DEC Modified Rotisserie League Rules
Version 3.3
February 24, 1998
PURPOSE
The purpose of the DEC Modified Rotisserie League (herein referred
to as MRL) is to enhance the enjoyment of the major league baseball
season through the simulation of the job of major league General
Managers (herein referred to as GMs). This is based primarily on
standard Rotisserie League Baseball, but is not limited by its rules.
NON_PURPOSE
1. This league is not intended to take time away from participant's
workday or to utilize computer resources in any way which will slow
normal work activities or result in additional expense to Digital.
Persons who misuse Digital's hospitality are subject to immediate
expulsion from participation in this league.
Since participation in this league can be time consuming, joint
participation in other similar leagues is discouraged, so as not to
interfere with work and to give ample time for complete
participation in this league.
2. This league does not attempt to simulate the job of the field
manager or to model true player value by means of the statistics
used measure MRL team performance.
TEAMS
MRL will consist of up to 20 teams, the majority of which will be
operated by a Digital employee, who shall be committed to fulfilling
all the rules and regulations of the league. If a GM decides to
withdraw from the league, or cannot fully assume the duties of his
franchise, the league officers will help in finding a suitable
replacement. GM's who leave Digital to be employed elsewhere will be
given the option to continue participation in the league, but will not
be granted access to Digital networks or systems to do so.
Team ownership is by the league, not by the GM. In the case of an
opening for a new GM, the league Commissioner should present
suitable candidates to the league for membership. Precedence
should be given in this order:
1. GMs with no more than one current additional league (or will
commit to drop leagues to create this condition.
2. Those who have consistently finished at or near the top of other
Rotisserie leagues.
3. Those who have participated in other leagues and have made
notable contributions to the running of those leagues or to the
rotisserie community.
4. Those who have not participated in rotisserie, but show very
strong baseball knowledge and interest.
Note: These are guidelines, not specific requirements.
If the team GM changes during the season or off season,
a suitable replacement GM should be located by the commissioner
with the help of the league GMs.
If an owner resigns from the league he will be replaced
using the following procedure.
When a new member is proposed the Commissioner will send out
a notice and give a reasonable time for an objection to be made.
If no objections are made, the new member is approved. If an
objection is made apporval of the new owner will be put to a vote.
The new owner will need to receive 85% of the votes for approval.
85% of those voting, not of the whole membership, will be needed,
proxy's allowed. Note: A two-thirds majority will be needed until
the end of the 1992 season
The member leaving will be eligible to vote on the replacement.
Voting will be done via e-mail and responses kept confidential.
If requested the votes will be sent to the commissioner plus
one other owner (procedure amended 7/92).
OFFICERS
All GMs are required to participate as officers of the league as
often as is feasible. No GM shall hold an office of any nature for
two years in succession unless all other GMs are currently in office
or held office in the previous year. Any GMs not currently holding
league office are encouraged to participate in the weekly stats data
entry from the USA Today newspaper.
The position of Commissioner shall be elective, by a majority of
GMs, and should not he held in successive years by the same GM. The
first job of a new Commissioner shall be to ask for volunteers for
the other offices and appoint other GMs as necessary to fill said
offices according with the rules contained herein. Officers for the
next year shall be identified by the end of the World Series.
The Offices and Duties:
Commissioner: This GM shall help determine other officers as
mentioned above, and preside over any issues not covered by these
rules. He/She is encouraged to ask for league consensus on such
issues, but is empowered to make all necessary decisions to keep the
league operating smoothly.
Secretary: This GM shall be responsible for keeping an up-to-date
list of the status of all player contracts, the salary amount and
the date they expire. He/She shall also be responsible for
determining the validity of all teams' salary totals versus the
salary cap applicable at any time and ensuring that the conditions
of all player contracts are enforced..
Statistician: This GM shall generate and post the league statistics
weekly using the roster supplied by the roster manager and USA Today
stats supplied via the network.
Auctioneer: This GM shall moderate the preseason auction and all
in-season auctions as required herein.
Moves Coordinator: This GM shall monitor MLB (Major League
Baseball) transactions, aid in informing GMs of moves which may
affect their roster, and help the Secretary ensure that all moves
fall within the guidelines contained herein.
Roster Manager: This GM shall maintain the weekly roster files used
for stats generation and for keeping accurate copies in the league
notes file.
Morale Officer: The morale officer shall be responsible for
ensuring that all GMs have a chance to meet and socialize with other
GMs at appropriate times. This person shall organize any MLB game
expeditions, All-Star Game, or End of Year Parties, and/or anything
that a creative mind may suggest. This person should be a resident
of the state (or area) where the most GMs reside.
ROSTERS
Each MRL team is comprised of an active roster of 23 players:
9 pitchers and 14 batters, plus a reserved list of indeterminate
nature and size restricted only by salary budget.
Players from the major league rosters of all 26 teams are eligible
for the auction. The active pitchers may be any combination of
starters or relievers. The active batters must be distributed in
the following manner:
- 2 catchers (C);
- 4 infielders, one at each infield position (1B, 2B, SS, 3B);
- 5 outfielders (OF);
- 1 corner infielder, either 1B or 3B (CI);
- 1 middle infielder, either 2B or SS (MI);
- 1 utility player, which may be any non-pitcher (DH).
To be eligible at a position, a player must satisfy one of the
following requirements:
- played at least 20 games at the position in the previous season;
- played at least 3 games at the position in the current season.
Players who did not play at least 20 games at one position in the
previous season will be eligible to be auctioned only at the position
at which he played the most. DH is considered a position and
players who qualify only at DH must be put in the utility position
on the roster. Note: CI and MI are combination positions and
eligibility for those positions shall be determined by the combining
of games played at the applicable field positions.
First year players will be eligible to be placed at position(s)
determined by the Commissioner, based on listings in various
magazines and minor league statistics summaries.
Pitchers cannot be on an MRL roster as a batter, and non-pitchers
(who may occasionally pitch) cannot be on an MRL roster as a
pitcher.
REDUCED LEAGUES
In the case of a league with fewer than 20 GMs, there shall be 1.3
fewer MLB teams (rounded to nearest whole number) for each GM under
20. There shall be a minimum of 10 GMs to form a league. A vote
shall be held to determine the MLB teams included in such a case,
with each GM voting for the needed number of teams.
If an MLB team is excluded from this league, no players from that
team or its minor league affiliates may appear on an MRL roster,
with the following exceptions:
o If a player is at some point on an included MLB team and on an MRL
roster, and that player is traded to an excluded team, the MRL team
will retain rights to that player until the end of the season. In
such a case, any long term contract may be voided by the team,
allowing immediate release. Alternately, should the MRL team
subsequently release that player, he will be excluded from pickup by
any MRL team.
o If a player is traded from an excluded MLB team to an included
team, he will be available at the next auction.
STATISTICS
Standings are determined weekly by ranking each team's cumulative
statistics in each of eight categories (four pitching and four
batting). Statistics are based on the teams' rosters at the
beginning of any freeze period. The categories are:
PITCHING: Wins
Saves + Complete Games
Earned Run Average [earned runs * 9 / IP]
Pitching Ratio [(hits + walks) * 9 / IP]
BATTING: On Base Average [(hits + walks)/ (atbats + walks)]
Runs Produced [RBIs + Runs - HR]
Home Runs
Xbases [2*3B + 2B + SB - CS]
Note: There are three real changes and one cosmetic change in stats
from the typical Digital rotisserie league.
o Saves is now Saves + CG - This accounts for pitchers who finish
their games without the need of a relief pitcher. It assumes
that most CGs are wins, which is debatible, but not a serious
problem.
o SB becomes Xbases, which adds extra base contributions which have
not been caused in the past and are, at least in part, due to
speed factors. Caught stealing is also given some attention.
o Ratio is multiplied by 9 to be comparable to ERA, giving the
number of hits and walks per nine innings, rather that per a
single inning.
o Batting average is changed to on-base average.
Points are awarded for each category with one point for last place,
two points for second-to-last place, and so forth, up to 20 points
for first place. If two or more teams are tied in any category, the
points for each place involved are summed and divided by the number
of teams tied.
The standings for the league are based on the sum of the points for
the eight categories.
The following tie-breakers will be used to determine final league
standings:
- determine standings based on tied teams only;
- most weekly first place finishes in any category;
- most weekly second place finishes in any category;
- etc.
If the teams are still tied, the tie will remain.
Restrictions:
Teams are required to total a minimum of 1100 innings pitched during
the season. Any team failing to reach that plateau shall
automatically be penalized in the categories of ERA and Ratio by
multiplying the team's stat by the ratio of minimum innings to
actual innings:
Final ERA = ERA * 1100 / IP
BUDGETS
Each GM shall have a salary budget of 260 ducats. Note: A ducat is
simply a monetary unit. The salary budget will be in effect from
the beginning of the preseason roster freeze until Opening Day or
the end of the preseason auction, whichever happens last. From that
point, the budget shall increase by 10% to 286 ducats until the end
of July, when budgetary restrictions are removed. No restrictions
apply during the off season, since no players are paid during that
period.
Trading exception:
Trading among teams shall not be limited by the salary cap after the
time of the preseason auction. This has the following implications:
o During the regular season, any trade which results in either team's
salary total exceeding the budgetary limit shall be deemed legal.
o Participation in the regular season weekly auctions shall continue to
be limited by budgetary restrictions of the 286 cap limit.
Note that the budget limitations will still be in effect for the
preseason auction and thus will affect offseason trades. Owners
must be able to have a legal 23 man roster for 260 ducats
once the preseason auction begins.
CONTRACTS
Players obtained by a team as free agents are signed to a standard
player contract. The standard contract has the following
conditions:
o The player's salary shall be considered to be the auction price of
that player, unless minimum salary levels must be enforced.
o The length of contract shall be two full or partial years. Note:
If a player is signed in midseason, his contract extends to the
end of the following season.
o The contract is not guaranteed, and the player may be released at
any time. If a player is released before the end of the
contract, no rights are retained.
o Should a player be traded, his contract shall remain in force for
the new team.
o Players obtained (presumably via last chance draft) after the beginning
of September shall be given contracts which extend only until the end of
the season (i.e. 1 yr. contracts). Topper rights, only, may be retained
for these players and if retained will count against the standard limit
of four per year (see rules under topper rights).
At the end of the two year period, the GM has three choices with
regard to the player:
o The player may be released and return to the free agent pool for
auction.
o The team may retain topper rights (see below) for up to four
players with standard contracts. This must be announced previous
to any auction.
o The team may sign that player to a guaranteed long term contract.
This shall be known as the Jim Rice rule. The length of the
contract must be specified at sign-up time.
A guaranteed long term contract has the following conditions:
o The minimum duration is two years.
o The team is obligated for the length of the contract for the
salary stipulated unless that player is given his outright
release by his MLB team or retires.
o The player may be traded, but the terms of the contract remain in
force.
o The salary shall be the amount paid to the player in the second
year of his standard contract increasing by at least 5 ducats
for the first year of the long term contract and then by 5 ducats
each subsequent year.
o Topper rights are retained by the GM at the end of long term
contracts for all players.
Topper Rights: When a team retains topper rights, it has the option
of bidding one ducat above the highest bid for that player at
auction. If no
place for the topper rights player on the team's roster exists when
that player is auctioned, the GM forfeits topper rights. Topper
rights only exist for the first phase of the preseason auction. A
player retained with the use of topper rights is signed to a new
standard contract.
o An owner may leave a proxy on the number of ducats he is
willing to pay to retain a player for which he has topper
rights. A decision on topper rights must be made within an hour of
the results for that round being sent out; this is by 1:30PM.
BANKRUPTCY
A team has one final out on long term contracts. Any team may
declare bankruptcy during the off season. This process includes the
outright release of ALL players on that team and a reduced budget
the following year by the amount of 60 ducats (to pay off team
indebtedness). All long term contracts are rendered void in this
case.
SALARIES
Players shall be paid in increments of one ducat, the amounts to be
determined by the following:
o Free agent salaries are determined by auction (see below).
o Salary minimums in effect are 1 ducat for the first full or
partial year of service to a team and 5 ducats for the second
consecutive year.
o Long Term Contracts increase a player's salary 5 ducats each year
of that contract, possibly more for the first.
o No long term contract may be signed if any GM is shown willing
offer double a player's current salary. Current salary is defined
as the salary of the first year of the Long Term Contract.
In such a case, the
player shall be included as an addition to the first round of the
auction. The current team will retain topper rights (above and
beyond the normal limit of 4) and the team making the claim shall
be required to enter a bid at least double the player's current
salary.
o An owner who offers a doubling bid and wins that player, must offer
a Long Term Contract that is the same length as the one offered by
the original owner. An owner that keeps a player for which a doubling
offer was made by exercising topper rights keeps the player for the
same number of years as the Long Term Contract specified.
o Only owners that made a doubling offer on a player may bid on
that player in auction.
o An owner may make a maximum of 2 doubling offers per season.
ELECTRONIC AUCTION
Players are obtained for all teams by means of an auction. There
are two types of auction, the first being the preseason auction,
held prior to the season for the purpose of populating the rosters
for the season. The second type is the weekly auction, through
which teams with excess salary capacity can obtain promising young
players or needed veterans during the season to fill roster
vacancies.
General Auction Rules:
o The auction is done on a daily basis.
o Each GM will nominate one player for the next day's auction. All
GMs are required to submit nominations until their active roster
is complete. If an GM misses a deadline, he is not allowed to
bid on that day's round and a minimum bid on his nomination would
be assumed. The Commissioner may penalize repeat offenders (if
no good excuse exists) by reduction of budget. Note: in the
first year, the first few rounds might include two nominations by
each GM--to speed things up.
o The auction moderator must receive nominations by 3:30pm on deadline
days and distribute the list to all GMs by 4:30. Any players
nominated twice in a day would simply reduce the number of
players in that day's activities.
o The next day, each GM should submit a "sealed" bid on the
current list of players for auction by 11AM. Note: All times
are US Eastern. Bids are not
required on any player except that player nominated by that
GM. Any bid which would exceed the GM's salary limitation,
assuming all remaining active roster spots are filled at minimum
salary, or his/her roster limitation (preseason) will be voided
(except a mandated minimum bid on the GM nominated player).
Note: The auction moderator must submit his/her bid to the
Commissioner or to a league approved third party to assure that
the process remains above reproach.
Also Note: In the preseason auction, the GM's nominations and
bids must fit into his/her roster with all restrictions applied,
assuming all bids may win a player.
o High bidder receives the player at that salary under the standard
contract (see below). Results to be announced by 12:30.
Owners with topper rights have until 1:30 to decide if they will
keep a player. Final results out by 2PM.
o Any tie bids would be subject to the following tie breakers:
In the preseason auction:
- GM with the tie breaker priority. Tie breaking list begins
with reverse order of the previous seasons finish. A GM
that wins a tie breaker goes to the bottom of the priority
list.
- In the first year, some pseudo order must be chosen, such as
closeness in guessing lotto number.
- if you bid one ducat on a player you didn't nominate, your
bid on that player is ignored.
- if you nominate a player, and fail to submit a bid sheet,
or fail to put a bid on the nominated player, a bid of one
ducat is assumed. If the one-bid makes your bid list illegal,
then the whole bid sheet is voided.
The order of tie breakers works out like this:
1) Nominating owner win nominees if high bid is 1 ducat.
- If one nominating owener this does NOT put you to the bottom of
priority list.
- if multiple nominating owners use priority list among the nominating
owners. This WILL put you at the bottom of the tie breaker list.
2) Multiple Ties: (after ties from item 1 broken)
- Highest owner on priority list wins over lowest owner he is
tied with.
- If two owners tied for same two or more players, highest bid is
broken.
- If two owners are tied for same players and highest bids are
tied, owner with precedence gets his choice.
- After each tie is broken, priority list is reevaluated and all
repeats for the next tie.
In the weekly auction:
- GM which is lower in the standings in the current year.
o Nominations for the next round would again be due by 3:30pm of the
same day (or next auction day). The league could limit
auctioning to 3 days per week if desired, or skip particularly
bad days. League needs should be served by the Commissioner.
o The draft continues until no GM submits a player for auction
or, in the case of the preseason draft, until all teams have
reached their allotment of players.
Note: This process requires little or no work by GMs during
business hours. You determine your bids at night and maintain a
nomination list. Send your new nomination before work, during
lunch, or, if you have to see the day's results, at the tail end of
lunch.
This would require work by the draft moderator, but less than some
drafts I've seen.
Preseason Auction:
The preseason auction has two phases. The first phase allows each
GM to obtain the services of up to 25 players. The GM is obligated
to fill all 23 positions in the team's active roster. This first
phase should begin in time to ensure completion prior to opening
day. Any player (major, minor, living, dead, active, retired) may
be auctioned in this phase (this is the Babe Ruth rule).
The second phase of the auction allows each GM to expand the roster
to up to 30 players. This phase should follow opening day as
closely as possible and is meant, primarily, to allow teams to
complete their legal active rosters, which may have openings due to
injuries or demotions. Only active players on MLB rosters may be
auctioned in this phase. Each GM must declare his/her active roster
by noon on opening day (including openings to be filled).
The auction will be run like the weekly draft. Owners will submit
names of players and bids. The salary cap will still be 260 ducats.
Phase II will run for 3 days or until no bids are sent in, whichever
comes first. Players acquired during Phase II may not
be used for the first freeze with the exception of substituting
for players on their active roster who have been demoted or
are on the DL.
Note: If any GM requires more than 30 players complete his/her
active roster during the second phase, that GM must release enough
players prior to the second phase to allow his team to meet the
roster limit. No other player releases may occur before the second
phase. Players released by their MLB teams will remain on the MRL
roster until the first freeze period ends.
Movement between the active and reserve rosters prior to the second
phase is not limited by player transaction rules. No movement
between active and reserve rosters is allowed during the second
phase, with the exception noted above, but is allowed during and
after the first phase.
Weekly Auction:
Since injuries and demotions may cause a team to need additional
help and due to minor league promotions to MLB rosters, there will
be a weekly auction. Each GM may submit a list or lists of sealed
bids to the auction moderator during a freeze period. The deadline
for submitting such bids is noon on Wednesdays. A GM may bid on any
number of players as long as the total bid falls within his/her
budget limitation. If a GM submits multiple bid lists, the last
list supersedes any previous lists and only one list shall be
considered valid (no combinations). Note: A GM may need to release
players to make room in the budget for such bids.
Players obtained in the weekly auction may be placed in any position
in the roster for which they qualify (including the reserved list).
All players obtained must be on an active MLB roster. A minimum bid
of 5 ducats shall be in effect.
The weekly auction shall continue until the September 1 deadline
(i.e. midnight, Aug. 31).
PLAYER TRANSACTIONS
The guiding factor is that each team must have a legal active team
at the weekly deadline. A legal active team shall have players who
are on MLB rosters at all 23 active positions (injured or active).
Contents of the reserve list are irrelevant. The final weekly
transaction deadline is Thursday at noon. Some types of transactions
have earlier deadlines as listed below.
Injuries: GMs have the option of placing injured players on their
reserve list if said players are on the MLB disabled list. Any
injured player is subject to recall by the GM at any time, but this
may only be done once for each injury. If further action is
desired, see Rotisserie Demotions below.
Demotions: MLB players who are sent to the minor leagues or
released must be placed on the team's reserve list.
The demotion should occur within the current week's
transaction period unless the MLB transaction occurs less than
36 hours before the Last Chance Draft, in which case the GM can
wait until the next week's transaction period to demote the player
to the reserve list.
These players may only be restored to active status when
they are returned to an MLB roster.
Reserve List Activations: A GM may activate any member of his/her
reserved list whenever a vacancy exists on the active roster. No
limits or conditions apply here.
Rotisserie Demotions: A GM, at his/her discretion, may demote
players from his/her active roster the reserved list to create
openings for a subsequent activation of another player. There shall
be a limit of two rotisserie demotions per player per owner in any
season. The player must subsequently be kept or released in lieu of
a thrid demotion. Any player moved to the reserved list due to MLB
demotion or injury must be activated by the second deadline after
his MLB activations, or have a rotisserie demotion counted against
him (which could result in his release). Note: A demotion is
counted if a player is activated due to another player's injury and
subsequently demoted to make room for that (or any other) player.
Trade: Players may be traded in any combination, provided each
owner has a legal roster by the final transaction deadline. Any
trades which hint at collusion in any way are subject to being
voided by the Commissioner. Repeated attempts at collusion or
proven occurrences of same may result in expulsion from the league
of the offending GM. No trade shall be executed after the last day
of August until the start of the final stats freeze period. No form
of cash may be offered in a deal, either real dollars or salary
ducats.
Player Release - A player (not under long term contract) may be
released by a GM at any time during the year. A player's release
voids any rights by the team to that player. The weekly deadline
for player releases is Tuesday at 5PM. This is to make those
players available for the weekly auction. Any player released by a
team may not be picked up by the same team until that player has
occupied some other team's roster. Such action would be grounds for
filing a player grievance.
Last Chance Draft - If after the weekly draft, an opening (due to
injury, MLB demotion or release) exists on an MRL roster which
cannot be filled from that team's reserved list, a draft may be held
to fill those openings. The draft shall proceed in reverse order
of current standings and shall be used only to fill those openings
with available free agents. The draft shall be held
Thursday at noon when necessary. A salary of ten ducats shall be
assigned to each draftee. A team shall be allowed to release up to
one player per opening as necessary immediately prior to the draft
to make funds available for the new player contracts.
When a roster change occurs, it takes effect on the day following
the next statistics freeze in the league. With the use of the USA
Today's statistics on Thursday, which are cumulative through
Wednesday's games, all roster moves become effective as of
Thursday's games. Depending on the USA Today statistics feed
these days are subject to change from year to year.
All transactions should be reported through the league Moves
Coordinator. If a deadline is missed in making a transaction, the
move will be forwarded to the following week's list. If a GM shall
be absent for a period of time and unable to handle weekly
transactions, he/she may appoint a proxy. No league officer shall
serve as proxy, however, a list of specific moves related to
possible team player activation may be submitted to the Moves
Coordinator. Proxy choices are encouraged to be non-league members
to prevent possible conflicts of interest.
Any player who can be documented as injured and unable to play after
September 1st (when major league teams typically cease to utilize
the disabled list), can be disabled by the GM. Such a disablement
is considered final for the season, regardless of whether or not
that player returns to his major league team. Said player shall be
replaced (if necessary) by the GM in the weekly last chance draft.
PROTECTED LISTS AND THE AUCTION
Prior to the preseason draft on a date set by the Commissioner, each
GM shall have to submit a list of protected players, new long term
contracts, and players whose topper rights are retained to the
Commissioner. The list of protected players must meet any
restrictions placed on the first phase of the preseason draft:
Maximum 25 players, Maximum total salary 260 ducats (allowing for
minimum salaries for any active roster openings).
There are no other restrictions. Any players under a valid contract
for the upcoming season may be protected and thus retained.
PRIZES/AWARDS
A first place plaque will be awarded to the winner. The winner will
also get to keep a larger plaque (containing the names of all MRL
league champions) at their home for the next year. A one time fee
of $5 will be levied on each participant prior to the first season
to cover the cost of the rotating league plaque plus the yearly
plaques for at least the first five years.
GATHERINGS
The morale officer shall organize gatherings of the league GMs at
appropriate times during the season to ensure social interaction and
an opportunity for face-to-face player exchanges. Gatherings should
be held in geographical locations nearest the most GMs. Suggested
gatherings include a date prior to the preseason roster freeze, the
All-Star break, and a game the World Series. The morale officer may
assess up to $10 or $5 per gathering (if more than two) from all GMs
geographically able (within one hour driving time) to attend such
gatherings (desire to attend is irrelevant). This money is to be
used for the gathering, in the form of refreshments or entertainment
and must be strictly accounted for.
A gathering to attend a MLB game may also be organized, but no
assessment may be used for this purpose.
RULE CHANGES/CONFLICTS
Any desired rule changes require agreement by 2/3 of the league's
GMs. During the MRL season, rule changes require unanimous consent
of all voting GMs (minimum 2/3). Any technicalities which are not
covered by the rules during the season will be decided by the
Commissioner. A Commissioner's ruling may be overturned by
unanimous agreement of the remaining owners for an alternative.
