League Rules
Random League Rules1. Basic Pitch: Sometimes we spend a lot of time planning what team to take, or what year to start, and baseball should be less work and more fun.
Enter the random (non-contract) league.
When you enter, you will be granted a (one) franchise. 16 teams are the maximum we will accept. I am starting with 1, but I reserve the right to switch to two if need be to have an even number of franchises. If anyone ends up with 2 franchises, you may not trade players between your teams. This is a boot-able offense.
You get to pick your own team’s name. Restrictions? It must be a name used by a major league team at some point in history. As a reference, one which will make sense to all commissioners in the group, it must be a team that has importable players and is on the Import Historic Team list. This includes National, American, and Federal Leagues, as well as the various Negro Leagues, and any major league from the 1800s.
The logo you select must be relevant to the team name you chose. As per usual, I will probably assign you a logo at the outset, but feel free to change it to any relevant logo while team details are on.
2. How are players acquired?
First season USED? The first season will be chosen randomly, a random number between 1 (1901) and whatever the present year is (126 for 2026) will be selected, and that year is the chosen start year. (I will select a later year for Season 1, so that you have enough pitchers. I also may limit selection to later years if we find more than 16 people who want to join.) Then, all franchises will be assigned an order: they will be listed alphabetically, and when their random number is called, that provides the order of assignation. For example, the Akron Grays are the first possible team by alphabetical order. If Jimmy has chosen Akron Grays as his team name, if the random number “1” is the 5th number chosen, then Akron will be the 5th team in line to receive a roster.
As years go on, it’s possible that when the random number is chosen, it will turn out to be a year we have already used. If so, the next available (unused) season would be used.
Then the teams will be assigned. In whatever year has been chosen, the teams available that season will be placed in alphabetical order. They will be assigned a number from that order. If, when the Akron Grays turn to receive a roster comes up, the random number chosen is “1”, they will receive the Anaheim Angels (if they were called Anaheim that season), or, if not, they will receive the Arizona Diamondbacks (if they existed that season), or if not, the Atlanta Braves would be #1, and if they are in a different town, then the Baltimore Orioles would be #1 (you getting the idea yet?)
Duplicates are allowed in the first season. Duplicates will not be imported in subsequent seasons. The free agent pool will be emptied after every season.
Minimum AB/IP: Season 1: 75 AB/25 IP. In subsequent seasons, it will be 100/35.
Are duplicate players allowed? Only in the initial season. If a person is on two teams during an import season (and is NOT already on a roster) he goes where he had the most AB or IP.
ANY ISSUE ABOUT WHICH TEAM A PLAYER BELONGS ON MUST BE RAISED PRIOR TO THE FIRST GAME, OR THE RIGHT TO APPEAL IS WAIVED. Once a player “suits up” for a game, he belongs to that team.
3. Updating personnel:
Progressions: type: Unpredictable. Plateau range? 30 - 32. 33 begins regression.
Imports and Minimums? 100 AB, 35 IP after season 1.
The teams will be arranged in ascending order of the previous seasons wins. An import year will be chosen randomly. The teams from that season will be placed in alphabetical order. The team with the fewest wins last season will have their random number generated first, and will receive the players on the roster of the team chosen that meet the minimums.
To be clear, suppose Rosilver’s Atlanta Black Crackers had the fewest wins in season 1. He gets a roster assigned first. If the number “10” is generated, and that corresponds to the Minnesota Twins in that import season, he gets all the Twins from that selected season who are not already in the league.
If you still have questions on how this will work, ask.
Stat changing? NO.
Trades? Yes. But no trades, or waivers, after game 140 and before the end of the World Series.
Anyone can question the fairness of a trade, and forward a review request to the trade review committee. I will select the members of this committee, and majority rules. If for some reason there is a tie (as with an abstention), the Commissioner will break the tie. The Commissioner will oversee the performance of this committee. Requests to have trades reviewed must be made within 1 week or 20 games from the trade, whichever comes first.
Free agents/waivers? Yes, once games start. The free agent pool will be emptied after every season.
4. League set up, number of games, rotation size, injury length, and roster size:
The set up depends on how many owners and teams: TBA. 162 game seasons. 4 man rotations in the first year, and 5 man rotations after that. Injuries will be 8/15. 26/9 rosters.
Owners will be informed after game 1 if they are over the roster limit. If the owner does not make the cuts, The Commissioner will, at some point prior to waivers starting after game 5. I can trim them by any process I choose, but I cannot leave you with fewer than 9 pitchers, or 11 position players when I am finished (i.e. I cannot cause a forfeit.)
5. Playoffs: The top 5 teams in each league make the playoffs. The regular season champion in each league gets a bye in the first two rounds.
Round 1: best of 3: 5 @ 2, 4 @ 3 in each league. All games at better seed.
Round 2: best of 5 (2/2/1) 3 @ 2 in each league (after re-seeding).
Round 3: LCS: best of 7: wild card champion @ regular season champion
World Series: best of 7.
Rules about ties for a playoff spot:
A wild card team never hosts a series against a non-wild card team.
If teams tie for a playoff spot:
⇒ If both teams would be “in”, use head to head record as a tiebreaker. Run differential is the 2nd tie-breaker.
⇒ If one is in, the other is out, 1 game playoff (@ head 2 head winner)
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. If you quit mid-season without my blessing, I will share this information with other commissioners.
⇒ Actively running your team means that you read messages once per day, meet all deadlines, and communicate any difficulties to the commissioner.
⇒ I will provide a minimum of 48 hours between a posting of a deadline, and the deadline. Ignorance of the deadline will not be an excuse for failing to meet the deadline.
⇒ If you will be away, and unable to get your messages, 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.
⇒ Every owner is expected to field a team (9 pitchers and 11 fielders) every game. Failure to do so, making the sims not run, results in a forfeit.
⇒ 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!
General rules:
Each offseason, you can switch a SP to RP, or a RP to a SP, but stamina will remain “as is.”. You can change it back the next offseason if you like, but no changes between first pitch and the last out of the World Series.
You can switch a player’s primary and secondary positions if they played 50% or more games THAT season at their secondary position, or at least 25% of their games for their career at their secondary position.
During an offseason, a player can be switched to the position they played most in their career, regardless of the requirements of General Rule #2.
You can switch a DH to his secondary position, as long as he has a fielding percentage.
Off season duties:
Empty the free agent pool.
Unpredictable progression after world series. Plateau range? 30 - 32. 33 begins regression.
Create the order in which rosters will be assigned.
Randomly choose the import season.
Randomly assign the import team each franchise gets. (35 IP/100 AB minimum) No duplicates allowed after the initial season.
Stat changes: NO.
Cuts to a certain roster limit. 26/9
Opening Day
Owners will be informed after game 1 if they are over the roster limit. If the owner does not make the cuts, The Commissioner will, at some point prior to waivers starting after game 5. I can trim them by any process I choose, but I cannot leave you with fewer than 9 pitchers, or 11 position players when I am finished (i.e. I cannot cause a forfeit.)
Waivers will start after game 5.
Elastic Clause: I reserve the right to create new rules as necessary to deal with problems as they arise.
Some leagues use fictional player progression. To learn more about how players progress, check the Player Potential page.
League Settings
| Year Range of Stats | 1871 - 2025 |
| Roster Size (Majors) | 26 |
| Roster Size (Minors) | 9 |
| Keepers | |
| Change Stats Allowed | |
| Free Agency | (waivers) |
| Drops | |
| No-Drop List | |
| Player Fatigue | |
| Batter Injuries | (5 games max) |
| Pitcher Injuries | (8 games max) |
| Use Pitcher's HR Allowed Stats | |
| Allows Max Surprise Bunts | |
| Min Batters Pitcher Must Face | 1 |
| Slump Buster | (15 days) |
| On Fire | Uses WAR |
| User Sims | (every 4 hours) |
