Post by Northumberland Reivers on Oct 12, 2018 10:13:09 GMT -5
The Rules/Constitution for LS Dynasty can be found below.
Any questions, just post a thread, or email ls.dynasty.league@gmail.com (although I may reproduce your question on the forums if I feel it could benefit others' understanding).
League format
LS Dynasty is a 20-team head-to-head points league, with teams split equally into four divisions.
It features a 19 week regular season, with 3 rounds of 2 week playoffs, including a consolation bracket for non-playoff teams.
Lineups are set daily.
The initial rosters will be decided by auction for both MiLB and MLB.
It will be run on Fantrax, with off-season auctions and drafts taking place on Proboards.
Dues/Payment, inc abandonment rules
The fee for the league is $50 per year, with $100 collected in the initial year to ensure that teams are always paid up for the year ahead. This is to encourage GM retention and dissuade abandonment of teams.
Payments will be collected and managed through Fantrax Treasurer, with the next payment of $50 due by the beginning of the off-season auctions in 2020.
The deadline for payments for future seasons will be MLB opening day of each season. Any GM not paid up by opening day forfeits their team and will be removed from the league. Likewise any owner not participating in the draft and/or major league auction in each off-season will be deemed to have abandoned their team, will forfeit any payment and will be removed accordingly.
Roster construction, inc eligibility
Major League rosters will feature a maximum of 23 players, with a six man bench and a daily starting lineup of C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, UT – 4 SP and 4 RP.
Minor League rosters will feature a maximum of 20 players, with a minimum of 10 at any time. Both minor and major leaguers count to the overall salary cap (see below).
Players will be eligible at any position at which they appear(ed) 15 times in either the previous or current season. If they did not appear at any position 15 times in the previous season, the position at which they appeared the most will be assigned to them.
To be eligible as a starting pitcher, the player must have made 3 appearances in either the previous or current season. To be eligible as a relief pitcher, the player must have made 3 appearances in either the previous or current season.
Players who are at or below either 130 ABs or 50 IP are eligible to be placed in the minor league slot of your LS Dynasty team. At the end of the season in which they reach that threshold they must either be placed on the active roster or released, as per the contract rules section below.
Each side will have access to 5 Disabled List spaces. Players who are suspended (eg for PED use or under the MLB Domestic Violence Policy) are not eligible to be placed on the DL.
Scoring
Scoring will be as follows:
- Hitting
Walks, HBP, Singles, Stolen Bases, Runs and RBI – 1 point; Doubles 2 points; Triples 3 points; Home Runs - 4 points.
Strikeouts will cost -0.5 points, and Caught Stealing will cost -1 point.
- Pitching
Strikeouts – 1 point; Innings Pitched, Wins and Holds – 3 points; Saves – 4 points; Quality Starts – 6 points.
Hits Allowed, Walks allowed and HBP will cost -1 point; Losses and Home Runs Allowed will cost -4 points.
[The thinking behind this is to balance, as closely as possible, the output of the best hitters with the best pitchers.
Too often points leagues are skewed so heavily towards pitchers, whereas under this setting of the top 100 players by overall points in 2017 48 were pitchers and 52 were hitters, and from 101 to 200 44 were pitchers (6 RP) and 56 were hitters.
The very best pitchers will average around 20-24 points for a start, and the very best hitters between 3.5 and 4.0 points per game, meaning in an average gameweek with 1 start versus 6 appearances they score broadly similar amounts. This ratio continues down through to the more average starters (12-16 points) and average hitters (2-3 points per game).
This allows for more flexible roster construction, for different approaches to minor leaguers, and hopefully much better competitive balance overall.]
Schedule, playoff structure
Each team will play 19 regular season matchups, facing each opponent once. Where necessary, the all-star break and opening week matchups will be ‘extended’ to avoid short gameweeks. The schedule will be advised to GMs ahead of each season by the commissioner.
The final 5 weeks of the season will be reserved for inter-divisional fixtures, to ensure greater interest when it comes to teams battling out for division championships/playoff places, or to win potential tiebreakers.
The 4 division winners qualify automatically as seeds for the playoffs, ranked in order of win-loss record (with head-to-head record and overall points acting as tiebreakers, if necessary).
The 4 wildcard teams will be comprised of:
- the 2 best non-division winners in terms of win-loss record, followed by
- the 2 best remaining non-division winners in terms of points throughout the season.
If two or more teams are tied for best non-division winners in terms of win-loss record, the tie-breaker will be the result(s) of their head-to-head matchup(s) during the season. In a three or more way tie, teams will be ranked based on the head-to-head record in a mini-league. In the event this still does not resolve the tie, their overall points total from the season will decide the winner.
If the two best non-division winners in terms of points throughout the season are tied, the result(s) of their head-to-head matchup during the season will be used as a tie-breaker.
The wildcards will be decided in the order above, meaning the 16 teams will be ranked on win-loss record, with two teams progressing (subject to tiebreakers). The remaining 14 will then be ranked on points throughout the season, with two teams progressing (subject to tiebreakers).
Consolation brackets and draft order
The 8 sides that make the playoffs will fill out the last 8 picks of the First Year Player Draft in reverse order of finish - the champions will receive pick 20 and the runners-up pick 19. In each of the two previous rounds the sides who were knocked out will be ranked on their regular season records, subject to the tiebreakers listed above.
The 12 non-playoff teams will be ranked in the same order as the playoff teams above, with the teams ranked 17th through 20th competing in a consolation bracket to win the 1st overall pick at the next season’s First Year Player Draft. The runners-up in this bracket will receive the 2nd pick, with the sides knocked out in the first round being ranked on their regular season records, subject to the tiebreakers listed above.
The teams ranked 16th to 13th will compete for draft picks 5 through 8, and the teams ranked 12th through 9th will compete for draft picks 9 through 12 in a similar fashion.
The First Year Player Draft will be a non-snake draft, meaning that the side winning the 17th-20th consolation bracket will have first pick in each round, and the champions the 20th and last pick in each round.
Prizes
All proceeds, minus the fee for Fantrax Premium, will be returned in the form of prizes.
20 x $50 (-$79.95 for Fantrax) gives a prize pool of $920.05, which will be split as follows:
1st - $345.05
2nd - $175
3rd and 4th - $100
5th to 8th - $50
Should the fee for Fantrax Premium change, the commissioner will amend the prize pool as necessary in line with the above, with the understanding that those who make the playoffs will be guaranteed a return on their seasonal fee.
Auction procedure, inc initial auction rules for MiLB and MLB
Each team in LS Dynasty is subject to a salary cap of $100m.
Each off-season will feature both a First Year Player Draft (usually in January/February) and a Major League Player Auction (usually in February/March), both of which will take place on Proboards at a time to be advised by the commissioner.
The exception to this is in the inaugural year, in which there will be an auction for each team’s initial minor league roster, rather than a draft, following the procedure below.
- Initial Minor League auction
Ahead of the inaugural season, there will be a minor league auction.
Players eligible to be won in this auction must a) have a contract with a major league club, and b) be at or under the rookie limits of 130 AB or 50 IP at the start of the auction. This includes any J2 eligible players from 2018 who have confirmed a signing with a major league club.
Minor leaguers are subject to the league’s minimum salary ($500k) as long as they occupy a spot in a LS Dynasty minor league roster.
Each GM may nominate no more than two players at a time via Proboards, and teams will be able to bid a ‘signing bonus’ to win the player. The signing bonus will come off the team’s 2019 $100m salary cap in addition to the minimum salary.
Bids must stand for 24 hours to be won.
GMs may nominate a player with ‘no bid’, and should no other GM offer a signing bonus that player will be placed on the roster of the initial team at the base salary.
Every team must leave the auction with no fewer than 10 and no more than 15 minor leaguers, and with sufficient funds to complete their major league roster. The remaining 5 spots on the minor league roster will be added in the First Year Player Draft in 2020, when minor league rosters expand to 20 players. This is done partly to manage finances in the first year, and partly to ensure that both auctions can be completed in the time available.
- Initial Major League auction
Once the inaugural minor league auction has been completed, teams will then put their remaining salary cap towards filling out their major league roster of 23 players.
The same auction process will take place with GMs nominating up to 2 players each at any one time to be bid on.
Each GM must fill his/her roster completely at the end of the auction.
Major leaguers are similarly subject to a minimum contract of $500k. Any new bid on a player must be at least $250k more than the preceding bid.
The bids being made in the major league auction are for the player’s ‘base salary’, which will be subject to an annual increase when contracts are assigned (see below).
Any bid made must be considered a ‘won’ bid, and each GM will need to ensure they have enough funds remaining to fill out their roster.
A record of contracts and future cap space will be updated throughout the draft by the commissioner via Google Sheets to facilitate GMs in this process.
Any infraction whereby a GM has bid over their salary cap will result in the bid being made null and void, and the previous winning bid being reinstated. The GM concerned will be barred from winning that particular player.
Any further infraction(s) will result in the same punishment, plus the removal of $1m of cap space per infraction. It is each GM’s responsibility to ensure they don’t overbid on players.
Between the end of the auction and beginning of the season if a player is destined to start on the Disabled List, the commissioner can move them there at GM’s request (using Rosterresource as a likely arbiter in disputed cases) to allow the GM to add a free agent in their place, assuming they have the cap space.
- Contracts
Once the auction has completed, each GM will have a short period to assign contracts to each player they have won.
Contracts may range between 1 and 5 years for each player.
The base salary of a player will increase by 10% of the base salary each year – so a player won for $1m and given a 3 year contract will be paid $1m in 2019, $1.1m in 2020 and $1.2m in 2021, while a player won for $4m and given a five year contract will be paid $4m, $4.4m, $4.8m, $5.2m and $5.6m accordingly over the life of their contract.
Each GM must give out between 45 and 75 years’ worth of contracts in the initial major league auction. This is to prevent a short-termism in giving a whole roster of players 1 year contracts, and to prevent too many 5 year contracts, which will facilitate a natural ‘churn’ in players being made available in each off-season.
It is up to each GM to keep an eye on future cap space, as you must enter each off-season auction process with enough cap space to fill the necessary places on your roster.
A record of contracts and future cap space will be managed and made available by the commissioner through Google Sheets to facilitate GMs in this process.
In the event a player is entering a draft over cap, they must trade and/or release players (see below) before the start of the auction. Failure to do so will result in the commissioner making a decision to release a player(s) as necessary.
Minor League roster eligibility
A player is able to be placed on an LS Dynasty minor league roster if he fulfils one of the below:
1 - He is at or below the rookie limits of 130 AB or 50 IP.
2 - He is on a real-life MLB minor league roster (marked by the green flag in Fantrax)
3 - He began the season on an LS Dynasty minor league roster and has surpassed his rooker limits, but has not been promoted
Options 1 and 2 apply to all players, and are intended to provide roster flexibility - if one of your major leaguers is demoted or placed on a rehab assignment following an injury, for example, you can temporarily place them into your minor league roster (providing you have space) and sign a replacement for your major league roster. Should a player to whom 2 is applicable be promoted back to their team's major league roster, the GM must make a corresponding move within 3 days, as that player no longer fulfils the requirement of being eligible for a minor league spot.
A player can be promoted from the minor leagues at any time, but doing so starts their 'service clock' (see 'Contracts' section below).
The exception to the above is in-season FA pickups. Options 1 and 2 apply to those players when they are added to your roster, so that an FA pickup can be made and 'stashed' in your minor leagues. To avoid the constant cycling of players between minors and majors the league voted to close this loophole - once an FA addition is promoted to the major league roster he can not be demoted to the minors, and must either stay on the roster or be released.
Option 3 does not apply to FA additions - as soon as an FA pickup passes rookie eligibility he must be promoted or released.
2020 Onwards
- First Year Player Draft
Minor leaguers will be available to be drafted in a non-snake draft, conducted on Proboards.
The order of the draft will be in relation to the playoff and consolation brackets of the preceding season as outlined above, with the winner of the 17th-20th placed bracket having the first pick in each round, and the overall champion the 20th pick in each round.
In these drafts any player under the rookie limits of 130 AB or 50 IP is available to be drafted, provided they are signed with a major league team.
The only exception to this will be any international free agents who sign as a professional for an MLB team (ie they get a major league contract, rather than receive a signing bonus under the international bonus pool allocation, such as José Abreu or Yu Darvish in recent years). These players will be available in the Major League auction.
- Subsequent Major League auctions
Each year after the FYPD each team will fill up the remaining spaces on their roster through the major league auction.
This will follow the auction process outlined above, and any player with at least 1 AB or 0.1 IP is eligible to be bid on.
Any player signed can be given a contract between 1 and 5 years without restriction.
Contracts and salaries, inc extensions, dropping, FA and waivers, FAAB
Any players not selected in the initial minor or major league auction (or in subsequent First Year Player Drafts or auctions) will proceed to free agency. All free agents are available at the minimum salary of $500k for one year, and will proceed to the appropriate draft or auction at season's end.
A player can be dropped from a roster at any time, but the team dropping him is liable for 50% of his remaining contract. The amount owed will automatically be applied to future years as cap reductions as appropriate. If the team in question has sufficient cap space in the current season and wishes to pay off all future years they can elect to do so by requesting the commissioner update the spreadsheet accordingly.
Once dropped, players proceed to the waiver wire for 3 days. The waiver wire is set as the reverse of the standings, and once a claim is made that side will move to the bottom of the claim order.
Players moved to the Disabled List do not count against cap space while they are on the DL. They must be promoted to the roster (or dropped) within 72 hours of coming off the DL in real life.
Free Agents signings are subject to a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB). The free agent process runs daily, and each team is given $100 in FAAB each season. Bids of $0 are allowed.
Minor leaguers are eligible to be dropped for a one-off payment of $250k, but can be dropped for free in the off-season.
A player's contract will be voided in the event of confirmed retirement or death. The team will not be responsible for 50% of any future year's salary.
Extensions
Following a league vote in 2019, the following rules apply to extending a player's contract
In the off-season in which a player's contract expires, a GM has the option to extend that player for another year. The cost of doing so would be 100% of his original base salary. This only applies to players won at auction, whose initial contract was at least two years - single year deals at auction, and those players picked up in Free Agency during the season would automatically be released.
In the off-season in which a promoted minor leaguer's contract expires, a GM has a one-off option to extend that player for another year (at a cost of $4m), or for two years (at a cost of $4m in the first year, and $8m in the second year). These amounts have been chosen to reflect the average cost of a major league contract, given the $100m budget.
In-season – trading, trade deadline
The trade deadline will be set and advised to managers ahead of each season. It is expected to fall between the MLB non-waiver trade deadline and the end of LS Dynasty’s regular season where possible.
GMs may trade any combination of player(s) and FYPD draft pick(s) to each other.
Salary cap space/cash may not be traded.
Draft picks may only be traded from the upcoming draft, to ensure that players are trading away a pick in a season which they have already paid for.
Trades will be approved by the commissioner in a timely fashion (usually within 72 hours).
There will be no voting on trades, but if any GM has a concern on a trade agreed between two parties they should raise it with the commissioner before it is approved.
It is a principle of the league that all GMs should be allowed to manage their teams as they see fit – any objections should be respectful of that fact, and concerns should be about the integrity of the league rather than the ability or judgement of the GM with regard to a player(s).
In incredibly rare cases a GM (or both) in a deal may be required to explain their reasoning behind a trade if the commissioner feels that it is not in the best interests of both teams and the integrity of LS Dynasty as a whole before the trade is approved.
Others – changes to constitution, commissioner rulings on disputes
The season end date, as specified at the beginning of each season, will be final. It is intended to finish before the final week of the regular MLB season to maintain the integrity of the results in LS Dynasty. This will avoid the situation where players are rested/starters are skipped to be lined up for playoff or wildcard games, and provide a more ‘true’ reflection of the best team. Where the season ends in the final week of the MLB season, any 'Game 163' results will not be included in the final playoff matchup(s).
Changes can be made to the constitution at any time. When a significant change is proposed, it may be deferred for a year (or more) to allow teams to come into compliance (eg: should it have significant effects on roster size or salary cap). Such timetables will be announced by the commissioner. Major changes will be voted upon by the league, with the majority required to be determined by the commissioner on a case by case basis.
Minor changes, clarifications or rulings on disputes may be made from time to time by the commissioner. Whenever these are made, they will be communicated to GMs as quickly as possible, with full reasons given for any decision, and the constitution updated accordingly.
Rough Timelines for each season of LS Dynasty
January/February - Minors draft to include FYPD and J2 signings.
February/March - Major League auction
March - Season begins.
Mid-August - Trade deadline
August/September - Playoffs
Late September - End of season
October - Resigns/release to be completed, rosters lock
November to January - League spreadsheet and contracts updated
January - Trading opens
Dissolving the league
There comes a time in each league's lifespan that it should come to a close. LS Dynasty may be dissolved by a vote of its GMs at any point during any offseason. Should that occur, dues will not be collected for the final season, and payouts made from the virtue of having been collected a year in advance from the outset.
Any questions, just post a thread, or email ls.dynasty.league@gmail.com (although I may reproduce your question on the forums if I feel it could benefit others' understanding).
League format
LS Dynasty is a 20-team head-to-head points league, with teams split equally into four divisions.
It features a 19 week regular season, with 3 rounds of 2 week playoffs, including a consolation bracket for non-playoff teams.
Lineups are set daily.
The initial rosters will be decided by auction for both MiLB and MLB.
It will be run on Fantrax, with off-season auctions and drafts taking place on Proboards.
Dues/Payment, inc abandonment rules
The fee for the league is $50 per year, with $100 collected in the initial year to ensure that teams are always paid up for the year ahead. This is to encourage GM retention and dissuade abandonment of teams.
Payments will be collected and managed through Fantrax Treasurer, with the next payment of $50 due by the beginning of the off-season auctions in 2020.
The deadline for payments for future seasons will be MLB opening day of each season. Any GM not paid up by opening day forfeits their team and will be removed from the league. Likewise any owner not participating in the draft and/or major league auction in each off-season will be deemed to have abandoned their team, will forfeit any payment and will be removed accordingly.
Roster construction, inc eligibility
Major League rosters will feature a maximum of 23 players, with a six man bench and a daily starting lineup of C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, UT – 4 SP and 4 RP.
Minor League rosters will feature a maximum of 20 players, with a minimum of 10 at any time. Both minor and major leaguers count to the overall salary cap (see below).
Players will be eligible at any position at which they appear(ed) 15 times in either the previous or current season. If they did not appear at any position 15 times in the previous season, the position at which they appeared the most will be assigned to them.
To be eligible as a starting pitcher, the player must have made 3 appearances in either the previous or current season. To be eligible as a relief pitcher, the player must have made 3 appearances in either the previous or current season.
Players who are at or below either 130 ABs or 50 IP are eligible to be placed in the minor league slot of your LS Dynasty team. At the end of the season in which they reach that threshold they must either be placed on the active roster or released, as per the contract rules section below.
Each side will have access to 5 Disabled List spaces. Players who are suspended (eg for PED use or under the MLB Domestic Violence Policy) are not eligible to be placed on the DL.
Scoring
Scoring will be as follows:
- Hitting
Walks, HBP, Singles, Stolen Bases, Runs and RBI – 1 point; Doubles 2 points; Triples 3 points; Home Runs - 4 points.
Strikeouts will cost -0.5 points, and Caught Stealing will cost -1 point.
- Pitching
Strikeouts – 1 point; Innings Pitched, Wins and Holds – 3 points; Saves – 4 points; Quality Starts – 6 points.
Hits Allowed, Walks allowed and HBP will cost -1 point; Losses and Home Runs Allowed will cost -4 points.
[The thinking behind this is to balance, as closely as possible, the output of the best hitters with the best pitchers.
Too often points leagues are skewed so heavily towards pitchers, whereas under this setting of the top 100 players by overall points in 2017 48 were pitchers and 52 were hitters, and from 101 to 200 44 were pitchers (6 RP) and 56 were hitters.
The very best pitchers will average around 20-24 points for a start, and the very best hitters between 3.5 and 4.0 points per game, meaning in an average gameweek with 1 start versus 6 appearances they score broadly similar amounts. This ratio continues down through to the more average starters (12-16 points) and average hitters (2-3 points per game).
This allows for more flexible roster construction, for different approaches to minor leaguers, and hopefully much better competitive balance overall.]
Schedule, playoff structure
Each team will play 19 regular season matchups, facing each opponent once. Where necessary, the all-star break and opening week matchups will be ‘extended’ to avoid short gameweeks. The schedule will be advised to GMs ahead of each season by the commissioner.
The final 5 weeks of the season will be reserved for inter-divisional fixtures, to ensure greater interest when it comes to teams battling out for division championships/playoff places, or to win potential tiebreakers.
The 4 division winners qualify automatically as seeds for the playoffs, ranked in order of win-loss record (with head-to-head record and overall points acting as tiebreakers, if necessary).
The 4 wildcard teams will be comprised of:
- the 2 best non-division winners in terms of win-loss record, followed by
- the 2 best remaining non-division winners in terms of points throughout the season.
If two or more teams are tied for best non-division winners in terms of win-loss record, the tie-breaker will be the result(s) of their head-to-head matchup(s) during the season. In a three or more way tie, teams will be ranked based on the head-to-head record in a mini-league. In the event this still does not resolve the tie, their overall points total from the season will decide the winner.
If the two best non-division winners in terms of points throughout the season are tied, the result(s) of their head-to-head matchup during the season will be used as a tie-breaker.
The wildcards will be decided in the order above, meaning the 16 teams will be ranked on win-loss record, with two teams progressing (subject to tiebreakers). The remaining 14 will then be ranked on points throughout the season, with two teams progressing (subject to tiebreakers).
Consolation brackets and draft order
The 8 sides that make the playoffs will fill out the last 8 picks of the First Year Player Draft in reverse order of finish - the champions will receive pick 20 and the runners-up pick 19. In each of the two previous rounds the sides who were knocked out will be ranked on their regular season records, subject to the tiebreakers listed above.
The 12 non-playoff teams will be ranked in the same order as the playoff teams above, with the teams ranked 17th through 20th competing in a consolation bracket to win the 1st overall pick at the next season’s First Year Player Draft. The runners-up in this bracket will receive the 2nd pick, with the sides knocked out in the first round being ranked on their regular season records, subject to the tiebreakers listed above.
The teams ranked 16th to 13th will compete for draft picks 5 through 8, and the teams ranked 12th through 9th will compete for draft picks 9 through 12 in a similar fashion.
The First Year Player Draft will be a non-snake draft, meaning that the side winning the 17th-20th consolation bracket will have first pick in each round, and the champions the 20th and last pick in each round.
Prizes
All proceeds, minus the fee for Fantrax Premium, will be returned in the form of prizes.
20 x $50 (-$79.95 for Fantrax) gives a prize pool of $920.05, which will be split as follows:
1st - $345.05
2nd - $175
3rd and 4th - $100
5th to 8th - $50
Should the fee for Fantrax Premium change, the commissioner will amend the prize pool as necessary in line with the above, with the understanding that those who make the playoffs will be guaranteed a return on their seasonal fee.
Auction procedure, inc initial auction rules for MiLB and MLB
Each team in LS Dynasty is subject to a salary cap of $100m.
Each off-season will feature both a First Year Player Draft (usually in January/February) and a Major League Player Auction (usually in February/March), both of which will take place on Proboards at a time to be advised by the commissioner.
The exception to this is in the inaugural year, in which there will be an auction for each team’s initial minor league roster, rather than a draft, following the procedure below.
- Initial Minor League auction
Ahead of the inaugural season, there will be a minor league auction.
Players eligible to be won in this auction must a) have a contract with a major league club, and b) be at or under the rookie limits of 130 AB or 50 IP at the start of the auction. This includes any J2 eligible players from 2018 who have confirmed a signing with a major league club.
Minor leaguers are subject to the league’s minimum salary ($500k) as long as they occupy a spot in a LS Dynasty minor league roster.
Each GM may nominate no more than two players at a time via Proboards, and teams will be able to bid a ‘signing bonus’ to win the player. The signing bonus will come off the team’s 2019 $100m salary cap in addition to the minimum salary.
Bids must stand for 24 hours to be won.
GMs may nominate a player with ‘no bid’, and should no other GM offer a signing bonus that player will be placed on the roster of the initial team at the base salary.
Every team must leave the auction with no fewer than 10 and no more than 15 minor leaguers, and with sufficient funds to complete their major league roster. The remaining 5 spots on the minor league roster will be added in the First Year Player Draft in 2020, when minor league rosters expand to 20 players. This is done partly to manage finances in the first year, and partly to ensure that both auctions can be completed in the time available.
- Initial Major League auction
Once the inaugural minor league auction has been completed, teams will then put their remaining salary cap towards filling out their major league roster of 23 players.
The same auction process will take place with GMs nominating up to 2 players each at any one time to be bid on.
Each GM must fill his/her roster completely at the end of the auction.
Major leaguers are similarly subject to a minimum contract of $500k. Any new bid on a player must be at least $250k more than the preceding bid.
The bids being made in the major league auction are for the player’s ‘base salary’, which will be subject to an annual increase when contracts are assigned (see below).
Any bid made must be considered a ‘won’ bid, and each GM will need to ensure they have enough funds remaining to fill out their roster.
A record of contracts and future cap space will be updated throughout the draft by the commissioner via Google Sheets to facilitate GMs in this process.
Any infraction whereby a GM has bid over their salary cap will result in the bid being made null and void, and the previous winning bid being reinstated. The GM concerned will be barred from winning that particular player.
Any further infraction(s) will result in the same punishment, plus the removal of $1m of cap space per infraction. It is each GM’s responsibility to ensure they don’t overbid on players.
Between the end of the auction and beginning of the season if a player is destined to start on the Disabled List, the commissioner can move them there at GM’s request (using Rosterresource as a likely arbiter in disputed cases) to allow the GM to add a free agent in their place, assuming they have the cap space.
- Contracts
Once the auction has completed, each GM will have a short period to assign contracts to each player they have won.
Contracts may range between 1 and 5 years for each player.
The base salary of a player will increase by 10% of the base salary each year – so a player won for $1m and given a 3 year contract will be paid $1m in 2019, $1.1m in 2020 and $1.2m in 2021, while a player won for $4m and given a five year contract will be paid $4m, $4.4m, $4.8m, $5.2m and $5.6m accordingly over the life of their contract.
Each GM must give out between 45 and 75 years’ worth of contracts in the initial major league auction. This is to prevent a short-termism in giving a whole roster of players 1 year contracts, and to prevent too many 5 year contracts, which will facilitate a natural ‘churn’ in players being made available in each off-season.
It is up to each GM to keep an eye on future cap space, as you must enter each off-season auction process with enough cap space to fill the necessary places on your roster.
A record of contracts and future cap space will be managed and made available by the commissioner through Google Sheets to facilitate GMs in this process.
In the event a player is entering a draft over cap, they must trade and/or release players (see below) before the start of the auction. Failure to do so will result in the commissioner making a decision to release a player(s) as necessary.
Minor League roster eligibility
A player is able to be placed on an LS Dynasty minor league roster if he fulfils one of the below:
1 - He is at or below the rookie limits of 130 AB or 50 IP.
2 - He is on a real-life MLB minor league roster (marked by the green flag in Fantrax)
3 - He began the season on an LS Dynasty minor league roster and has surpassed his rooker limits, but has not been promoted
Options 1 and 2 apply to all players, and are intended to provide roster flexibility - if one of your major leaguers is demoted or placed on a rehab assignment following an injury, for example, you can temporarily place them into your minor league roster (providing you have space) and sign a replacement for your major league roster. Should a player to whom 2 is applicable be promoted back to their team's major league roster, the GM must make a corresponding move within 3 days, as that player no longer fulfils the requirement of being eligible for a minor league spot.
A player can be promoted from the minor leagues at any time, but doing so starts their 'service clock' (see 'Contracts' section below).
The exception to the above is in-season FA pickups. Options 1 and 2 apply to those players when they are added to your roster, so that an FA pickup can be made and 'stashed' in your minor leagues. To avoid the constant cycling of players between minors and majors the league voted to close this loophole - once an FA addition is promoted to the major league roster he can not be demoted to the minors, and must either stay on the roster or be released.
Option 3 does not apply to FA additions - as soon as an FA pickup passes rookie eligibility he must be promoted or released.
2020 Onwards
- First Year Player Draft
Minor leaguers will be available to be drafted in a non-snake draft, conducted on Proboards.
The order of the draft will be in relation to the playoff and consolation brackets of the preceding season as outlined above, with the winner of the 17th-20th placed bracket having the first pick in each round, and the overall champion the 20th pick in each round.
In these drafts any player under the rookie limits of 130 AB or 50 IP is available to be drafted, provided they are signed with a major league team.
The only exception to this will be any international free agents who sign as a professional for an MLB team (ie they get a major league contract, rather than receive a signing bonus under the international bonus pool allocation, such as José Abreu or Yu Darvish in recent years). These players will be available in the Major League auction.
- Subsequent Major League auctions
Each year after the FYPD each team will fill up the remaining spaces on their roster through the major league auction.
This will follow the auction process outlined above, and any player with at least 1 AB or 0.1 IP is eligible to be bid on.
Any player signed can be given a contract between 1 and 5 years without restriction.
Contracts and salaries, inc extensions, dropping, FA and waivers, FAAB
Any players not selected in the initial minor or major league auction (or in subsequent First Year Player Drafts or auctions) will proceed to free agency. All free agents are available at the minimum salary of $500k for one year, and will proceed to the appropriate draft or auction at season's end.
A player can be dropped from a roster at any time, but the team dropping him is liable for 50% of his remaining contract. The amount owed will automatically be applied to future years as cap reductions as appropriate. If the team in question has sufficient cap space in the current season and wishes to pay off all future years they can elect to do so by requesting the commissioner update the spreadsheet accordingly.
Once dropped, players proceed to the waiver wire for 3 days. The waiver wire is set as the reverse of the standings, and once a claim is made that side will move to the bottom of the claim order.
Players moved to the Disabled List do not count against cap space while they are on the DL. They must be promoted to the roster (or dropped) within 72 hours of coming off the DL in real life.
Free Agents signings are subject to a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB). The free agent process runs daily, and each team is given $100 in FAAB each season. Bids of $0 are allowed.
Minor leaguers are eligible to be dropped for a one-off payment of $250k, but can be dropped for free in the off-season.
A player's contract will be voided in the event of confirmed retirement or death. The team will not be responsible for 50% of any future year's salary.
Extensions
Following a league vote in 2019, the following rules apply to extending a player's contract
In the off-season in which a player's contract expires, a GM has the option to extend that player for another year. The cost of doing so would be 100% of his original base salary. This only applies to players won at auction, whose initial contract was at least two years - single year deals at auction, and those players picked up in Free Agency during the season would automatically be released.
In the off-season in which a promoted minor leaguer's contract expires, a GM has a one-off option to extend that player for another year (at a cost of $4m), or for two years (at a cost of $4m in the first year, and $8m in the second year). These amounts have been chosen to reflect the average cost of a major league contract, given the $100m budget.
In-season – trading, trade deadline
The trade deadline will be set and advised to managers ahead of each season. It is expected to fall between the MLB non-waiver trade deadline and the end of LS Dynasty’s regular season where possible.
GMs may trade any combination of player(s) and FYPD draft pick(s) to each other.
Salary cap space/cash may not be traded.
Draft picks may only be traded from the upcoming draft, to ensure that players are trading away a pick in a season which they have already paid for.
Trades will be approved by the commissioner in a timely fashion (usually within 72 hours).
There will be no voting on trades, but if any GM has a concern on a trade agreed between two parties they should raise it with the commissioner before it is approved.
It is a principle of the league that all GMs should be allowed to manage their teams as they see fit – any objections should be respectful of that fact, and concerns should be about the integrity of the league rather than the ability or judgement of the GM with regard to a player(s).
In incredibly rare cases a GM (or both) in a deal may be required to explain their reasoning behind a trade if the commissioner feels that it is not in the best interests of both teams and the integrity of LS Dynasty as a whole before the trade is approved.
Others – changes to constitution, commissioner rulings on disputes
The season end date, as specified at the beginning of each season, will be final. It is intended to finish before the final week of the regular MLB season to maintain the integrity of the results in LS Dynasty. This will avoid the situation where players are rested/starters are skipped to be lined up for playoff or wildcard games, and provide a more ‘true’ reflection of the best team. Where the season ends in the final week of the MLB season, any 'Game 163' results will not be included in the final playoff matchup(s).
Changes can be made to the constitution at any time. When a significant change is proposed, it may be deferred for a year (or more) to allow teams to come into compliance (eg: should it have significant effects on roster size or salary cap). Such timetables will be announced by the commissioner. Major changes will be voted upon by the league, with the majority required to be determined by the commissioner on a case by case basis.
Minor changes, clarifications or rulings on disputes may be made from time to time by the commissioner. Whenever these are made, they will be communicated to GMs as quickly as possible, with full reasons given for any decision, and the constitution updated accordingly.
Rough Timelines for each season of LS Dynasty
January/February - Minors draft to include FYPD and J2 signings.
February/March - Major League auction
March - Season begins.
Mid-August - Trade deadline
August/September - Playoffs
Late September - End of season
October - Resigns/release to be completed, rosters lock
November to January - League spreadsheet and contracts updated
January - Trading opens
Dissolving the league
There comes a time in each league's lifespan that it should come to a close. LS Dynasty may be dissolved by a vote of its GMs at any point during any offseason. Should that occur, dues will not be collected for the final season, and payouts made from the virtue of having been collected a year in advance from the outset.
