RULEBOOK

Last Modified: January 19, 2024

5:04 PM

 

Mission Statement

To create a competitive and active fantasy baseball league for years to come. While 'domestic tranquility' is asked for, chirps and jabs are welcomed and encouraged.

 

League Settings

This will be a Yahoo! 12 team mixed keeper league. Scoring will be head-to-head points.

 

Official Roster Positions 

C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, Util, Util, Util, SP, SP, SP, SP, RP, RP, RP, RP, P, P, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, IL, IL, IL, IL, IL, IL, IL, NA, NA, NA, NA.

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Starting in 2024, IL spots will be reduced from 10 spots to 7 spots due to our 2023 end of season vote.

 

Official Scoring System

It is based on wOBA, which applies real life weighting to various events. You could round these to whole numbers, and it wouldn't change the rankings of players too much.

On average, a HR is worth 1.4 runs, so it is worth 14 points (-1 + 5.6 + 9.4). On average, a single is worth 0.46 runs, so it earns 4.6 points.

 

AB  -1.0

H  5.6

2B  2.9

3B  5.7

HR  9.4

BB  3.0

HBP  3.0

SB  1.9

CS  -2.8
 

Pitching is component based, so it doesn't care about runs scored. Hits are counted at 50% to give some blame to the fielders behind the pitcher. Saves and holds are used as leverage bonuses to give credit to good relievers and separate them from those who only get innings in a blowout.

 

IP  7.4

K  2.0

H  -2.6

BB  -3.0

HB  -3.0

HR  -12.3

SV  7.0

HOLDS  6.0

 

Entry Fee

The yearly entry fee will be $75. All managers must pay before the beginning of the auction draft each season. 

 

Payout Structure

Champion - $450

2nd place - $150

1st in regular season - $300

Note: Starting in the 2023 season, Touch 'Em All has eliminated the payout to 3rd place team. The reason for this is because during the Championship, the top 2 teams sometimes drop decent players to stream pitchers. Touch 'Em All does not want the 3rd or 4th place team to be able to pick up those decent players when everyone else's team is locked.

 

Playoffs

Each year 6 teams make the playoffs. The playoffs will occur on week 21, 22, 23. Playoffs extend into the middle of September due to MLB’s recent change of 28 man roster in September, rather than a 40 man roster. Playoff reseeding will be “ON”. Eliminated teams will be locked. Starting in 2024, teams will become unlocked on Championship Friday to allow for one last waiver period (processed on the Monday starting in 2024 following the end of the playoffs). This will give managers 2 days to put claims in. That way teams can restructure their teams after the playoffs without interfering with playoffs but having the ability to add/drop guys in preparation for next season.

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Managers

Managers must remain active and manage their rosters. If you wish not to play anymore, please let the Commissioner know and allow enough time for the Commissioner to find a replacement. 

 

Roster Management

Lineups

Lineups are set daily. Players acquired via waiver claims - which are processed Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday - can be used immediately if you successfully acquire the player. Starting in 2024, waiver claims will be processed Monday, Wednesday, Friday due to our 2023 end of season vote.

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Draft

Yearly auction drafts to fill team rosters will take place at a suitable date for league members (sometime in March). Auction drafts fill Major League rosters (MLB) only.

Each team will have a starting budget of $260 (Yahoo! default)

• Minimum bid of $1

• Remaining auction money will be lost - does not go into FAAB budget & does not roll into auction money next year

• In season, there is no budget to maintain

  • However, do keep in mind each season starts off with a $260 budget 

After the draft, undrafted players go through waivers (2 day waiting period before you can start bidding on players)

• This allows all managers to analyze their rosters, see who is available after the draft, and think about how they want to strategically use their FAAB budget

 

Keepers

The deadline to submit your keepers will be the first of March annually (3:00 AM EST) unless otherwise stated. You will receive reminders from the Commissioner to set your keepers. This allows enough time for each manager to do sufficient research for who will be available in the upcoming draft. 

 

At the start of each season, each manager has a budget of $260 (unless you traded away or acquired additional money from previous year). 

 

At the beginning of each year, each manager is able to keep as many players as the budget allows. This includes any healthy, IL, NA player on your roster. 

 

The cost of keeping players year over year is a $5 increase that will occur year over year. $5 increase will be added on to the players auction value

• For example, a manager successfully placed a bid for Mike Trout for $50 in 2020. If you wanted to keep Mike Trout for 2021, it would cost you $55. In 2022, $60. So on and so on.

• Why increase by $5 each year? To help prevent someone from keeping superstars until the end of their careers. We all want Mike Trout!

 

If a manager picks up a player via waivers/free agency and wants to keep the player year over year, the auction price (or successful bid) will be used to determine this player’s value. A $5 increase will occur year over year.

• For example: If a manager scooped up Pete Alonso in 2019 through waivers for $10 (using the FAAB system), it would cost you $15 to keep Alonso in 2020, $20 in 2021, etc.

• Example #2: If a player was drafted for a bid of ($20), then dropped, then bid on again ($5) through the FAAB system, you can keep the player for the FAAB price ($5 + $5 keeper increase) that you acquired the player through waivers, rather than his original drafted price ($20)

  • This is easier to track for the commissioner 

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The only exception to this rule is NA players from the previous season. A NA player will have a $0 carry over cost from their original acquisition cost. NA eligibility will be determined on the last day (Championship Sunday) of the previous season.

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FRANCHISE TAG

Effective at the beginning of the 2023 season, you will be able to select 1 player to keep for half their salary for one season. Once this player has been selected, he MUST go back into the auction the following year, even if he is moved or dropped. This will be tracked on the site with the player being highlighted a certain colour. Also note, the player you select for the tag will still incur the $5 carry over fee. Example, Trout is $51, he would be $56 to keep. If you keep him and tag him, he will cost $28 for the 2024 season. If a players salary is an odd number after the $5 carry over fee, commish Hitler will round up the number. Another example, Trout is $50. $55 to carry over. That would be $27.5 if tagged. So this number would be rounded up to $28.

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EDWIN DIAZ RULE

If a manager selects a keeper and the player sustains a significant injury that is season ending (ex. Edwin Diaz on March 15, 2023), the manager is allowed to retract his keeper selection, as long as it is before the draft (ex. March 21, 2023).

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Waivers/Free Agents

Waiver priority is now through a FAAB system.

• What is FAAB? 

  • “Free Agent Acquisition Budget”

Waivers are now set to “Continuous” 

• Continuous: All unowned players are on waivers at all times. Waiver claims are processed on fixed days of the week as defined by the commissioner. When a player is dropped, he must remain on waivers for a set number of days before he can be claimed; that number of days is indicated by the Waiver Time setting. 

• This allows us to properly use the FAAB system and not complicate keeper rules (free agent vs. waivers)

 

When a player is dropped, there is a waiting period of 2 days before he can be bid on

• This is to give everyone enough time to see that a player was dropped 

• Waivers will be processed on Monday, Wednesday, Friday (starting in 2024).

  • This will give managers enough time to place bids on players that were dropped and that they want to pick up

    • This way, everyone can participate in the waiver pool and place their bids if they choose to do so & not have to be on their phone/computer daily

 

The FAAB budget will be $100 (Yahoo! default) each year (this includes season & playoffs). This amount resets at the start of each year. Remaining money in your FAAB budget does not roll over year over year. Use your FAAB budget wisely!

 

Minimum bids will be $0 despite our 2022 vote for wanting minimum $1 bid. Yahoo does not allow a minimum $1 bid.

 

Managers are allowed to trade FAAB $ within the season.

 

Bids are blind, so other managers can't see what your bid is. Your bid can range from $1 to the remainder of your budget. Highest bid at the end of the waiver period wins the player. The winning bid is removed from that manager's budget. Ties are broken by Continual Rolling List waiver priority.

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Maximum Transactions Per Week: Unlimited

• Why the change from the original 2 that was in place in 2018 & 2019? The reason why there was a maximum of 2 acquisitions per week was to discourage managers not to use free agency to stream pitchers. However, now with the new FAAB system in place, and waivers processing only 3 days a week, are you going to bid against another manager for a streaming pitcher?! We will certainly find out.

• Another reason why we are switching to unlimited is to promote activity within the league

 

Trades

The Trade Deadline will be Thursday, August 8th, 2024. 

 

All trades are reviewed by the Commissioner. However, since this is a keeper league, to each their own on how they want to manage their roster. The Commissioner will only reject a trade if the Commissioner believes there is collusion. 

 

Players who are traded, who have not been dropped through waivers, carry their original auction price.

 

For example:

Backdoor Sliders Acquire:

• Mike Trout ($50)

• Adam Eaton  ($9)

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WAMCO Acquires:​

• Nolan Arenado ($42)

• Juan Soto ($30)

        

If Backdoor Sliders wants to keep Mike Trout, he has to pay his original auction price + $5 (annual inflation price to keep players), etc etc.

 

Once the two managers agree on a trade, submit and accept the trade involving players for Commissioner’s approval and let the Commissioner know if any auction money was involved. The Commissioner will keep track of all auction money. 

 

Improvements

A League Vote/Poll is only to be created by Commissioner (Morgan) of Touch ‘Em All. Requests for changes/updates can be submitted to the Commissioner (Morgan) which will be then brought forward in an annual vote, near the end of the season while the season is still top of mind.