Trades are essential in any online OOTP league. To truly succeed, mastering the art of trading is key. In the PBC, you can signal your trading intentions in three effective ways: by using the in-game trade block, posting in the "trades" Slack channels, or directly messaging GMs about potential deals. Sometimes, the best trades involve unexpected players. However, being transparent about your available players can be advantageous for you.
Trades will only be between two organizations and may include up to 10 players from either side and/or cash. All players in a PBC organization are eligible to be traded. Players in the international complex must be promoted prior to the trade and they cannot return to a complex.
Coaches, draft picks, and players on irrevocable waivers are not eligible to be traded. Teams may not retain salary for a traded player.
Foot stomp: DO NOT waive players that you trade. The trade will NOT process if a player is on waivers
Cash Interpretation: In OOTP, cash is essentially a budget modifier. If a team has a positive cash balance, their available money will increase by the amount of that positive cash balance. Similarly, if a team has a negative cash balance, their available money will decrease by the amount of that negative cash balance.
During trade negotiations, cash may be used up to when the available money reaches zero. This means that you can trade more cash than you currently possess because the extra cash comes out of your budget, which lowers your available money. This might complicate your trade as you may not be able to submit it in game. Contact a commish to ensure that the trade is able to be processed.
Salary caps violations are only checked pre-sim and only when games will be played. Since trades are processed post-sim, a team may go over the salary cap to complete a trade but must get under prior to the next salary cap check.
In the PBC, the essence of an agreement is built on mutual respect and trust between GMs.
Initial Agreement: Trades primarily hinge on the agreement struck privately between two GMs. Once both parties concur during these discussions, it's treated as an official commitment.
Trade Submission in OOTP: Following the initial agreement, both GMs must submit and export the trade within OOTP. This step ensures that the league commish can quickly process the trade so that others are not kept waiting for the league file. If challenges arise preventing a GM from exporting, it's essential to notify the commissioner overseeing the next sim.
Trade Validation: The S+ trade feature serves as the formal confirmation tool, further cementing the trade's official status. This also will alert the league to the trade.
Commissioner's Review: While the private agreement between GMs is considered binding, the commissioner will ensure that both GMs have exported their agreed trades in the system. If one GM couldn't export due to a valid reason but the agreement exists, the trade may still be processed after S+ confirmation.
Commitments made in private conversations are binding. A change of heart post-agreement doesn't invalidate the trade. If a GM provides proof of the agreement to a commish, the trade will be marked valid. Of course, trades may be cancelled if both GMs agree.
Trades will normally be processed after the sim (Offseason trades are processed pre-sim). After the trades are processed, the file will be uploaded immediately, and the GM will be able to place the players where they choose.
If both GMs agree and leave detailed instructions on where to place players, the commish will process the trade before the sim. If the trade is on the bigger side, please contact the commish to see if it's too much to do pre-sim.
Should a trade remain unprocessed post-sim, it's typically due to one of two scenarios:
Player Injury: A player involved in the trade suffered an injury during the sim that sidelines them for over 7 days. The involved GMs will need to decide whether to amend the trade or proceed as initially agreed. Note: If the GMs reaffirm the agreement, the trade will process before the next sim however, the trade can be processed before the file is uploaded if both GMs are online and can provide a prompt response. GMs may post assignment and lineup instructions in the "request-actions" channel.
Trade Irregularities: The trade might breach specific rules or could be formatted in a way that complicates quick processing by the commissioner.
The league update will not be delayed while two GM's debate an unprocessed trade.
Any unprocessed trades will be highlighted in the sim announcement for awareness only and isn't meant as public criticism.
We don't typically veto trades in this league. Almost all trades, even those perceived as unbalanced by some GMs, will be approved. However, a trade may be vetoed by the commissioner group in these three situations:
Should anyone think a trade fits these veto criteria, please inform the commissioner group promptly.
The PBC deadline for trading players will always be September 5th of each in-game year. Trades made on the deadline have to be processed before the sim. Instructions must be left.
NOTE: The trade deadline is a hard time of the export deadline posted by the commissioner in the sim announcement post. Trades must be exported, or confirmed if required, before the deadline time or they will not be processed. Invalid trades are not allowed to be renegotiated past the deadline. This hard deadline time was established to simulate the deadline that real GMs face. However, if the simmer is late, then all trades exported before the simmer imports will be processed.
In OOTP, players may be offered a no-trade clause (NTC) during contract negotiations. But this can pose challenges if you later decide to trade the player. Remember, a player's choice to invoke their NTC or 10/5 right will always be respected and cannot be overridden.
It is legal to waive a player with a No-Trade Clause (NTC) in an attempt to provoke them into waiving their NTC. It should be noted that GMs may agree to trade for a player on irrevocable waivers, but the trade will not be processed until after the player clears waivers. Other GMs, including the one trading for that player, may, of course, claim the player before the trade can be processed.
Note for all GMs: All players that are on the free agent list are eligible to be signed at any time!
Service Day on Opening Day: A player on the major league roster at the game’s turnover to Opening Day does not receive a service day. Service days are only accrued once Opening Day is simmed forward.
Note for Commish: Add a one year contract extension with an option prior to the offseason beginning.
GMs may offer a contract to any player at any time for any amount and without any limitations, with the exception of the Blue Rule (see section 2.3). However, any contract that is viewed by the rules committee as an attempt at "game or rules manipulation" will be edited to become fully guaranteed. In short, do not offer any contracts that you aren't willing to have fully guaranteed. If you have a legitimate concern about how a contract will be viewed, please ask someone in the league leadership.
The Blue Rule (IYKYK) was created to address tactics by GMs aiming to sidestep salary caps. Some GMs might offer a high final year salary intending to release the player that year, benefiting from lower initial years' salary impacts. To counteract this, we have established the following procedures:
Note: An escalating year is defined as a year in which the player's contract is higher than the previous year.
Illegal Contact example:
4-year, $4,500,000 contract signed in 2000
2000: $550,000
2001: $800,000
2002: $1,550,000
2003: $1,600,000
To use the above contract as an example, 550k/800k/1.55m/1.6m may be adjusted to 600k/900k/1.5m/1.5m.
If a restructure proves to be too difficult, the contract may be voided by a commish.
In hopes of providing clarity on the Blue rule, here are some examples of contracts:
5-year contract signed in 1991
1991: $1,500,000
1992: $1,500,000
1993: $1,650,000 (Not more than 10% of the lowest individual year)
1994: $1,650,000
1995: $1,650,000
4 years contract signed in 1997
1997: $1,800,000
1998: $950,000 (Falls below $1.5m but does not rise back above $1.5m)
1999: $1,500,000
2000: $1,500,000
5-year contract signed in 1977
1977: $900,000
1978: $900,000
1979: $1,100,000
1980: $1,100,000
1981: $1,700,000 (Contract started below $1.5m, so no value may be above $1.5m)
5-year contract signed in 1982
1982: $2,000,000
1983: $1,800,000
1984: $1,500,000
1985: $1,400,000
1986: $1,800,000 (Fell below $1.5m so no escalating year may be above $1.5m)
Any further clarification needed on the previous rule may be discussed privately with a commissioner.
Players that are waived by one team may be claimed by another within 6 "in-game" days (thus, players will appear on waivers for one sims). Players claimed from waivers must have their salaries assumed by the claiming team and are placed on that team's 35-man secondary roster if appropriate. Also, players that have been on waivers long enough to be claimed by a team, cannot be traded until they clear waivers.
NOTE: Waivers will always be at least one day greater than the length of one sim. This rule is to eliminate a "free waivers" period. Waiver lengths during the offseason and postseason may vary depending on sim length.
The amateur draft consists of 25 rounds (33 created) and begins in StatsPlus during the pre-season and will finish in-game on June 3rd. The exact draft schedule will be posted by a commissioner at the start of each offseason.
The draft order methodology in the PBC is very different from how you would expect in real life. In the PBC, all teams are included in the lottery. The draft lottery odds are calculated using each team's final standing in their respective division and overall league activity. Note: Playoff seeding tiebreakers will be used for final divisional standings.
Activity chances are a calculation successful exports and voting in league polls. The exact number of chances may vary from year to year. Ask a commish if you want a full breakdown for any given season. Typically, there will be 34 chances for exports and 20 chances awarded for voting on season awards.
The formula for the draft lottery odds is: (Final Divisional Standing * 25) + ((Total League Activity Chances * Calc Activity %) * 1.85)
Total League Activity Chances: The combined total of league simulations during the preseason, regular season, and end-of-season (EoS) awards voting. Preseason is defined as the entire period between the previous season's playoffs and the current season's regular season.
Calculated Activity Adjustments: GM's will not be penalized if they joined mid-season/offseason. The lotto formula uses a percentage instead of a total to account for this. If a GM has less than 25 activity chances and a percentage below 80%, the "Calc Act%" will be adjusted to 80%. A
The draft lottery results will revealed during a live stream using a draft lottery simulator such as https://draftpicklottery.com/.
The lottery will take place as soon as the season awards voting ends. For full transparency, the commish will set up the draft on the website while streaming and will post a screenshot of the results when the draft concludes.
The lottery results will be applied to all 20 rounds.
Rounds 1-5 will take place in StatsPlus using the draft tool. The time limit for each pick is 10 hours. If a team's draft time expires, they will be put on auto-pick in Stats+. In addition, if a team's total draft time (tracked in S+) exceeds 20 hours, they will be placed on auto-pick and will not be able to switch back to manual.
There is no "overnight pause" during the draft. We have league members all across the globe and a 10-hour timer covers a healthy night's rest regardless of where you are in the world.
Rounds 6-25 will occur in-game, on June 3rd, using the OOTP draft function. During the 3rd Spring Training sim, which ends on Opening Day, the commish will input the results of the draft from StatsPlus will complete the sim. GMs should set a draft list for rounds 6-25 prior to this sim or allow their assistant GM to do so.
The purpose for this is that the S+ auto draft logic is abysmal. It does not account for previously drafted players or organizational strength, resulting in instances where teams draft 8 catchers in a row, for example. Using the in-game draft function ensures a much more effective back end of the draft.
If 5 rounds in S+ are not complete before June 3rd, the remaining picks will be made in-game.
See what I did there?
The Rule 5 draft occurs every offseason and consists of a maximum of 2 rounds. The commissioner will announce the exact date for each offseason's draft.
The Rule 5 draft will utilize the in-game draft feature. The draft order will follow the sequence provided by the game and will not be altered.
General Managers (GMs) have the option to protect eligible players by adding them to their 35-man roster, even on draft day.
Before the draft, the commissioner may protect players who should have been conventionally protected. This includes players who signed major league contracts during the current offseason and eligible prospects with a minimum 3.0 star potential rating by OSA. Such protections are contingent upon available space on the 35-man roster.
In extreme circumstances, the commissioner may exercise discretion to waive a lower-rated player to make room for a higher-rated player. For example, waiving a 2-star reliever to protect a 4-star hitter.
Warning for Commissioner: Do not select "Complete Draft". Upon reaching Round 3, skip all subsequent picks to conclude the draft.
In the draft following the 2005 season, 4 expansion teams participated, establishing a precedent that expansion teams may conduct up to 10 rounds in the Rule 5 draft.
The Semi-Pro Baseball Circuit (SPBC) operates under the governance of the Professional Baseball Circuit (PBC) but consists of independent and unaffiliated baseball clubs competing at a semi-professional level.
Acquiring major league depth and identifying suitable role players following injuries can prove challenging. Opting for free agency in August may be less favorable, especially when immediate assistance is needed from a player who hasn't been active throughout the year. Notably, many SPBC athletes are former PBC players or individuals who have revitalized their careers after facing setbacks. The SPBC and the PBC maintain a mutually beneficial arrangement that permits cash bids to be placed on SPBC players, facilitating a streamlined process for teams in need of reinforcements.
All SPBC players are available for purchase, with the exception of rookies or those on the minor league roster (Ammy League).
An SPBC rookie is defined as an individual with less than 45 service days at the start of the season. Rookies maintain their rookie status until the season concludes. The prohibition on purchasing rookies is in place to prevent PBC GMs from acquiring young players only to place them in the lower levels of their system. The primary goal of the SPBC is to offer playing opportunities to overlooked players and occasionally supplement major league teams, it is not an avenue for discovering prospects.
Players who entered the game as International Free Agents, not to be confused with IAFA, do not count as rookies for purchase eligibility.
Bids for SPBC players may only be initiated once the SPBC season begins, and no further bids will be permitted once the regular season ends.
All bids will start at $10k. You must have enough money available to place bids. Outbids must be a minimum of double the previous bid. The initial bidder retains the right to match any outbid, underscoring the importance of haste.
Bids should be submitted in the #request-commish-action channel. Outbids and matches will be confirmed by utilizing the "reply in thread" feature. Bids submitted before the export deadline will be processed post-sim. Outbids and matches made on the same day as the sim will be processed during the subsequent sim day. (Commish may use discretion here if a bid was made late at night before a morning sim)
Semi-pro players earning $16,500 or more will be automatically included in the PBC team's 40-man roster upon purchase, while players earning less than $16,500 will secure a PBC minor league contract upon acquisition.
Note for Commish: To process bids more than $10k, simply change the purchase amount in the SPBC financial settings. Be sure to set it back to $10k when you are done. Bids will be processed on the final day of the sim. The normal sequence should be to process trades, then SPBC bids, then upload.
Teams can discover up to 16 players per year and is completely random. All discoveries go to the international complex upon signing.
Complex players will automatically be assigned to your U20 team at the start of Spring Training if they have earned 1 pro year.
Players will not be returned to the complex for any reason once they come out.
The international showcase will begin on May 13th and international practice will run automatically 4 times; once in May, June, July, August. On August 11th, the IAFA signing period will begin. This is ideal because with 5 day sims during the season, you'll have the ability to rapidly adjust offers as the IAFA period plays out.
The IAFA signing cap is set to a hard cap of $1 million.
The number of IAFA players is set to default (64 per year), which works out to 4 per team.
IAFAs that go unsigned will be drafted into the SPBC at the start of the offseason. In other words, the commish will run a random number generator and will assign the players in order to an Ammy club until all unsigned players are moved.