League Rules

2009 Merlin League Rules

The league is based on the 2009 season. You get all your players with at least 100 AB and 25 IP.

First come, first served: you pick your first team when you join by putting the team name in the chat box. Your second team you will choose in a draft which will be set up in inverse order (i.e. worst first, best last) of your first team’s 2009 win-loss record. Any NL or AL team except Colorado, Florida, Tampa Bay, Arizona, and the New York Yankees is eligible. If you pick an expansion team, when we get back past their first season, in a reasonable fashion, we will switch you to an unowned team.

No contracts.

Player Improvement and Acquisition:

Unlimited trades (but not between your own teams), unlimited stat changes (100 AB, 35 IP minimum), and full imports (as long as the player is not already in the league).

Imports: At the start of the second season, you will get all of your team’s players on their 2008 roster that are not already in the league. At the start of the 3rd season, you will get all of the 2007 players that are not already in the league, etc.

In any situation where a player played for 2 or more teams the year he is imported (including this initial year of 2009) the player belongs to the team he player for MOST, in terms of AB or IP.

If there are any issues about which team a player is on, it must be raised before the season starts. Once games begin, and a player has "been in uniform" for a game for a team, the right to appeal is quashed.

Stat changes: at the beginning of year 2, you can have your choice between your player’s 2009 stats, progressed, or the player’s 2008 real stats (and age). So, players start old, they youthen, and then (maybe) they get old again. Unpredictable Progression: progress to age 28, and regress beginning at age 34.

Waivers: Players who are cut go into the free agent pool. These players can be acquired by any team through waivers once games start. After game 140, when trades and waivers close, and before the next season’s imports, the free agent pool will be emptied.

Basic Information:
5 man rotation, 26 on ML roster, 40 on franchise roster. For the first season only, teams may use a 4-man rotation.

First season: 100 AB, 25 IP. Imports after season 1 will require 35 IP.

Expect 162 regular season games.

SP can be switched to RP each offseason, or RP to SP (no change to stamina). Primary and secondary positions can be switched, if the player played half his games that season, or at least one-fourth of his games in his career, at the secondary position. A player can always be switched to the position he played the most in his career. Also, DH can be switched with the secondary position if the player has a fielding percentage.

At game 140, waivers and trades will be turned off until after the World Series.

⇒ Your teams will not play each other unless they both make the playoffs.
⇒ You may not trade players between your teams. This is a boot-able offense. However, you can choose to not retain a player on one team, and then draft him on another one of your teams.

Playoffs:
Making the playoffs: If teams tie for a playoff spot:
⇒ If both teams would be “in”, use head to head record as a tiebreaker.
⇒ If one is in, the other is out, 1 game playoff (@ head 2 head winner)
⇒ Wild Card teams only host when their opponent is a wild card team.

We will go with 2 leagues of 10 teams each. 5 teams per league make the playoffs. The regular season champion gets a bye until Round 3, the League Championship Series. The 4 wild card teams in each league play best-of-3 series until 1 wild card team is left in each league, and this team advances to the LCS. The LCS and the World Series are both best-of-7. Wild card teams can only host a series when their opponent is also a wild card team.

MY BASIC EXPECTATIONS OF EACH OWNER:
⇒ Your commitment is season to season. When you join, you will be expected to actively run your team until the end of the season, which is when the regular season ends for non-playoff teams, or when your playoff team is eliminated.

⇒ Actively running your team means that you read messages once per day, meet all deadlines, and communicate any difficulties to the commissioner. If you will be away, and unable to get your message, give the commissioner advance notice. Inactivity for ten (10) days, or repeated failure to meet deadlines, may result in your being booted from the league.

⇒ Read and be familiar with the rules immediately upon joining: it may affect your desire to be in the league, or your desire to pick a certain team.

Please keep all conversations clean
Please don't be rude to fellow owners
Please be active, if not active for 14 days you may be removed from the league
We all love baseball and that's why we're here. So Just have fun and enjoy!

OFF SEASON DUTIES:

Empty the free agent pool.

Unpredictable Progression: progress to age 28, and regress beginning at age 34.

Imports: You get all the imports from the “previous” season that are not already in the league (35 IP/100 AB minimum)

Stat changes.

Turn drops and trades on

Waivers and Trades (all season 99) Waiver and Trade deadline is game 140. No trades are permitted between game 140 and the end of the World Series.

In addition to a Cy Young and a MVP Award, there will also be a Manager of the Year Award given to the owner with the best combined record. In the event that some owners own more teams than some other owners, it will be the best combined winning percentage.

ELASTIC CLAUSE: I reserve the right to create new rules as necessary to deal with problems as they arise.

League Settings

Year Range of Stats	2003 - 2003
Roster Size (Majors)	26
Roster Size (Minors)	9
Keepers
Change Stats Allowed
Free Agency	(waivers)
Drops
No-Drop List
Player Fatigue
Batter Injuries	(6 games max)
Pitcher Injuries	(6 games max)
Use Pitcher's HR Allowed Stats
Allows Max Surprise Bunts
Min Batters Pitcher Must Face	1
Slump Buster	(1unlimited days)
On Fire	Uses WAR
User Sims	(every 3 hours)