League Rules

SARMLB 2047

NOTE: All times used on the homepage (except the chatbox) and in LMs are EST

Sim Times (estimates):

Everyday:

12PM
4PM
8PM

Independence Day: No Sims
Labor Day: No Sims
Veterans Day: No Sims
Thanksgiving: None
Christmas Eve: None
Christmas: None

Office:

Head Commish: Bbfan20013

Advisor Council:

bragankelly11
jade800

What is the advisor council?

They are pretty much a slight step down from vice-commissioners, or the remainder of the league office. They will have a say in potential rule changes, as well as relocation and other extraneous things (the Cubs getting their cap back) that may come up.

In addition, they are advisors to YOU, the owners. If you’re feeling like you have done everything possible and your team still isn’t performing like you planned, or you need lineup help, or anything else that can come up in this crazy game called PennantChase, you can go to one of us for advice and we will do our best to help you.

There are a couple of things to keep in mind:

- Every owner is allowed to use the advisor council, just know that it is mainly designed for new owners or new PC users in general.
- Due to conflict of interest, I will not give advice on free agency, position changes, or any other task that involves discussion with the “player”. Any request for advice on that should be messaged to the other three members. I will, however, give advice for trades, lineup setup, etc., as will Jade and BK.
- Unless we see activity that is extremely alarming, we won’t be the ones contacting you. You would have to contact us. We cannot help you unless you ask for it.

Aside from rebuilding unowned teams before the trade deadline as necessary, the head commissioner will not own a team full time. The vice commissioners are allowed to own teams.

Table of Contents

1. What is this league?
2. Schedule (from offseason to World Series end)
3. Rosters and Contracts
4. Offseason
5. Rule 5 Draft
6. GM Expectations
7. PC Essentials
8. Just Have Fun

1. What is this league?

SARMLB is the original “Realistic MLB” league on PennantChase.com. Founded in 2015, SARMLB is one of the longest running leagues on the site. Here, you will find rules uncommonly found in other MLB custom leagues. You will see a Rule 5 Draft, realistic contract negotiations, storylines, player morale, the potential for brawls and suspensions, and much more that brings the MLB general manager aspect of the game. This league is suggested for the PennantChase experts, but all are welcome to join, as long as you are willing to be active in improving your team.

I hope you enjoy your time here.

2. Schedule (from offseason to World Series end)

2.1 Offseason to World Series End

A general schedule for SARMLB follows as such:

Awards
Championship Ring
Contracts cleared, progressions run
Deadline for extension negotiations, tendering qualifying offers/accepting contract options, etc.
Free Agency, players negotiate with teams, 3 (sometimes) 4 weeks
Rule 5 Draft, prospects not on 45 man roster are unprotected
Spring Training Begins, 10 games per day, 35 games
Regular Season begins, 3 sims per day
Day 100 - First Year Player Draft, 5 rounds (+ compensatory rounds + supplemental draft “6th” round)
Day 100 - All-Star Game, winner of All-Star Game Manager voting will choose the non-starters (see 6.6)
Day 120 - Trading/Contract Extension Deadline
Day 150 - DFA, All Trades Close
Day 162 - Regular Season ends

NOTE: This schedule is temporary until a new, 32-team schedule template can be created.

2.1.1 Postseason

Six teams in each league will make the postseason.

Home field advantage will be based on record, teams will reseed again by record after the Wild Card Series.

Postseason series are staggered, with one league’s series starting before the others by a day. This will alternate each year.

A. Wild Card Series (HFA gets all three games)
One Day Off
Game One
Game Two (two days off if all series end)
Game Three
One Day Off

b. A/NLDS (2-2-1 format)
Game One (HFA)
Game Two (HFA)
One Day Off
Game Three (four days off if all series end)
*Game Four (three days off if all series end)
One Day Off
*Game Five (HFA)
One Day Off

c.A/NLCS (2-3-2 format)
Game One (HFA)
Game Two (HFA)
One Days Off
Game Three
Game Four (six days off if all series end)
*Game Five (five days off if all series end)
One Day Off
*Game Six (HFA) (three days off if all series end)
*Game Seven (HFA)
Two Days Off

d. World Series (2-3-2 format)
Game One (HFA)
Game Two (HFA)
One Day Off
Game Three
Game Four
*Game Five
One Day Off
*Game Six (HFA)
*Game Seven (HFA)

2.2. A Year in SARMLB

February/March - Spring Training (Day 1-35 on the actual schedule, add 35 to each day below for a better representation)
March/April - Days 1-32
May - Days 33-68 (or 61/62)
June - Days 69-84
July - Days 85-105
August - Days 106-131 (or 151/152)

September/October - Days 132-162 (depending on the MLB schedule used)
October/November - Postseason (Days 163-unknown (max)), Pre-offseason
November/December - Offseason/Free Agency Week One
December/January - Offseason/Free Agency Week Two
January/February - Offseason/Free Agency Week Three
February - Offseason/Free Agency Week Four/Pitchers and Catchers Report

3. Rosters and Contracts

3.1. Maintaining Roster Size/Rules

You may have as many as 28 men on your MLB roster during the course of the regular season. In order for a player to be on the Major League Roster, he/she must have a MLB contract and be on the 45-man roster. Additionally, all teams can have a maximum of 18 position players and 17 pitchers on their MLB roster.

These numbers, of course, do not apply during Spring Training, where rosters will expand to 40-men, and all players, regardless of 45-man roster and contract standing, can participate.

The 45-man roster can hold 45 players for potential MLB call-ups or, in the case of the offseason, Rule 5 Draft protection. If a team is over the 45-man roster during the offseason, the commissioner will ask them to waive and cut players as necessary to get under the threshold. If a move is not made in 48 hours, the commissioner has the discretion to designate players for assignment until the team is back to a 45-man roster.

There is a maximum of 40 players that can be held in the minors, but this is a very soft maximum that is only there because PC does not allow you to have more than 40. Essentially, you will not be penalized for having more than 40 players in your minor leagues (or 65 players in total).

If a player that is not on the 45-man roster and/or without a contract is caught in the majors, then the commissioner has the right to give that player a $1M/1yr contract, or — if the player is a rookie — a modified rookie contract ($3M/4yrs, option for fifth year).

3.1.1. Injuries

Injuries have been set to the max (70) for both hitters and pitchers. If a player is injured, it is your responsibility to have other players on the 45-man roster ready to take over.

3.2 Prospects

Any player that enters the league, whether by draft (see Rule 3.8), international free agent signing (see Rule 4.2), or other means, will progress until they turn 29 and begin regressing at 34.

In order for a player to retain rookie status, they may not have eclipsed one or more of the following thresholds:

All: 45 games played
Position players: 130 ABs
Starting pitchers: 45 IP or 9 games started
Relief pitchers: 25 IP

Once a prospect crosses these thresholds, their prospect/rookie tag will be removed at the end of the season.

All prospects will stay on their roster until they sign an MLB contract or they are released from the roster.

3.2.1. Service Time

A player must file an official grievance against their team to Major League Baseball’s league office for this process to take place. A grievance can be filed from the end of the season’s World Series to the end of spring training.

If a player who submits a grievance, after that season’s spring training, meets the following criteria:

A player must file an official grievance against their team to Major League Baseball’s league office for this process to take place. A grievance can be filed from the end of the season’s World Series to the end of spring training.If a player who submits a grievance, after that season’s spring training, meets the following criteria:

- Is clearly the best option for an everyday starting lineup role, a top five rotation spot, or a top three relief role on his/her current MLB team as determined by the League Office, AND

- Is an above-average starting option league-wide as determined by the League Office

That player is likely to win the grievance.

Age shouldn’t matter in the process unless the player in question is under 18, in which case, he is ineligible to be on the 45-man or major league roster anyway.

A team may submit a credible counter-explanation as to why the player will not be called up for review (arbitration-like process), but it must be submitted before a decision is made by Major League Baseball.

If a player is determined to meet this criterion by Major League Baseball, he MUST be on the 28-man active roster by Day 30 of that season. Failure to call up an MLB-ready player after league determination will result in the following:

- Loss of a year on a rookie contract (e.g. $3M/4yrs + club option to $3M/3yrs + club option) with NO bonus year for a Day 120 call-up if called up then

If it is determined that a player is not MLB-ready for a given year, but projections say that they would be ready for the next season, then the player must be called up at some point from Day 120 on in the current MLB season or by Day 30 in the next season.

If a team still refuses to call up a league-determined MLB-ready player that season, AND by next spring training, the player is still not on an active major league roster (e.g. a player that was determined to be MLB-ready before the 2040 season is NOT called up by the team and then is not called up before the 2041 season), AND the team has no indication that they will put him on the big league roster before Day 30 of that season, AND the player still fits every qualification possible, the player’s contract will lose the club option year. If a team continues to keep the same player off the active roster through the NEXT season, then (AND ONLY THEN) can a player demand their outright release.

If it is determined that based on the above, a player is not MLB-ready, then that player cannot file another grievance to Major League Baseball for another offseason (e.g. if a grievance fails after the 2039-40 offseason, the player cannot file another grievance on the issue until the 2041-42 offseason, assuming the player is still in the minor leagues).

If it is determined that the service time manipulation was made in an effort to tank by the team, the league, as per usual, also has the right to issue tanking penalties, as noted in Rule 6.2. Additionally, if a player is determined to be team-ready but not league-ready, tanking penalties may still apply.

3.3 Contracts

In order for a player to be on the MLB roster, they must have a major league contract.

In this league, you do not sign players to a contract using the PC feature. All contract negotiations take place with the head commissioner acting as a player or the agent. During the offseason, formal negotiations are a must. Along with the money details, a team should indicate their team plans during his contract, where he fits into those plans, and how a player like him will impact the lineup, among other things.

The first contract sent to a player is key. A lowball offer on the first contact indicates that a team is not serious about adding him and may convince the player to cut off all negotiations with the team.

This flair is only required for mid to top tier free agents during offseason free agency. During the season, a casual “we would like to offer {player name} a $3M/1yr contract to help our team during the stretch” is okay.

Players accepting and declining contracts and extensions are based on the following real-life player morale factors (not necessarily in order for all players, some or many may not apply):

- Money (while not always the top priority, a pretty high priority for around 90% of the league)
- Playing for a winner or a team on the cusp
- Job Security (a long term deal might be more beneficial)
- How the GM/owner/manager runs their team (1. If an owner is known to build winning teams, some players may consider going there. 2. If an owner has sat on his hands for a while, then it might take a little more to get him to join your team than usual, or maybe they pass on you. 3. If a team is known for doing morally unethical things, that may turn away a player completely, because who wants to be an accomplice to that?)
- the dimensions of the stadium (if it matters in real life, it’s sure as hell gonna matter in PennantChase)
- A player’s history with a team (e.g. Alex Donald did not sign with the Padres after consistent brawls with them while on the rival Dodgers)
- A player’s history with others (e.g. Javier Nunez doesn’t sign with the Cards because Ian Cretella, a long time fiend of his, is there)
- A players performance while with his current team (e.g. Nicky Huff may decide to return to Minnesota, where he dominated or someone that has struggled for years might elect to take his talents elsewhere)
- The treatment of a player while he was there (e.g. bad-mouthing a player to the media, sending a player down for an extended period of time may incline the player to move on from his team)
And much, much more…

NOTE: The max amount of years you can offer any player is 13 years. A contract with player or mutual options can go up to 15 years.

ANOTHER NOTE ON CONTRACTS: We do not use the free year in this league (where a player says “return to draft” on your team page once contracts are cleared). Once a player has one year left on his contract, he becomes a free agent at the conclusion of that season (unless he has an option or a special backloaded contract). This doesn’t apply to minor league contracts (see Rule 3.3.2).

3.3.1 Rookie Contracts

All rookies coming up to the big leagues are required to sign a rookie contract. The rookie contract fluctuates based on the round that a player was picked in.

First-round pick: $3M/4yr, club option for fifth year

Second-round pick: $2M/4yrs, $3M club option for fifth year

Third-fifth round picks: $1M/4yrs, $3M club option for fifth year

Essentially, you will have five years of control over a player before he hits the market.

This contract is standard except for the following cases:

- the commissioner is forced to put a contract on a player that was illegally put on the 25-man roster during the season (normal first-round pick contract, regardless of round picked)
- a player is called up after Day 120 OR a player is called up in the same season in which they were drafted ($_M/5yrs, $3M club option for sixth year)
- An owner elects to put incentives into the contract

3.3.1.1. Non-Tendering Rookie Contracts

After a player’s second year under the rookie contract, an owner has the option to non-tender the final years of the rookie contract. If a player is non-tendered, the team will assume no financial responsibility, and the player will enter the free-agent market.

The deadline for non-tendering rookie contracts will be halfway through offseason free agency.

3.3.2 Minor League Contracts

If a player and team accept, a player may be signed to a minor league contract ($1M/0yr). Like unsigned prospects, they will not cost you anything if you cut the player. However, if you decide to promote them to the majors, then you MUST purchase their contract from the minors, which will turn the contract into a $1/1yr deal and place them on the 45-man roster, if necessary.

3.3.3 (In-Season) Contract Extensions

From the start of spring training to the end of the trade deadline, you may negotiate contract extensions with your players in-season, with the only restrictions being from then You may only negotiate extensions with players with one year left on their contract/they are an incoming free agent.

When negotiating contract extensions, it is the same as if it was the offseason or in-season. Money, years, and formal negotiations are a must. Keep in mind, especially for young star players, and especially if they are on bad teams, it will be slightly more difficult to convince them to sign an extension before they can hit free agency.

Players that will be heading into an option/opt-out year may negotiate an extension, however, the extension will cancel out any option(s) left on the player’s current contract.

Any player that signs a contract extension will have that contract go into effect at the end of that season, or at the same time when contracts are cleared to prepare for the upcoming offseason.

You can also negotiate extensions during the pre-offseason period. See Rule 4.2 for more information.

NOTE: If you are considering trading for a player with one year left on his contract and want to know if he would sign an extension, you must have the trading team ask for you because otherwise, it would technically be tampering (see 6.5).

NOTE: The traits and characteristics for a player’s decision in signing a contract extension in-season compared to the pre-offseason will not change 95% of the time. Please refer to Rule 3.3 on what factors into a player’s decision.

3.4 Position Changes

The following are outlines for position changes. Note that the final day allowed during the season for any position change is Day 150. Any request for a change from Day 150 to the end of the World Series will not be accepted.

Also, keep in mind that a player has the right to deny a position change on a case-by-case basis (though nothing can stop you from playing them there if it's their secondary position).

3.4.1 Position Players

Any player can be switched to their secondary position if it is a single position or OF. In other words, a 2B/OF can switch to OF/2B, a SS/IF can switch to 2B/IF, but a C/UTIL cannot switch to UTIL/C.

When a player's position is changed, the following is considered:

1. If a player was used at that position for the entire previous year, the player's stats will be changed to match that season's stats. Games played and the season's fielding stats will be changed to match.

2. dWAR will take a hit, even if moving from a more difficult position to an easier position. However, if they are returning to a previous position, their dWAR will increase.

3.4.2 Pitchers

Any SP that is older than 25, has weak stats and/*or* has struggled in the big leagues, can be converted into a RP (this is a suggestive outline). They will incur a boost in their SO/9, H/9, while taking a small hit to BB/9. There is a spreadsheet used to convert from SP to RP.

RP can be converted into a SP on a case by case basis that is up to the discretion of the commissioner.

3.5 Trades

3.5.1 Trading

All trades are subject to review by the league office. Very rarely will we reverse a trade unless it is very clear that the trade is lopsided or a new owner is being taken advantage of. If a trade reversal is made, appropriate action on the owners will be discussed by the league office.

3.5.2 Trade Deadline

After the All-Star break, a message will be sent reminding owners of the deadline. Once we hit Day 120, sims will pause for 24 hours to allow for trade deadline deals. After the 24 hours have passed, trades for players on the 45-man roster and picks will be closed for the remainder of the season. You may still designate players for assignment and trade cash and players not on the 45-man roster until Day 150; if claimed, the player will go outright to the claiming team.

3.5.3 Trades Involving Cash or Draft Picks

Trading picks is a staple to PennantChase custom leagues and, while outlawed in real life baseball, must be brought into the league. With that, there are a few restrictions.

- All traded picks, including picks held by non-postseason teams, are NOT protected
- You cannot trade compensation round or 6th Round picks
- Any traded picks will not be lost as draft pick compensation

- Cash can only be traded as loans up to five years OR the max length on a player contract going that way (e.g. if a Blue Jays player under a 7 year contract is traded to the Nationals, the Jays may trade loans for up to seven years to the Nationals, but the Nationals still have to adhere to the five year rule)
- Whether interest is charged on a loan is up to the trading team.

If a trade involves cash or draft picks, you must message the commish so that he can make the proper moves. If you do not message the commish, then your traded draft picks will not be placed in the system and/or cash transactions will not be processed.

3.5.4 3-Team Trades

3 team trades are allowed in this league. If you want to pull off this trade, all three owners involved must message the trading commish the exact details of the trade. A 3-team trade will not be processed until all details are confirmed by all three teams.

4-team trades are not allowed.

3.5.5 No-Trade Clauses

If a player has a no-trade clause, negotiated in a contract, he cannot be traded unless he’s willing to waive his no-trade clause.

A player with a no-trade clause, unless otherwise noted, may veto any trade. This may be because the team he would be traded to is a non-contender or for the same reasons for a player declining a free agent contract (see Rule 3.3). That said, If the player decides to waive his no-trade clause, then he will lose the no-trade clause and the trade will be approved.

A message MUST BE SENT before a trade is processed. If a trade with a NTC is processed without approval from the commissioner, the trade will be vetoed. No exceptions.

3.6. Waivers/Cutting Players

When any player is waived, an LM will be sent.

3.6.1. Waiving/Claiming Process

Once a player is designated for assignment, priority will begin in reverse order of record. There will be a 24-hour claim period from the 15-minute interval the owner sent the message to the commissioner (if you sent the message at 6:12, it would go under 6:15). If multiple teams start claiming a player, priority goes to the team with the worst record at the period the claim is finalized. After 24 hours, the team with the worst record will get the rights to the player. If a player is not claimed by any team in 24-hours, it will become a first-come, first-serve basis for the remaining 24-hours.

Once a team wins a claim on a player, they will be moved to the bottom of the priority list. The priority list is the MLB standings at the time of claiming in reverse order, so that the worst team has highest priority. (e.g. if Boston is the best team in the league and Texas is the worst team in the league, if Texas successfully completes a waiver claim, they would move behind Boston).

After the trade deadline, if a player is claimed on waivers, your only option is to let him go outright.

There is a max of 3 waiver requests per day and 30 waiver requests throughout the season. Additionally, there are a maximum of two claims per day and 25 claims through the season.

3.6.2. Designation for Assignment

Any player on the 45-man roster must be designated for assignment to be removed.

If a player is designated for assignment, he will automatically be removed from the 45-man roster and unable to be placed back on until he passes through. If a DFA’d player is claimed, you will have 48-hours to negotiate a deal or have the player go outright to the team that claimed him (the player will then be placed back on the 45-man roster).

If a DFA’d player goes unclaimed, you may leave him in the minors until you decide to place him back on the 45-man roster or release him from his contract (see Rule 3.6.3).

3.6.3. Cutting Contracts

If a player clears waivers, or the team wants to release a player, they may do so.

Once a player is released, the team will pay half of their remaining total salary out of the team budget (not including club/mutual/vesting options and incentives). A team will be able to split up the payment for at most the number of years on the contract (e.g. a one year contract must be paid off that year, but a four year deal can defer payments for up to four years). At the end of the payments, the budget will be sent back to the team.

Example: Giants with $206M payroll cut a player with a $16/5yr deal:

$80 total, $40 owed

(Team budget in parenthesis)
Year 1: -$8M ($198M)
Year 2: -$8M ($190M)
Year 3: -$8M ($182M)
Year 4: -$8M ($174M)
Year 5: -$8M ($166M)

Year 6: +$40M ($206M)

Any player options that exist will be counted as guaranteed money (e.g. a player making $7M but has a $20M/5yrs, or $20M player options over the next five years, is cut, therefore forcing a team to pay half of $107M (~$54M) instead of $7M (~$4M).

Any contract that is cut for one year after the All-Star Break will have the budget deduction carry over into the next season as well (e.g. In the 2025 season, if a player is released on Day 112, that budget removed from said player will be returned before the start of the 2026-27 offseason, as opposed to the 2025-26 offseason). Any contract that is cut before sims resume after the All-Star Break will be considered as cut before then.

3.7 Contract Options

Contract options are negotiated in free agency.

Player Option- If the player has an option, then he will message the team saying that he will accept his option or not. If he does not exercise his option, then he will become a free agent.

(NOTE: Any player option(s) that remain when a player is cut will count as guaranteed money and will count towards the amount that you will have to pay the league.)

Club/Team Option- Club options mean that the team must message the commish telling them if they will exercise the option or not. If an option is declined, or if a team fails to notify the commissioner if they will accept the option, the player becomes a free agent.

(NOTE: A team MUST send a message to the commissioner if they are accepting a club option, even if it looks bluntly obvious that a team would want to keep that player.)

Mutual Option- Both the club and the player have to exercise the option. If one or both do not exercise the option, or if a team fails to notify the commissioner if they will exercise, the player becomes a free agent.

Vesting Option - The player must set certain thresholds agreed upon during negotiations for the option to turn into another guaranteed contract year(s). If a player fails to meet these thresholds, the player will become a free agent.

All options, player incentives, and special backloaded contracts are kept in a public notepad, however, it is up to you to check for mistakes.

3.8. Incentives

Incentives may be offered in any contract, including rookie contracts. Allowable incentives include:

- individual awards/All-Stars/accomplishments (leading league in HRs, .900+ OPS, ≤ 3.50 ERA, etc.)
- Team accomplishments* (team division title, Pennant win, World Series championship, etc.)

*- Any team accomplishment incentive must be left ambiguous and not tied to any team unless a provision is agreed where the incentive is lost or the player is awarded for his new team’s accomplishments if a player is traded.

Unless otherwise noted and agreed upon, an incentive will apply to a contract for the remainder of the term. A team does not have to pay a player for incentives reached on the last year (no options attached) of a contract.

3.9. First-Year Player Draft

The draft will be eight rounds as followed:

1st round
Type A Compensation Round (see 4.1)
2nd round
Type B Compensation Round (see 4.1)
3rd round
4th round
5th round
“6th” round (supplementary draft of all remaining players until pre-rank lists are gone through)

Compensatory picks and “6th Round” draft picks cannot be traded (see 3.5.3).

Draft order will be the previous season’s records, from worst to first. In the case of a tie, the team with the lower record in the previous year will secure the higher pick.

The draft will occur on the Friday or Saturday at 8 or 9pm EST after day 66 is simmed. A reminder email will be sent after Day 30 has been simmed for teams to prerank prospects. There is no slow draft for SARMLB unless a dire emergency where neither commissioner can run the draft on the scheduled day requires it.

There will be 170 players, ages 18-24—sometimes younger—entered into the draft each year, using the random generator (some potentials will be changed to classic). Any undrafted players will go to a supplemental “6th round” draft, where teams can pre-rank and land those players. There will be a 48-hour period to pre-rank players before the supplemental draft is run.

Any undrafted players that remain will automatically become free agents.

4. Offseason

4.1 Free Agent Compensation

Any incoming free agent may be tendered one of two qualifying offers: Type A and Type B. You can only offer one QO per player, and if a player declines one QO, you cannot offer the other.

The Type A QO will be at the average value of the top 100 contracts in baseball, while the Type B QO will be the average value of the next 100 contracts (101-200). A player has until the non-tender deadline to sign the qualifying offer (See Rule 3.3.1.1.). If a player does not sign with a team before the start of spring trading, he must resign with his previous team for a minimum of 40% of the QO value for one year.

You may offer the qualifying offer and continue to negotiate an extension with a player at the same time.

If a Type A player is signed, the original team will gain a compensatory pick at the end of the first round, while the signing team will lose their first-round pick or earliest available non-traded/traded for/protected pick.

If a Type B player is signed, the original team will gain a compensatory pick at the end of the second round, while the signing team will lose their second-round pick or earliest available non-traded/traded for/protected second round pick.

If all draft picks are exhausted due to trades, other signed QO players, or protections, then a team could lose the following year’s second-round pick (e.g. Mariners have no more 2036 picks to lose, if they sign another QO’d free agent, no matter what, they will lose their 2037 second round pick)

Compensatory picks in both rounds are sorted in order of total contract money (not including player/club/mutual options or incentives), from highest to lowest. If there is a tie, the player with the higher AAV will give the former team higher priority.

NOTE: If a player was traded anytime between the start of the regular season and the end of the season, they are not eligible to receive a qualifying offer.

4.2. Offseason Process

For two weeks after the season, teams may begin (or continue, see Rule 3.3.3) negotiating extensions with impending free agents. This is also the time for tendering qualifying offers and options to players.

After two weeks have passed, we will enter the offseason, where offseason free agency begins. A player may accept an offer at any point and time. See Rule 3.3 for information on what goes into a player’s decision.

While the 4-week offseason free agency is unique unlike any league, free agents can be signed throughout the season at any point.

4.3 International FA Budgets

The IFA class will be announced before the start of offseason free agency.

4.3.1. Amateur International Free Agents

Players 23 and younger are subject to amateur signing rules. Teams will be separated into three tiers of bonus money based on the previous season’s record and postseason status (Bottom 9 Teams, Postseason Teams, Mid-9 Teams). The Bottom 10 Teams will start with a higher IFA bonus poll than postseason teams.

For example, in a given year, this could be the bonus IFA structure:

Top 10 Draft ($10M)

Padres
Reds
Nationals
...
Cubs
Braves
Pirates

Non-postseason teams ($7M)

Rays
Gamblers
Dodgers
...
Giants
Bandits
Athletics

Top 10 Postseason Teams ($5M)

Mariners
Blue Jays
Rangers
...
Red Sox
Cardinals
Mets

Teams will offer signing bonuses to players. No team may go over their budget slot. Every team will have a separate cap on how much money they can acquire based on their previous record/postseason status. The Top 10 postseason teams could acquire at most $10M, while the worst team in the league could acquire up to $30M, with every other team after them dropping by $1M.

(e.g. Cubs $30M, Pirates $29M, Rays $28M…Royals $13M, Blue Jays $12M, Reds $11M, Cardinals (other nine postseason teams) $10M…)

If there is a tie in the standings, the league will use the same tiebreaker for the draft order (last season’s record).

You can trade for and acquire at most $5M prior to the end of the regular season for that incoming international free agency period.

If an amateur IFA signs with a team, the signing bonus will be deducted from their budget cap until the next offseason.

If/when an amateur IFA is signed to a rookie contract (and, presumably, called up), they will receive the first-round pick rookie contract.

4.3.2. Other International Free Agents

International Free Agents 24 and older may sign an MLB contract without any restrictions.

4.4 Team Relocation/Name Change

4.4.1 Team Relocation

Relocation can be a key part of running a franchise. The fanbase can die out after a while and it may be time for a change.

Relocation proposals may be sent at any time, however, a more thorough and clean process will be followed by sending stuff in the offseason. All U.S cities and Canadian cities are open to bidding, although foreign countries are harder to relocate to.

Please note that you may only send in a proposal to move to ONE city. There is ZERO guarantee that you will move by sending in a relocation proposal.

Factors that go into letting a team relocate:

Team budget (higher budgets wouldn't be allowed to relocate unless it made them lose money or no gain)
Historical factor in current city (NYY and PHI are the only teams that would never be able to relocate, LAD could move to Brooklyn)
Current Team Status
The city that a team wants to move to (no one is watching, or playing, baseball in Whittier, AL)

Your budget will increase OR decrease based on where you go. For example, if the Braves relocate to a city like New York, their budget would likely go up (despite a third team entering the city). If the Rockies were to go to a place like Portland (Maine), their budget may decrease or stay the same.

Depending on the circumstances, your team will move to your new city in no less than a year and no more than 3 years. You may also ask to play in a temporary ballpark until your new stadium is ready (e.g. Bandits playing in the Alamodome from 2018-2020).

Example of a Relocation message:

Subject: Relocation Proposal (from TB)

New Team City: Caribbean
New Team Name: Wolves
New Team Stadium: Wolf Stadium at the Virgin Islands
RH Boost: None
LH Boost: Big Boost

A detailed paragraph detailing the new stadium details, the logo, and the reasons why you want to relocate to this city.

Professional style logos, whether found on Google or done with the mastery of photoshop, are a must. Please send in Discord via private message.

NOTE: Depending on the city, the city may already have ballparks available to use. Check here if your hopeful city falls into the categories here:

Cities that have stadiums for baseball

4.4.2 New Stadiums/Team Rebranding

Sometimes, teams just want to change things up in their organization, but stay in the city. Team rebranding and new stadiums is an option.

For rebranding, all you need to do is send a new name and/or a new logo. Please make the team logos look somewhat professional. If you find something amazing on Google images (thats where the Bandits and Gamblers logos come from) go ahead and use it, as long as they resemble something professional. Please email me at baseballfan20012@gmail.com with the logos.

Example of a Rebranding Message (from MIA):

New Team Name: Miami Baby Cakes

Detailed paragraph on your new branding. If you want to go in depth with uniform details...whatever.

Unlike relocation, you will have to pay for any new stadiums within the area. If the city is willing to fund a new stadium for the team, you will be messaged beforehand (real life factors will be considered).

Changes will take place after the current season, or during the current offseason, whichever comes first.

Example of a new stadium message (from TB):

New Stadium Name: Rays Ballpark
RH Boost: None
LH Boost: Mild Boost

A detailed paragraph on stadium details and why you believe you need a new stadium. If your details are good enough, the team city may choose to fund the stadium.

Depending on the circumstances, your team will move to your new ballpark in no less than a year and no more than 3 years.

4.5 Expansion

In the case of expansion, there will be an expansion draft held. Information will be released in this event.
—————

5. Rule 5 Draft

5.1. Player Eligibility

For a player to be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, they must meet ALL of one of the groups of the following criteria:

- Have prospect eligibility, AND
- 18 years or older, AND
- One full year removed from the MLB Draft or signing as an amateur IFA OR, if signed as an IFA under 18, must be 19 or older, AND
- NOT on the team’s 45-man roster

OR

- Have prospect eligibility, AND
- 29 years or older, AND
- NOT signed to a Rookie or Major League Contract, regardless of 45-man roster status
- (for professional IFAs) One year removed from signing a contract

To protect an eligible player from the Rule 5 Draft, you have to place them on the 45-man roster or, if meeting the second criteria, sign that player to a rookie contract. The deadline to do so is the Wednesday before the Rule 5 Draft starts. A moratorium on 45-man roster transactions will be in place on the Thursday after the deadline until the end of the draft.

The commissioner reserves the right to add players to the 45 man roster before the R5 draft if an owner has not added a player to their 45 man roster in over a season in any capacity (FA, young player, trade) or hasn’t logged in (or given an explanation why) for two weeks prior to the draft.

5.2. Draft

The draft will be held in a Discord Server. In order to participate in the Rule 5 Draft, the team owner must be in the discord server or have sent a pre rank list to the commissioner. Failure to do so before the draft (or at the very least, the end of the first round) means a team cannot participate in the R5 Draft.

Also, a team must have as many open roster spots as they plan on picking in the draft (e.g. if you plan on picking in all three rounds, you must have at least three 45-man spots open by the moratorium). If you have a full 45-man roster, you will not be allowed to pick in the Rule 5 Draft.

You are not required to draft players or pick one in all three rounds. However, once you skip a pick, you cannot draft any more players.

The draft will run over the course of a day, but could run over the course of days. Every team has around two hours, depending on the number of teams, to make a pick. You may only pick from the list of players under eligible players, not on your team (for the Rule 5 Draft).

If you select a player in the Rule 5 draft, then you MUST sign him to a rookie contract (see Rule 3.3.1) and keep him on the MLB roster for the entire regular season. If I catch you with a drafted player in the minors, he will be returned back to his former team, no exceptions.

6. Budgets/PC Essentials

6.1 Budget and Luxury Tax

6.1.1 Budget and Luxury Tax Explanation

In the beginning of the league, the budgets were based off of the 2015 payrolls with adjustments to make sure everyone had at least a $140 million budget.

Note that “true budget” refers to a team’s budget accumulated without any current outstanding loans. “Current budget” refers to a team’s budget at the time with any loans it has traded for or traded away. “Payroll” refers to any spending on players, including IFA bonuses and cap penalties for cut players (dead cap).

For example, a team’s true budget of $325 million is the money that it has accumulated over the years. However, it’s $400 million *current* budget includes the $75 million in loans it has traded for.

6.1.2 Budget Restrictions

Any team with a CURRENT budget at the luxury tax threshold or lower may spend to their budget (see 6.1.3 for luxury tax budget regulations). However, no team may spend over budget at any point in the season or the offseason. Any transaction that would take a team above current budget will be disallowed by the league office. This also applies to transactions that would take a team into the luxury tax: to complete such a transaction, the team must have sufficient current budget to both make payroll and pay the luxury tax (see 6.1.3).

Additionally, there are two restrictions in regards to budget trading and payroll management:

1) No team may reduce its *current budget* to less than 75% of its *true budget* through loans at any time. Loans that would violate this requirement will be disallowed by the League Office.

2) By the beginning of the regular season, every team must field a payroll that is at least 80% of its *current budget*, and must maintain at least 80% at all times during the season. Any game played by a team while out of compliance with this salary floor will count as a win for calculation of that team's IFA allocation and draft pick order, regardless of the actual result of the game.

6.1.3 Luxury Tax

A luxury tax threshold is set at $330M for the 2047 season, and increases by $5M every subsequent season.

Each team is assessed for luxury tax immediately after the regular season. Teams with payrolls above the threshold must pay $1M in luxury tax for each $1M in payroll in excess of that threshold. Because of that, any team that chooses to spend above the threshold must have $1M extra in budget for every $1M spent.

(e.g. If the Red Sox have a $400 million budget on a $350M luxury tax threshold, they can only spend $375 million on payroll. The remaining $25 million is withheld for luxury tax purposes.)

At the end of the postseason, all collected luxury tax for the season just completed is paid evenly to the teams with bottom-10 true budgets in that season, with any remainders going to the lowest-true budget teams in that group.

6.1.4 Getting More Money

A team may earn more money towards its true budget for eclipsing season goals:

Regular season:

Taken and re-formatted from “Bring The Heat”:

“Each season, every team will receive 3 goals that if they accomplish, will yield the team a reward to their budget. Goals will be assigned before Spring Training as determined by the commissioners. Goals will be listed in an external Google doc for teams to view. 

$1M Reward Goal - This will be the easiest goal to accomplish. An example could be to extend a player to a new contract. Once the goal has been completed, the team will be rewarded $1M. Failure to complete the goal by the end of the regular season will result in a loss of $1M. Failure to complete the $1M goal in two consecutive seasons will result in dismissal from the league. 

Mid-Level Goal - This goal will be related to team performance excluding win totals. For example, the goal could be finishing in the top 10 in team OPS or having 2 players elected to the ASG. Failure to complete the goal will not result in a deduction. 

Completing this goal will result in the following increases to true budget:

Bottom 8 true budgets (25-32): $3M
17-24 in true budget: $2M
9-16 in true budget: $1M
1-8 in true budget: $1M

Win Based Goal - This goal will be the hardest to complete. This goal will require teams to reach certain win thresholds. Poorly constructed teams will be asked to reach lower win thresholds than other teams. An example of a goal could be either to be better than .500 win % or to win the World Series. Failure to complete the goal will not result in a deduction."

Completing this goal will result in the following increases to true budget:

Bottom 8 true budgets (25-32): $5M
17-24 in true budget: $4M
9-16 in true budget: $3M
1-8 in true budget: $2M

Postseason:

(You can only get one of these)

WC Series: +$1M
WC Series WINNER: +$2M
A/NLDS Bye (top two division winners): +$3M
A/NLDS WINNER: +$4M
A/NLCS WINNER: +$6M
World Series WINNER: +$10M

6.2. CBA Voting

The owners and league office will meet to vote on new rules when applicable. Up to 15 rule changes will be voted on. At least half of the league has to agree for the rule change to take place.

All changes to the rules (voted in by CBA) are listed at the bottom of the rulebook.

6.3. All-Star Players/Manager Voting

Players:

Starters will be voted on from the end of the draft (Day 66) to Day 90 by-poll. Once the starters and manager are announced, the remaining 25 players will be selected by the managers. In all, 35 players will be selected for the All-Star Game each year.

Manager:

All GM’s that have managed a team throughout the course of the season are eligible for All-Star Voting, and will be voted on by the public. Voting decisions should be based on team success, but could be factored in numerous other ways, since voting is public.

The All-Star Game manager will be tasked with:

Choosing the 25 reserves (and breaking any tiebreakers in the poll)
Setup the All-Star Game Lineups
Choose the players that take over if another gets injured/a player is traded to the opposing league

The ASG manager will also receive a trophy in their case (e.g bragankelly11 - AL All-Star Manager)

6.4. Player Conduct/Storylines

6.4.1. A Note from the Commissioner

A reminder that this league is supposed to be realistic, and the rules mentioned below will be made in completely random scenarios at completely random times. This may seem unfair at times, but life is unfair sometimes, and life is realistic.

Also, I really do not care who wins and who doesn’t in this league. Do NOT assume that the commissioner is attacking one or a group of teams to hinder them. I could care less if the scenarios created hinder or boost your team.

The scenarios that may be created from the rules below are not designed to be automatic negatives (or positives) at all times. Remember, the owner/GM seat is supposed to (or try to) mimic that of a real-life GM or owner. These are designed to test an owner’s response and thought process through difficult situations, something that is also a real thing for real-GMs and owners. If you make good choices, the situation will resolve faster. If you make James Dolan-like choices, James Dolan-like things will happen as a response.

6.4.2. Off-Field Conduct

Part of this league is giving players, managers, staff, etc. a voice. The commissioner will represent the players, national or higher-popularity local media, and any miscellaneous activity. The owners will represent themselves, local media, and staff.

For the sake of wanting storylines with as little bias as possible, the commissioner can still influence storylines created by owners. This is to prevent every single player from suddenly being nice little darlings that will take less money and never get into brawls (aka My Little Pony).

The commissioner may take over if the storyline is getting too crazy or out of line, or if pieces are not adding up.

Any off-the-field conduct that results in suspension will result in a suspension announced before the start of the upcoming offseason.

6.4.3. On-Field Conduct

On-Field Incidents (benches clearing brawl, ejection, etc.) will take place from time to time. A homepage story will be written detailing all of the events that took place. AN OWNER CANNOT START ON-FIELD CONDUCT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES!

Within 48 hours of the incident, suspensions will be levied by GAMES, not DAYS. The commissioner will dictate appeals. An owner may appeal a player’s suspension for them within the next sim, but they may not force a player to pull the suspension. Unless time constraints disallow me to do it, this will be done immediately AFTER a sim, not before (for example, if I want suspensions to take place effective immediately between days 40 and 41, I would do it right after the sim of Day 41). This is to prevent any inconsistencies in lineups, especially in pitching rotations.

6.4.4. Rules

1.Any scenario that may affect free agency/extensions or involve players from other teams are done through commissioner power.
2. Under NO circumstances can an owner speak FOR a player that is on another team, even if they are unowned.
- To clarify, an owner can certainly respond to a player from another team’s statement on them, but they CANNOT create a statement for that player
3. To avoid scenarios where it becomes a straight back and forth battle for power over a fictional storyline, the commissioner can choose to end the story.
4. Theoretically, punishing players for speaking to the media is fine, but forcing them to not speak to the media is not. I have no idea what rules actual sports organizations have against players giving public information.

6.5. Name Database in this League

Many real names from the commissioner's life are used in this league, as shown here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1q90ie-GVp4wD5I51qAkhwMAqTD9CidefXSDGL96MEcs/edit?usp=sharing

Any use of a real name in this PennantChase League, sarmlb.com, sarmlb.weebly.com, or the SARMLB Discord Server is entirely for parody purposes and are not necessarily an indicator of that person's identity or their real-life personality.

Any names used in this league that closely resemble a real-life person with popularity is entirely coincidental.

7. GM Expectations

7.1 Activity

As a GM in any PC league, you must be active in the league. I'm not saying you have to turn into Jerry DiPito and make a trade every minute, but I do want to see a commitment in making your team better. If you are inactive for 15 days then you will be removed from your team. If you are inactive for 15 days for a second time, you will be booted.

The commissioner also has the right to boot an owner if he feels that the owner has done literally nothing to improve his team and said inactivity is hurting the team to a point where a monster rebuild would be necessary in the near future.

7.2 Tanking

Rebuilding is a primary tool for teams that cannot get over the hump. Therefore, tanking is sometimes a good thing. However, there are some forms of tanking that do not have that same sentimental value. Bad tanking can be defined in a number of ways:

Sandbagging players
Not setting lineups
Having lower tier players in the lineup
Etc…

If the league office determines that a team is tanking that is detrimental to the league, they will be punished as followed:

1st offense- loss of first-round draft pick
2nd offense- $10M fine
3rd offense- Loss of team, a fourth offense gets you banned

7.3 Cheating

If a vice-commissioner is caught cheating in any form, they will be banned from the league.

Granted, it is much harder for an average PC owner to cheat, but it can be done. If suspicious activity is noticed (e.g. suspicious trades with the same two owners), the league office will begin investigating to see if cheating has been committed. If the investigation concludes that an owner has cheated, they will be booted and banned from the league immediately.

While not necessarily possible, if the head commissioner cheats in any way, then he will be forced to give up his head commissioner tools to one of the vice commissioners and leave the league ASAP.

7.4 Tampering

Yes, I am fully aware that it benefits the players. Yes, I am aware that only one person (the commissioner) is making the decision. Yes, I am aware that tampering isn’t that big of the deal and is actually realistic in most parts. But when owners openly talk about how good a player is and how much a player should get while he’s under contract with another team, it makes me cringe so hard. Because yes, this is a realistic league, but I also want to keep the league fair. Tampering does not do that for anyone.

I can’t stop owners from talking about other players under contract and how good they are. That’s impossible, that’s whatever. However, I do ask that, if you start to talk about actual dollars, to do it in private. I just don’t want to see it and then have that severely impact my thought process, and then have an owner really mad that he lost a player because other owners were talking about how much they will pay him.

There is no official consequence to tampering, however, if it gets egregious (to a point where actual money you would give to a player is discussed) and I see that owners are just ignoring this rule, then I will levy a random and disproportionate punishment, so don’t bring me to have to come up with something of the sort.

7.5. Leaving the League Gracefully

I am VERY strict on owners that leave without a message. Abruptly leaving puts the commissioner in a spot where he suddenly has to quickly fill a hole.

If you are going to leave the league, please send a message in advance. Failure to do so will result in a 3-month ban from the league.

7.6 Respect

As a GM, you are also required to be respectful to the commissioner and respectful to your fellow owners. That means I don't want to see any slurs thrown out there, I don't want to hear complaints from owners about you bullying them, etc. Helping a new owner to PennantChase instead of trying to take advantage of him/her also counts as respect.

Any violation will be handled by the league office accordingly.

7.7 Chances

With the exception of cheating, or if you do something really egregious, if someone leaves the league on a sour note, I will usually grant second chances to owners after a while. Hell, I will usually grant a third chance if I’m feeling good. I will never, ever, grant an owner a fourth chance.

This is not a PC thing, this is my philosophy of life. Once you lose my trust and respect, I don’t even want to mess with you any more. You will have to earn my trust and respect back, because I will do my damn hardest to not be fooled again. Also, I may forgive, but for the most part, I never ever forget.

8. Have Fun, But Take This League Seriously to an Extent

All of these rules said, at the end of the day, this league and this entire site is about having fun. This league is designed for storylines and customization. As long as it’s in line, don’t hesitate to start rivals with other owners and create some off the storylines that this league covets so much.

Thank you for your participation in this league.

Bbfan20013
Jade
BK

The head commish is the only person that is allowed to edit the rules.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBA (2021-2022)

Extending 40-man rosters to 45-man rosters
Make IFA budgets reset after one year instead of two
The public only votes for the starters and managers
Eliminate having the ASG determine WS HFA (will go to the team with the better record)
Requires a team that QO's a player that doesn't sign to sign with the original team for at least $5M/1yr
Returning to the former QO system
35 players, no position limits or non-all star game players

CBA (2025-26)

Required Rookie contract set for $3M/4yrs, club option for fifth year, player to be signed only when he is called up
Prospects to be eligible for Rule 5 Draft after first full MiLB season

CBA (2031-32)

Single Trade Deadline on Day 120
Rosters to expand to 28 while September (Day 150) 40-man rosters are eliminated
Rookie contract to include a 6th year option worth $6M
Rookie contract is now $3M/4yrs (plus options) for first round picks, $2M/4yrs for second round picks, $1M/4yrs for everyone else
Non-tendering a rookie contract after their third season

CBA (2034-35)

New Free Agent Compensation System
Return to max. five-year rookie contract
Non-tendering a rookie contract after second season
Extra option year date moved forward to Day 120
Cash Trading Rule restructured to “Five years OR longest length of player contract”
Luxury tax overages given back after one season
New Amateur IFA system

CBA (2038-39)

- Extra Year for any prospect called up in the same year they were drafted
- ALL prospects 29 and older without a Major League Contract are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, regardless of 45-man roster status
- Rookie Contract third year option changed to $3M for all prospects
- Supplemental sixth round draft for all remaining players
- New amateur IFA system
- Postseason expansion

CBA (2046-47, 2047-48)

- Massive change to the budget system/luxury tax system

League Settings