.3. Salaries for major league players are determined one of two ways:
The salary of players acquired at auction is the price of the winning bid and for the actual length of their MLB contract.
The salary of players re-signed by your team is the price and length of the player’s MLB contract OR the price they were signed for at auction, whichever is higher.

5.4. Minor League and Transition Player salaries are a pro rated portion of $350,000 for the time the player was on the major league roster.

5.5. Although an unlimited amount of players may be placed on the disabled list (DL), players on the DL still count against the salary cap.

5.6. When a player signs an extension, has an option vest, or signs a new contract during or after a season the owner must decide before the next auction whether he wishes to retain the player under the terms of his new deal. If the owner does not wish to retain the player he is released and enters the next free agent auction. The terms of the new deal must be agreed to in full. The terms of the old contract are null and void and the player may not be kept under the terms of the old deal. If a player signs an extension, has an option vest, or signs a new contract during or after a season and the his manager decides to decline the new deal the player is released from his contract without prejudice and the team is free of any financial obligations of the old contract.

5.7. Option years are not part of the initial contract for purposes of the CFBL. They are treated as if the player signs an extension, pursuant to Rule 5.6.

5.8. Players who sign extensions are paid the higher amount of:
the salary the option is for; or
the amount they were won at auction in the previous year.

5.9. Players with less than six years service time who go to arbitration are treated as if they signed extensions pursuant to Rule 5.6.

5.10. Players who go to arbitration are paid the higher amount of:
the salary they receive in arbitration; or
the amount they were won at auction in the previous year.

5.11. A player acquired at the auction may not be re-signed be his CFBL team for less than the price he was previously paid, even if his actual MLB salary is for less money. This is true of options and arbitration awards as well.

5.12. The CFBL has a cap on team salaries.

5.13. Each team must be under the salary cap at the time of the auction.

5.14. Teams may exceed the salary cap during the season but the amount by which they exceed the cap by will be deducted as a penalty from the next year’s salary cap.

5.15. The salary cap will generally be set at the average of the actual MLB salaries of the 220 highest paid players in the American League. The commissioner may alter the salary cap number at his discretion.


VI. EXPIRING CONTRACTS

6.1. A player whose contract expires may only be retained by their CFBL team if they re-sign with the same MLB team.

6.2. Players retained by Rule VI are re-signed to the length and duration of their MLB contract.

6.3. A player whose contract expires who re-signs with a different MLB team may not be retained by his CFBL club; he must go into the free agent auction.



VII. IN SEASON FREE AGENCY

7.1. Free agents who are signed between the auction and the end of the regular season are signed to a one year contract of $500,000, pro rated for the remainder of the season. This excludes players who were previously under contract to the team during that season.

7.2. In season free agents re-signed by a team that had them under contract previously during that season and had released them are signed to a pro-rated portion of the remainder of their original contract.

7.3. A player who has been released in a previous season but would still be under contract had he not been released may not be re-signed to his original deal after the season ends nor in future seasons, pursuant to Rule 7.2. These players follow Rule 7.1.

7.4. Free agents who are signed between the auction and the end of the regular season are signed on a first come, first served basis.

7.5. Free agents signed between the auction and the end of the regular season may not be kept the next year. Free agents signed in season must go into the free agent auction.

7.6. A player must first clear waivers in order to become an in season free agent.



VIII. WAIVERS

8.1. Players may be released by their CFBL team at any time.

8.2. A player who is released is placed on waivers for two days, following the waiver procedures of the online service used.

8.3. After the 2-day waiver period has passed, if the player has not been claimed, he immediately becomes a free agent and is available to all teams.

8.4. The waiver order during the season is determined by the reverse order of standings from the previous week. From the end of the auction until the end of the first week of the season the waiver order is determined by the reverse order of finish from the previous year.

8.5. A team that releases a player is responsible for half the player’s remaining contract. If a player is claimed off waivers the team that made the claim assumes the player’s remaining contract and the waiving team is relieved of all responsibility.

8.6. The team who waived the player cannot claim the player off waivers. That team must wait until the player clears waivers and becomes a free agent before reacquiring the player.


IX. TRADES

9.1. The following may be traded:
Major League Players under contract
The rights to re-sign a major league player
Minor League Players
Transition Players (the players keep their transition tag)
Draft picks
Monetary considerations if a team is under the salary cap (penalty for going over)
Portions of a player’s salary

9.2. From the completion of the major league auction until the first day of the major league season, teams are free to make trades of any kind without limit.

9.3. From the first day of the major league season until the end of the fantasy week following the MLB trade deadline, teams are free to make trades of any kind without limit.
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9.4. No trade may take place from the end of the fantasy week following the MLB trade deadline until the last day of the regular season.

9.5. There are no limits to the number of trades a team may make during the season.

9.6. Conditional trades and options are permitted, but are subject to the review of the commissioner.



X. MLB PLAYER CHANGES

10.1. When a CFBL team’s major league, transition player, or minor league player who has appeared in a major league game prior to the trade is traded to the National League in MLB, the team manager has the option to take any or all of the players their player was traded for. In the alternative, the owner may choose to forego the player(s) he would have the rights to and may instead receive a compensatory minor league draft pick(s)(See Rule 10.3-10.4).

10.2. A team receives no players in return for minor league players who haven’t appeared in a major league game that are traded to the National League. A team instead receives a compensatory minor league draft pick.

10.3. Compensatory draft picks are slotted into the next year’s minor league draft at the end of the round the lost minor league or transition player was drafted. When a major leaguer player is lost and the owner opts for the compensatory pick instead of the returning players that shall always be a compensatory pick following the fifth round. When a transition player or minor league player(regardless of whether they have appeared in a major league game or not) is traded to the National League and the owner opts for the compensatory pick instead of the returning players that pick shall be a compensatory pick following the round in which the lost player was drafted.

10.4. When determining the order of two compensatory picks in the same round the order the minor league players were drafted(overall pick number) shall be used. If players were chosen with the same overall pick from different years the oldest pick goes first. Players drafted after round 5 in the inaugural draft(2007) will be treated as if they were drafted in round 5. Compensatory picks for major leaguers shall follow the 5th round compensatory picks for minor leaguers and proceed by reverse order of finish from the previous year.

10.5. A player traded within the American League in MLB remains under contract to his CFBL team, and the team manager has no rights to the players their player was traded for.

10.6. When a trade involves multiple players owned by multiple CFBL teams going to the NL then the owner of the highest rated player gets the first choice of players coming to the AL, then the owner of the second highest player get second choice, and so on until all the players are claimed or passed on. Once every owner of a team has had the chance to claim a player the owner of the highest ranked player gets to choose again.

10.7. National League team minor league players may be acquired by CFBL teams pursuant to Rule 10. These players may be added to a team’s minor league roster and are eligible to become transition players in the future.

10.8. When a player is released from his team in MLB he is still under contract to his CFBL team. His CFBL team must still pay the remainder of his contract. The CFBL team may still release and trade the player.


XI. MINOR LEAGUES

11.1. Following the major league auction, a five-round minor league draft will take place. The order of the draft is determined by lottery (See Rule 11.2).

11.2. The Draft lottery is determined as follows, and this order shall apply to all five rounds excepting compensatory picks:
League champion drafts 10th.
2nd place team drafts 9th.
3rd place team drafts 8th.
4th place team drafts 7th.
The 5th and 6th place teams flip a coin; the winner drafts 5th and the loser 6th.
The 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th place teams draw lots with each team receiving an equal chance(25%). The winner of the draw drafts 1st, the 2nd best draw drafts 2nd, the 3rd best draw drafts 3rd and the loser of the draw drafts 4th.
Compensatory picks do not follow these rules (See Rule 10.3)

11.2. Only players who have not qualified as a rookie in the major leagues are eligible for the minor league draft.

11.3. A rookie is defined as a player with fewer than 130 at bats and 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues.

11.4. When a player is drafted in the minor league draft, he is placed on the team's minor league roster. This protects a team's rights to that player.

11.5. A player retains his minor league status for the duration of any year in which he began the season as a minor leaguer.

11.6. Once a player qualifies as a rookie(See Rule 11.3), that player loses his minor league status at the end of the season.

11.7. Minor league players may be promoted to your major league team and may accrue fantasy statistics.

11.8. Minor league players may be promoted and demoted an unlimited number of times, but the transaction must be processed following the rules of the fantasy sports service.

11.9. Minor league players count against your salary cap when they have been promoted at a cost of $350,000, pro rated for the weeks they are in the major leagues.

11.10. As long as a player remains on his team's minor league roster(ie. Demoted; not on the major league roster…), he is not bound to a contract and does not count against his team’s salary cap.

11.11. A minor league player may be retained from one season to the next until he qualifies as a rookie.

11.12. Each team has a maximum of fifteen minor league players that may be retained from one season to the next. In the minor league draft, a team may only draft enough players to reach the fifteen-man minor league roster limit.

11.13. A team may exceed 15 minor leaguers when they acquire more through trade or their players being traded to the NL but must be at or under the 15 man limit by the minor league draft each year.

11.14. Teams may not add and play another team’s minor leaguers or transition players to their rosters on the league’s fantasy service. The penalty for accidentally picking up and playing another team’s minor league or transition player shall be the removal of any two starts by the offending team at the choice of the offending team‘s opponent. The penalty can be any two of the following together, or any of the following twice:
A start by a position (ie. 3B on Thursday)
A start by a pitcher (ie. Scott Kazmir on Wednesday)
A day of using a relief pitcher (ie. Bobby Jenks on Saturday)

11.15. The penalty for picking up and playing another team’s minor league or transition player must be decided on within three days of the offense or is forfeited at midnight of the third full day after the offense(ie offense occurs Tuesday. The penalty must be decided on by Saturday morning at 12:00AM midnight). If the infraction occurs after the beginning of games on Friday and a decision is not made by the beginning of games on Sunday the offending team’s next opponent will have the remaining portion of the three days to assess the penalty. The penalty may be assessed during the playoffs.

11.16. Egregious, strategic or repeated violations of picking up and playing other teams minor leaguers shall result in the Rule 11.14 penalty as well as any further penalties or remedies the Commissioner deems fit.


XII. TRANSITION PLAYERS


12.1. Each team may designate from one to three transition players each year at the auction.

12.2. The only players who are eligible for transition status are players who:
Have in the previous season qualified as a rookie; and
Were on a CFBL team’s minor league roster during the previous season; or
Were acquired in a trade of a CFBL team’s player to the National League.

12.3. Teams may trade transition players but are not permitted to replace the player they have traded.

12.4 Teams that trade for another team’s transition player may only do so after the auction. A team may only designate up to 3 transition players at the auction. Following the auction transition players may be traded and retain their transition status(ie. May be sent down and called up as if they were designated a transition player by the team they have been traded to). Teams that trade away a transition player may not designate another transition player to replace him.


XIII. GOVERNANCE

13.1. The commissioner alone may review and veto trades. If a trade is unfair; or there is suspicion of collusion or that money has been involved; or the trade is malicious; or for any other reason the commissioner shall have the power to veto the trade and/or take any remedial measures they deem fit. If a manager repeatedly makes unfair trades with other players the commissioner may remove that manager from the league at his discretion.

13.2. Team managers that are for whatever reason not performing their duties to the detriment of the league may be removed from the league by the commissioner. In the interests of fairness and competition the commissioner may take control of a manager’s team at his discretion and may make or not make any moves he sees fit.

13.3. The commissioner may change these rules at any time and for any reason.

13.4. The commissioner may take any further actions he deems necessary for the good of the league. The powers of the commissioner listed in these rules should in no way be construed as a limit on the powers of the commissioner.