The Constitution of the Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance

The Preamble

The Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance (PEBA) and its sister league, the League of the Rising Sun (LRS), are fictional Out of the Park Baseball (OOTP) leagues. The leagues are formed solely for the enjoyment of its members (hereafter alternately referred to as “GMs”). In order to participate in the PEBA or LRS, all members must agree to adhere to this Constitution. By doing so, you are acknowledging certain responsibilities involved with your participation and are agreeing to uphold them in an effort to make this playing experience as enjoyable as possible for everyone involved. Unless otherwise noted, references in this document to “the PEBA” will apply to the LRS as well.

The PEBA’s Constitution will necessarily be a fluid document. The Board reserves the right to change any portion of this document as need arises. Member opinion on Constitutional changes is solicited whenever it is feasible to do so. Members are expected to provide opinions on proposed changes during each off-season.

While member input is welcome, note that decisions by the Board are final; no further debate will be welcome once a decision is rendered. Rather than a democracy, the PEBA should be viewed as a benevolent autocracy. Opinions are taken very seriously; in the interest of maintaining stability and focus, however, members hereby consent to accept rulings from the Board without argument.

The Common Sense Accord

PEBA members recognize that the league is intended to recreate a realistic modern baseball experience. Limitations of OOTP will occasionally result in opportunities for personal gain that would not occur in real life. Members agree to adhere to a common sense policy when approaching these situations and will refrain from taking advantage of unrealistic opportunities presented to them by the game. Members recognize that interpretation of what constitutes “unrealistic” is based on the discretion of the Board, who can and will enforce unilateral actions to prevent/reverse moves that go against the spirit of the CSA.

In situations where a move is deemed as potentially being in violation of the CSA, it is reasonable to present a written explanation for said move privately to the Board. Once the Board has reached a verdict, however, further argument will not be tolerated. The general mantra here is: “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” If you are uncertain whether a move you’re considering would violate the CSA, contact the Board to receive guidance. Your case will always garner the best reception when you provide forewarning.

At all times, members are expected to be courteous and respectful to their league-mates.  The PEBA is estabslihed not only as a baseball league but as a social experience.  While disagreements and debates will always be a part of any gathering of individuals, it is expected that members will treat one other with due dignity.  All new league GMs will use their real names for their in-game avatar to facilitate familiarity between members.

Article I   League Governance

The Constitution of the Planetary Extreme Baseball Alliance will be referred to for all questions regarding the rules and regulations of the PEBA. The Constitution may be revised as necessary for the league to evolve. Changes will be made at the sole discretion of the Board (see below). Whenever appropriate, members will be consulted prior to a Constitutional change.

The PEBA shall be governed by a three-member Board. The Board is responsible for running sims, keeping up the web site, paying hosting costs, making decisions in the best interest of the league, answering questions, resolving conflicts when they arise, and any other functions required to maintain the league. The Board may divide responsibility for these tasks amongst themselves in any manner they deem appropriate. These are considered lifetime posts. A board member may resign if he or she so chooses, but not until a suitable replacement is found.

Volunteers willing to assist the Board with their duties are welcomed with warm appreciation. While many aspects of league management must be handled solely by the Board, there are several areas where the contributions of members can prove invaluable. Those members who donate their time and effort will be rewarded in Contribution Points (CP – see Article XI).

Article II   League Play Schedule

During the regular season, sims are scheduled each week on Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET, and on Sunday at 10 p.m. ET. During the playoffs and off-season, an additional sim is held on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET. Alterations to the schedule will be announced in advance by the Board to provide members ample time to prepare. The Board will periodically release schedule updates to keep members up to date. The latest schedule is always linked from the league homepage.

Exporting is mandatory for all regular season sims. It is the responsibility of members to insure that they have exported in advance of a mandatory sim. An online export tracker is available to assist members (see Article IX for details). The Board will also provide notification when a new league file is ready on both the forum and homepage immediately following each sim.

Exports may be submitted at any time during a sim cycle. New exports overwrite old ones. To avoid last-second hang-ups that may prevent you from exporting, all members are advised to send in a “safety export” immediately upon importing a new league file. This quick export should address the base responsibilities outlined in Article III; a more thorough export may be submitted later in the sim cycle. Getting into the habit of sending a “safety export” is a good plan, since it will insure that you will always be awarded your CP for exporting.

PEBA members recognize that timely exporting is the most basic and essential requisite of a smoothly running league. In turn, the Board recognizes that life responsibilities/emergencies can and do occasionally conflict with the exporting process. Members agree to post notice via the appropriate forum if they will be unable to make one or more exports. Unexcused and excused missed exports will be handled thusly:

• Unexcused: If you fail to export two consecutive times without explanation, you should expect an email from the Board checking on your status. A timely response will be expected; failing that, the Board will assume that you are no longer involved with the league and take steps to transfer control of your team to a new GM. Similarly, the Board will replace members who fail to export five times (consecutive or otherwise) over the course of a season.
• Excused: To gain excused status you must post notice at least one sim in advance (unless it is a true emergency) via the appropriate forum that you will be unavailable for one or more exports and briefly explain the reason. Assuming the reason is valid (and most reasons will be accepted as valid), you will be excused from your exporting responsibilities. Members who will be absent for one or two sims should set their in-game Vacation status to “ON” to allow the AI to handle their team’s affairs. Members who need to miss an extended period should find someone (either within the league or without) to assume exporting responsibility during their absence. TheBoard reserves the right to assign someone to manage a team whose GM fails to name an interim manager. Returned control of the team to the original GM will be at the discretion of the Board.

Article III   Responsibilities

There are seven base responsibilities involved with participation in the PEBA. A CP penalty will be immediately assessed to GMs who neglect the first three responsibilities (Exporting, Rosters and DFA). The Board will contact GMs neglecting the second three responsibilities (Lineups/Rotations/Depth Charts, DL and Personnel). Continued neglect of these responsibilities will result in a CP penalty. Repeated violations will result in forfeiture of your membership.

• Exports: Members are expected to export in advance of every regular season sim regardless of whether or not they have moves to make. Members are also expected to export in advance of any playoff sims in which their team is participating. Five missed exports during a season will result in forfeiture of league membership. Exporting in advance of off-season sims is optional but highly encouraged.
• Rosters: The roster limit for all major and minor league teams is 25 (with the exception of PEBA SS-A and LRS A, which are limited to 35 players).GMs must ensure that this number is not exceeded before their export. Failure to meet these requirements will result in auto-assignment by the Board (which may not be to your liking). Additionally, GMs may not have less than 23 players on any roster. Minor league roster maximums and all leagues’ roster minimums are not enforced when a team’s league is in its off-season.
• DFA:Players may stay on your DFA list for up to the length of the next two sims + 1 day (usually this will mean 15 days during the regular season). GMs must assign, trade or release a player before his allotted time on the list expires. Failure to do so will result in auto-assignment by the Board (which may not be to your liking). Players will be placed on a team’s DFA list for one of three reasons:
  • If you attempt to demote from the majors a player who has no option years remaining and has not previously cleared waivers.
  • If you attempt to remove a player from the secondary roster who has not previously cleared waivers.
  • All newly acquired players with major league contracts are placed on the DFA list.
• Lineups/Rotations/Depth Charts:It is your responsibility to insure that these are properly filled for your major and minor league teams, and to have enough players to field a competitive team.
  • All teams in your organization must have completely filled-out lineups, must have at least 4 pitchers slotted in as SP and 5 pitchers slotted in as RP, and must have a depth chart that is reasonably set up to utilize all hitters on the roster.
  • GMs are expected to adjust for injuries as needed. Leaving injured players on a roster increases the risk of injury to other players on the roster via overuse.
• DL: Players must be removed from your DL within one sim of returning to full health and serving their minimum DL stint. Note that the number associated with each DL (14 or 60-day) represents the minimum time the player must remain there, not the maximum.
• Personnel: GMs are expected to keep all teams in their organization fully staffed while in season.
• Participation: Members are required to earn at least 50 total CP per season, and also at least 10 writing and 10 posting CP per season. This second responsibility may alternatively be met by earning 35 writing or 35 posting CP during a season. A CP “season” concludes upon the arrival of the Winter Meetings.

Most special events are considered optional (the Amateur Draft being one exception). The Board will spell out any participation requirements in advance of these events. Important league votes are considered mandatory. These may include (but are not limited to) votes on All-Stars, seasonal awards, and Hall of Famers. A CP penalty will be assessed for failure to participate in mandatory votes/events.

Participants are expected to be both competitive with and courteous to their fellow GMs. The PEBA is a league that rewards participation and competitive play. All members are expected to live up to this standard and agree to do their utmost to put forth the best franchise they possibly can. At the same time, members acknowledge that the PEBA is a social experience as well. Members participate to have fun and communicate with like-minded baseball aficionados. When the twin goals of competitiveness and courtesy collide, members should err on the side of courtesy.

Members are expected to respond politely to your fellow GMs’ trade proposals (no matter how unrealistic they may be). This can be as simple as saying, “I am not interested at this time.” Members must respond to trade communications – however briefly – within four days of their receipt. If you have sent a communication to a fellow GM and received no response within this time frame, you may send a complaint to the Board. Members excused from exports are also excused from responding to trade communications.

The PEBA puts a great deal of value on creative writing submission from its members. Members receive CP for taking the time to better the league with their contributions. CP can be exchanged for a variety of useful benefits and writing is the best way to earn them, so contributing news articles is highly recommended for all members. See Article XI for more information on Contribution Points.

When a new version of OOTP is released, the Board will determine a schedule for migration. This will not occur until a.) the PEBA is in the off-season, and b.) the Board has had time to review the new version and determine its suitability. Once a schedule has been laid out, all PEBA members will be expected to purchase the new version in a timely fashion.

The Board’s responsibilities to members include timely sims, maintaining the website and forums, fairness in addressing members’ desires/concerns, and clear communication if/when unforeseen events arise. Above all else, the Board has a responsibility never to abuse its status. Board members are strictly prohibited from altering/adjusting sim results to favor a particular team or divulging “inside information” that would lead to a competitive advantage.

Article IV   Financials

Each GM may set his team’s ticket prices. These prices should remain within reason. Setting outrageously high prices – i.e. double what any other team is charging – is grounds for expulsion from the league. Media contracts will be based on a team’s market size.

The maximum amount of cash that any team can carry is $25,000,000. This total will be checked immediately upon the conclusion of each season. Teams with cash over their league maximum will have the excess total placed in their private Ballpark Funds account. Funds in this account can be used to purchase ballpark renovation/relocation awards. This account may not exceed $50,000,000. See Article XIV for more details on the renovation/relocation awards that can be purchased with Ballpark Funds.

There will be no salary cap. GMs are free to deficit spend if they so choose; however, you are expected to steer your club towards profitability. Losses beyond -$25,000,000 will be erased upon the end of a season, but there will be a penalty to fan interest for every $5M below the league’s cash minimum in cash a team ends a season with. There will also be a fan interest penalty assessed to teams who end consecutive seasons with negative total cash and who have failed to make progress towards break-even in the previous year.

At the end of a season, a team owner may provide cash out of his pocket to cover excessive team losses.  A fan interest penalty will be applied for every $2,500,000 received in this manner.  If the team has available Ballpark Funds, the owner-provided cash will be deducted from those funds.  Any portion of the owner-provided cash infusion that is covered by a team’s Ballpark Funds will not count towards a fan interest penalty.

A set percentage (31%) of each team’s seasonal revenue will be collected at season’s end and distributed evenly amongst all teams in the league. Those teams generating above-average income will pay more, while those generating below-average income will receive more.

A team’s performance has the potential to affect its fan loyalty and market size. Shortly after the conclusion of every season, data from teams’ current year and previous 3-year averages will be compared against their previous 6-year averages. The data will include won-lost record, attendance, revenue and expenses. Also factoring into the equation will be playoff appearances, average divisional finish and games behind divisional leader, and end-of-season awards won by members of the team over the previous 3 years. Once this information has been tallied, a % chance for a market size/fan loyalty increase will be determined based on a set scale and a random die roll will be made. If the roll fails, no change will occur. If the roll succeeds, the team will experience a one-level shift upwards/downwards in market size and/or fan loyalty. A minimum of 2 years must pass between fan loyalty changes, and a minimum of 3 years must pass between market size changes. Winning a PEBA championship makes a team exempt from market size/fan loyalty drops for the next 3 years, while an LRS championship protects a team from drops for the next 2 years. An in-game news bulletin will inform the league of any market size/fan loyalty changes.

Contracts are governed by several house rules. Before offering a player a contract, familiarize yourself with these rules. Contracts in violation of these rules are subject to review by the Board, which reserves the right to void the contract. If you wish to offer a contract that breaks one or more of these rules, contact the Board prior to making the offer to explain your intent. You will be provided with guidance on an agreeable contract offer.

1. Yearly salaries within a multi-year contract offer may never decrease.  Salaries may only be at or above the value of the previous season’s salary within a multi-year contract offer.  GMs are strongly encouraged to realistically escalate salaries over the life of a multi-year contract.
   • EXCEPTION: Only between the conclusion of a league’s playoffs and the arrival of free agency, qualifying veterans may be offered a 1-year contract at a salary no less than 75% of the player’s current salary.  The qualifications are as follows:
     • Player is at least 33 years old as of the conclusion of a league’s playoffs
     • Player has a Loyalty rating of “Normal” or higher
     • Player has enough service time to qualify for free agency
     • Player has signed at least one previous major league contract with his current team
     • Player has been under major league contract with his current team for the previous three consecutive seasons or six total seasons
2. The salary in the first year of an extension must be at or above the value of the player’s current year salary.  If you wish to sign the player to a contract with a salary lower than what he is currently making, you must first let him test free agency. Once a player reaches free agency, you may offer him whatever you like.
3. Extemsons of three or more years in length must adhere to the following minimum salary restrictions:
   • • All contract years that cover a player’s arbitration years must feature a salary at least equal to the league average salary.
     • All contract years that cover a player’s free agency years must feature a salary at least triple the league average salary.
4. Players with enough major league service time to qualify for free agency may not be signed to one-year major league contracts between the conclusion of a league’s season and the arrival of a league’s free agency period.  If a team wishes to sign a player with enough major league service time to qualify for free agency (6 ML years in the PEBA; 9 ML years in the LRS) during this restricted period, the team must offer the player a contract of at least two guaranteed years in length.
5. Teams may not sign a player to a major league extension within 45 days of his signing a major league contract.  A brief cool-down period is required before a new contract may be extended.
   
6. If a contract with a player is voided, the GM’s next contract offer to the player must feature a guaranteed average yearly salary at least 150% of the average salary of the previous offer (including option years).
   • Example: A voided contract worth $3M over 3 years would require that the next contract offer to the player to feature a guaranteed average yearly salary of at least $1.5M ($3M / 3 x 1.5)
   • NOTE: This rule does not apply to contracts voided due to salary protection.  Salary protected contracts have their own rule governing violations.

Bonus clauses in contracts are governed by several house rules, both for free agents and extensions. Contracts in violation of these rules are subject to review by the Board, which reserves the right to void the contract. If you wish to offer a contract that breaks one or more of these rules, contact the Board prior to making the offer to explain your intent. You will be provided with guidance on an agreeable contract offer.

1. Players must meet a minimum average guaranteed salary value in order to qualify to be offered Royal Raker, Golden Arm, Saiyu-shu-senshu or Sawamura Award bonuses.
   • PEBA contracts require an average guaranteed yearly salary value of at least $5M to qualify for award bonus offers.
     • Example: PEBA GMs are allowed to offer a Royal Raker bonus along with a contract offer of $4M for 2010, $5M for 2011 and $6M for 2012 (average value of $5M). If the $6M for 2012 is absent from the offer (dropping the average value to $4.5M), a Royal Raker bonus may not be offered.
   • LRS contracts require an average guaranteed yearly salary value of at least $2.5M to qualify for award bonus offers.
2. PA/IP bonuses can be given to any player, up to a PA/IP cap determined by the team’s league.
   • PEBA: GMs may include bonus triggers no greater than 650 PA / 200 IP.
   • LRS: GMs may include bonus triggers no greater than 575 PA / 175 IP.
3. The cap on the amount of total bonus money that may be offered is 25% of the highest guaranteed yearly salary in the contract.
   • Example: In a contract offer of $5M for 2010, $6M for 2011 and a $7M option for 2012, a GM may offer bonuses up to $1.5M (25% of $6M, the highest guaranteed yearly salary in the contract).
4. Each league features a seasonal cutoff point after which contract bonuses may only be offered to free agents receiving multi-year offers. This restriction remains in effect until the conclusion of the league’s playoffs.
   • The in-season free agent bonus cutoff for PEBA GMs is June 6th.
   • The in-season free agent bonus cutoff for LRS GMs is June 14th.
5. If a contract features an illegal bonus, the bonus will be added to yearly salaries. Example: PEBA GMs cannot include Royal Raker or Golden Arm bonuses unless the average guaranteed yearly salary value of the contract is at least $5M. If a PEBA team signs a contract with a player that features an average guaranteed yearly salary value of $4.5M and includes a $1M Royal Raker bonus, that bonus will be eliminated and $1M will be added to the base salary of each season covered by the contract.

Special: Juuki Designation

Only in the LRS, a team may designate one player per season as juuki.  The player designated as juuki will automatically be signed to a one-year contract at the same salary as his current-year salary. The Board will enter this extension in for you; there is no need to negotiate it yourself. This powerful tool carries with it some caveats. Here are the details of the juuki designation:

• Teams may designate one (and only one) player as juuki by informing the Board between the start of the off-season and the arrival of free agency.
• Only pending free agents may be designated as juuki.
• Only players who spent the entire just-completed season with their current team (either in the majors or minors or on the DL) may be designated as juuki.
• Non-Japanese players must have appeared in at least one LRS game in each of the last three seasons to qualify for juuki designation.
• A player may only be designated as juuki once during his career.
• A player designated as juuki automatically receives a one-year contract at the same salary and with the same bonuses as featured in his current-year contract.
• A player designated as juuki receives a full no-trade clause for the upcoming season
• Players designated as juuki may not be offered arbitration when their juuki contract is up.
• Players greatly dislike having the juuki tag placed on them, as it inhibits them from seeking top dollar for their services on the free market.  Juuki-designated players will suffer a noticeable morale hit.
• The first year salary of any extension offered to a player currently playing under a one-year juuki contract must be at least 150% of his current-year salary.

Special: High-Value Contracts

Only in the LRS, teams will receive a fan interest boost for signing a player to a guaranteed yearly salary representing at least 18% of its total budget.  A similar boost will also be triggered when a player is signed to a contract featuring a guaranteed salary of $10,000,000 or more, or a total contract value in excess of $50,000,000.

Article IVa   The Players’ Bill of Rights

We shall demand that teams recognize the inexorable push towards increasingly costly yearly salaries during our arbitration years
We shall not be taken to arbitration, except as a very last resort
We shall acknowledge that good and just arbiters shall never award us a salary below what we currently earn
We shall hold our arbitration years dear and our free agency years dearer, not to be pried away but for quantity of coin
We shall not lightly sign away multiple years of our service at a time
We shall resist tyrannical GMs who attempt to sign us to contracts featuring salaries below what we currently earn

The Players’ Bill of Rights is a list of “spirit of play” tenants that members should take to heart before engaging in negotiations with players.  The message it sends is that we as a league value realism and spirit of play above personal gain.  Though OOTP may allow GMs to sign players to unrealistically long-term, low-end contracts, we choose to police ourselves and adhere to the real world principle that player salaries often will and should increase during a player’s arbitration and early free agency years.  Not a rule, per se, The Players’ Bill of Rights is more a statement of principle: The PEBA holds itself to a higher standard when it comes to realism and fair play.

Salary escalation in multi-year contracts, while not a requisite, is strongly encouraged.  Teams that routinely include escalating salaries in multi-year contracts will receive a CP bonus at the conclusion of the season.  Salary escalation is a prominent feature of real world baseball contracts.  PEBA GMs should strive to replicate this reality, and they will be rewarded for their efforts.

Article V   Rosters & Team Setup

The roster limit for all major and minor league teams is 25 (with the exception of PEBA SS-A and LRS A, which are limited to 35 players). GMs must ensure that this number is not exceeded before their export. Failure to meet these requirements will result in auto-assignment by the Board (which may not be to your liking). Additionally, GMs may not have less than 23 players on any roster. Minor league roster maximums and all leagues’ roster minimums are not enforced when a team’s league is in its off-season.

GMs are expected to have all applicable lineups, rotations and depth charts fully set up for each team within their organization while that team’s league is in season. At minimum, all in season teams in your organization must have completely filled-out lineups, must have at least 4 pitchers slotted in as SP and 5 pitchers slotted in as RP, and must have a depth chart that is reasonably set up to utilize all hitters on the roster. GMs are expected to adjust for injuries and roster movement as needed.

LRS major league teams may not have more than four gaijin (non-Japanese nationals) on their active roster at any one time. This restriction is in effect from the start of the regular season through the conclusion of the playoffs.

Playoff roster eligibility is determined by OOTP.  To be eligible for the playoff roster, a player must be on the major league roster or DL by the day prior to a league’s roster expansion (Sept. 1 for the PEBA, Sept. 15 for the LRS).  Playoff-eligible players who suffer an injury requiring a DL stint after roster expansion can be replaced by any player who was in the organization prior to roster expansion.  Roster moves cannot be made while a playoff series is in progress.

Article VI   Drafts

The PEBA First Year Player Draft (henceforth referred to as the “Amateur Draft”) will be held on June 7th of each season. It will be 15 rounds in length. The LRS Amateur Draft will be held on June 21st of each season. It will be 10 rounds in length. Amateur drafts will be managed via StatsLab and conducted live in the PEBA chat room (linked from the league homepage). These live events will be scheduled well in advance to allow GMs time to prepare.

Amateur Draft participation is mandatory. PEBA GMs unable to attend live drafting hours will be expected to create a pre-rank list within StatsLab that is sufficiently deep to cover for at least 7 rounds. LRS GMs unable to attend will be expected to have created a pre-ranking list within StatsLab that is sufficiently deep to cover for at least 5 rounds. All GMs are encouraged to create draft lists even if they plan to attend the draft. GMs are also encouraged to cover themselves beyond the minimum required draft rounds.

Certain top draft picks may demand a major league contract in order to sign.  Major league contracts to draftees must feature an average yearly salary of at least $750,000 (PEBA)/$250,000 (LRS).  The term of these entry contracts is capped at six years.

Both leagues will hold a Rule 5 draft on December 1st of each season. Each round, teams will have the option of either making a pick (if they have an available secondary roster slot) or passing. The Rule 5 Draft will end when all teams have passed in a round. GMs will use OOTP’s in-game draft utility to construct their Rule 5 draft lists. Teams cannot make more selections than they have open secondary roster spots. Players selected in the Rule 5 draft must stay on the selecting team’s active roster or DL for one full season. They may also be placed on waivers, traded or released. No players may be added to active or secondary rosters during the Rule 5 draft sim cycle.  All healthy players eligible to return from the 60-day DL must be rostered or released during the sim cycle preceeding the Rule 5 draft.

For all drafts, order will be determined by record in the previous year (from worst to best). Drafts will be in “straight” order, with teams picking in the same slot each round (excepting cases where draft picks have been traded).

Article VII   Trades

Players, draft picks and cash are all viable items to trade. CP cannot be traded. There are certain restrictions/qualifiers on trades:

• Player Restrictions (NOTE: All player restrictions except the first are waived during the Winter Meetings):
  • No more than five players may be included by a team in a single trade.
  • Players selected in the Amateur Draft are ineligible to be traded for one full year.
  • Players on a team’s 60-day DL may not be included in trades.  Additionally, players listed as facing one month or more of recovery time may not be included in trades.
  • International free agents may not be traded until one year after the signing of their first professional contract.
  • No player may be traded within 90 days of signing a major league contract, or within 30 days of signing a minor league contract.
  • Players with at least 10 years of major league service and at least 5 years spent with current team may exercise their 10/5 rule rights to veto a trade.  GMs will be informed if/when this occurs.
  • Free agents signed to off-season major league contracts may not be traded until a set date during the upcoming season:
    • PEBA: June 15th
    • LRS: July 8th
• PTBNLs: No Player To Be Named Later (PTBNL) may be included in a trade.
• Draft Picks: No more than 5 picks may be included by a team in a single trade. Only picks for the upcoming Amateur Draft may be traded. Draft picks may not be traded during the sim cycle directly preceding an Amateur Draft. Compensation picks for unsigned draftees may not be traded.
• Cash: Only cash on hand may be traded (i.e. no deficit trading), unless the team deficit trading is relinquishing more unpaid salary than the amount of cash it is trading.
• Contracts: It is the responsibility of GMs to police themselves regarding contracts acquired via trades. While you may exceed your budget, bear in mind that there are penalties for being too far in debt (see Article IV).
• Trade Deadline: The PEBA trade deadline is July 31, while the LRS trade deadline will fall in mid-August and will be announced in advance of each season.

Once a trade has been agreed to, notification of the agreement should be posted in the appropriate league forum. One of the involved parties should post a list of exactly what each team is receiving. Please hyperlink players’ names to their HTML player pages. Minor leaguers should have their current level noted. The second party must then confirm the trade by reprinting the full list of what is being traded (links not necessary). Both GMs may include simple instructions on where to assign acquired players in advance of the upcoming simmed games (please keep these brief to keep the workload reasonable). Please format your thread headers thusly: “Trade between ARL and AUR”. Use this guide to insure proper trade post protocol.

Any two GMs within the same league may agree to a trade. Trades involving more than two GMs must be executed as a series of two-team trades. Each of these must be posted with a header that indicates both that they are part of a multi-team trade and the order in which they should be processed (e.g. “CAN-OMA-YUM: Trade between CAN and OMA (Part 1 of 2)”). Trades between PEBA and LRS GMs are prohibited.

The Board must review all trades and sign off on them before they become official. Once approval has been given, the trade will become final and will be reflected in the next sim. Most trades will be passed without question. Factors which may hold up a trade include (but are not limited to) a.) one or more violations of the trade restrictions listed above, b.) a massive and patently obvious imbalance in returns, c.) extremely unusual structuring (e.g. 1 player for 10), or d.) inclusion of a player currently rehabbing a long-term injury. In these instances, the Board will work with the GMs involved to mediate a satisfactory deal.

Individual GMs who feel a trade meets the criteria for disallowing should PM the Board privately to express their opinion. If a sufficient number of complaints are registered, the Board will discuss the matter with the GMs involved in the trade before making a final determination on the fate of the deal. Public complaints of trades will not be tolerated.

Article VIII   Posting & Transfer

LRS to PEBA Posting System

While trading between leagues is prohibited, player transfer from LRS to PEBA teams may occur during the posting process. This process begins each year immediately following the leagues’ Winter Meetings. LRS GMs may offer up their players (or “post” them) and PEBA GMs have the option of bidding for the right to negotiate a contract with these players. A successfully posted player will earn his old team additional cash and his new team a new member of the roster.

To be eligible for posting, a player:

• Must have a Loyalty to Team rating of “Normal” or less AND/OR a Greed rating of “High” or more.
• Must have requested a trade if he does not qualify based on his Loyalty to Team/Greed ratings
• Must NOT be pre-arbitration
• Must NOT be a pending free agent
• Must NOT have 15 or more major league service years

Teams may post up to 3 players. LRS GMs may PM the Board with their list of 1-3 players they’d like to post as soon as the Neo-Tokyo Cup concludes, and they may continue to do so up until the Winter Meetings. As soon as the Winter Meetings conclude, the Board will create a thread on the forums listing all of the players that are being posted. PEBA GMs will then have 72 hours to PM the Board with bids on these players. GMs may bid any amount of money up to their team’s available cash on hand. These bids will be paid out as transfer fees to the player’s LRS team if a contract is successfully negotiated.

Once the 72-hour bidding window ends, the Board will inform the LRS team of the highest bid amount. The team who made the bid will remain a secret. If the LRS team rejects the bid, then they retain the player’s rights and he may not be posted again until the next off-season. If the PEBA team’s bid is accepted, that team’s GM wins the right to make up to two contract offers to the player. The Board will check the player’s demands and report them to the GM. The GM is then free the make any contract offer he likes, with these stipulations:

• No single-season salary may be less than the highest single-season salary the player was set to earn as part of his remaining LRS contract (including incentives and option years).
• The total guaranteed value of the player’s contract must be at least 10% greater than the maximum possible value of the player’s remaining LRS contract (including incentives and option years).
• Players with LRS minor league contracts can be offered PEBA minor league contracts.

The PEBA GM will inform the Board as to the details of the contract he’d like to offer. The Board will offer the contract to the player in the name of the PEBA team as soon as he receives it and then immediately report the results to the PEBA GM.

If the player rejects the offer, the GM will have one more opportunity to offer a contract. If the second offer is rejected, no transfer fee is paid, the player’s rights revert to his LRS team and he cannot be posted again until the next off-season. The contract offer process must be completed within 48 hours after the PEBA GM is informed that he has won the bid.

If the player accepts a contract offer, he becomes the property of the PEBA team under the terms negotiated. The transfer fee is then immediately wired from the PEBA team’s account to the former LRS team.

In addition to winning the rights to the player, PEBA teams that sign a player through the posting process will enjoy a special bonus to their Fan Interest. The size of the Fan Interest bonus depends on the total guaranteed value of the new contract:

• <$3M: Minuscule
• $3M-$6M: Small
• $6M-$10M: Moderate
• $10M-$15M: Large
• $15M-$20M: Very Large
• >$20M: Huge

Only one posting system-related Fan Interest special bonus can be earned per off-season. If a PEBA teams signs multiples players through the posting system during a given off-season, only the highest Fan Interest bonus will be applied.

Popular players shipped overseas via the posting system may result in a Fan Interest hit for their former LRS team. Of course, this hit would have been incurred anyway had the player been allowed to walk via free agency, and there would be no cash to show for it. Furthermore, while unhappy about the departure of a popular player, LRS team fans are somewhat intrigued by the possibilities opened up by the team’s bid money windfall. Therefore, Fan Interest penalties incurred against LRS teams via the posting process will be halved whenever the LRS team receives at least $1M in bid money.

PEBA to LRS Japanese Player Contract Transfer

Throughout the year, PEBA teams are free to sell the rights to Japanese-born players under contract with their organization to interested LRS teams. Several conditions that apply, however, the most important of which being that the player can only be transferred during the sim cycle immediately after he has successfully passed through PEBA waivers.

Qualifications for PEBA to LRS contract transfer:

• Only Japanese-born players may be transferred from PEBA to LRS teams.
• Players may not be transferred for 90 days after signing a minor league contract, 120 days after signing a major league contract (arbitration/auto-renewal contracts don’t count towards this limitation).
• A player who arrived in the PEBA via posting may not be transferred back to the LRS until he has begun playing under his first PEBA contract after his initial contract negotiated during the posting process has expired.
• Players who appeared in a game with a LRS team or minor league affiliate during the current or previous season may not be transferred.

If the above qualifications are met, the player is eligible for PEBA to LRS contract transfer. Here is how the system works:

• Before his contract may be transferred to the LRS, a Japanese-born player must be placed on PEBA waivers and DFA.
• The player must clear PEBA waivers and must remain on DFA before qualifying for transfer. This will occur during the second sim cycle after the player has been placed on waivers and DFA.
• A contract may only be transferred during a sim cycle where the player has cleared PEBA waivers and has time remaining on DFA.
• Interested LRS GMs may contact the PEBA GM who controls the player and offer to pay a transfer fee in exchange for rights to the player’s contract. It is up to the two parties to settle on an acceptable transfer fee. The LRS team must have cash on hand to cover the negotiated fee. Minimum transfer fee values will be determined by the player’s contract:
  • Minor league contract: $50,000
  • Major league contract: 25% of total value of contract on the day it was signed  

• If the PEBA GM consents to the proposed transfer fee, both GMs must contact the Board to confirm the deal.
• Once confirmed, the transfer will take place during the upcoming sim. The player will be placed on the LRS team’s active and secondary roster. The player’s current contract will transfer over with him (players on minor league contracts will receive a LRS major leauge minimum contract).

Article IX   StatsLab

The PEBA employs an online utility suite called StatsLab. Created by community member “fhomess”, StatsLab is a fully-featured utility with a variety of extraordinarily useful functions. Each league has their own separate installation of StatsLab, with links found under the User Menu on the homepage. Members are highly encouraged to get comfortable with StatsLab, as it will be a heavily-used feature of the league. Below is a brief run-down of some of the utility’s more important features:

• Export Tracker: Check this page to verify that your export reached the server. Also displays the last time the league file was updated.
• All-Star: Allows GMs to vote for league All-Stars online and view histories of past votes. All GMs are required to vote for All-Stars in both  leagues.
• Awards: Allows GMs to vote for league end-of-season awards online and view histories of past votes. All GMs are required to vote for awards in both leagues.
• Metrics:Contains a plethora of information that is invaluable for article creation, strategic planning and historical perspective. Subsections of Career Metrics include:
  • Players: StatsLab player pages provide far greater detail than OOTP’s, including wOBA, win shares, similarity scores, black/gray ink scores and Hall of Fame standards. Members are encouraged to link their articles to StatsLab player pages.
  • Teams: Provides historical reference for team batting/pitching, positional/pitching starters, ballparks and individual seasons.
  • Parks: Pictures and statistics from the league’s ballparks.
  • Player and Team Leaderboards: A wealth of information that provides context for the performances of players/teams.
  • Graphs: Allows a visual display of long-term statistical trends.
  • Draft History: Lists not only the players selected in a given draft but also their current team along with their major league statistical totals. Also includes the Draft Analyzer, which compares draftees to one another in a number of different areas.
  • Win Shares: Displays players’ batting, pitching and fielding win shares for a given season.
• Draft: The PEBA will conduct its amateur drafts out-of-game through this module. GMs may create draft lists to use as reference or to cover for when they are unable to attend a draft in person. Also includes the draft history/analyzer features from Career Metrics.
• Front Office:Home to some important tools, including the league’s trade block:
  • Trade Block: Advertise your available players and your team needs, and view the needs and offerings of other teams from around the league.
  • Payroll: A listing of your team’s payroll projections for the next several years. Include player age and service time.
  • Free Agents: View at a glance all the players who are eligible for free agency in a given year.
• Last Sim:This module should be every member’s first stop after each sim. Contains a myriad of useful post-sim info, including:
  • Standings: Up-to-date standings for spring training, the current season, the previous sim or a time frame of your choosing.
  • Box Scores: Your team’s game results from the previous sim.
  • Graphs: View graphs for various pennant races and a host of seasonal statistical trends over a user-defined time range.
  • Stats: Your players’ statistical results from the previous sim. Also allows you to view players’ season stats.
  • Team Stats: Your team’s statistical results from the previous sim. Also allows you to view season stats for teams and leagues.
  • Top Performances: The most notable games and individual performances of the last sim. Includes notes for especially impressive accomplishments.
  • Milestones: A listing of players’ progress towards various statistical milestones. Also includes Record Watch, which displays seasonal and career records in a variety of stats, along with the 5 players who are on pace for the highest total for each stat at season’s end.
  • Preview: A must-stop on sim mornings! Get the scoop on big storylines in the upcoming sim, including noteworthy match-ups, streaks, injuries and who’s hot/not.
  • Playoff Odds: Uses Pythagenpat to display expected W-L record and to determine the playoff odds of each team in the league, along with their division win and wild card chances.
  • Playoffs: Provides a collection of stats and box scores for each playoff match-up.
  • Stat of the Day: Random trivia that’s sure to entertain and enlighten.
• Managers: Names and contact info for every member of the league.

Article X   Article Writing & Forum Etiquette

NOTE: Before beginning an article, be sure to read over A Guide to Writing Articles for the PEBA/LRS. You’ll find this handy guide linked under the PEBA Links menu on the homepage. Refer to it often when preparing to pen articles for the league.

Articles are a major part of the PEBA experience. The league plays with fictional players who would otherwise be nothing but jumbles of statistics. PEBA members breathe life into these statistics through their articles, and they are rewarded for doing so in the form of Contribution Points (see Article XI). Article writing is one of the most valued ways that members can contribute to the betterment of the league.

League members are provided with a Submit News interface (linked from the User Menu on the homepage) to construct and send in their work. Submit News is a fully-featured interface that allows you to inject all kinds of advanced additions into your articles. The more commonly used features include inserting pictures, hyperlinking text/pictures, changing font types/sizes/styles, and inserting HTML code. Just hover your mouse over the icons on the top bar to get a small pop-up tool tip explaining their function. If you prefer, you may instead type your articles in Word or another Rich Text Format editor. When you are finished, simply copy your text and paste it into Submit News.

Members are required to hyperlink the first appearance of any PEBA-related proper noun (names of players, teams, personnel, leagues, etc.) to their respective HTML or StatsLab pages, and to include any diacritics appearing in names. The easiest way to do this is to go the respective HTML/StatsLab page, copy the pre-hyperlinked name and paste it directly into your article. This method retains any diacritics in the name (like accent marks, for instance) and will work in both Submit News and Word (the hyperlinks will transfer when pasting from Word to Submit News).

New members will receive a reminder notice when submitting an article lacking links/diacritics. For established members, articles submitted without links/diacritics will have CP deducted from the amount they would have earned. 1 CP will be deducted per missing link/diacritic, with the first miss gratis. No notification of deduction will be sent; established members are expected to be aware of league policy on this issue.

Pictures and graphics can be added to your stories through Submit News as well. They will need to be housed somewhere on the internet, either on your personal web space, at an image website like Imageshack.us, or uploaded directly to the PEBA server. To add an image, place your cursor where you would like it to go and click the “Insert/edit image” button located on the bottom-left of the icon rows. A window will pop up. Enter the location of your picture into the “URL” field (see below for instructions). Click on the “Advanced” tab and type a description of the picture in “Title” field (this description will appear when the mouse cursor is hovered over the picture). If the dimensions of the picture exceed 300 pixels either horizontally or vertically, use the “Dimensions” field to shrink the picture. You can play around with the other options as you like. When you’re finished, click the “Insert” button to add the picture.

• In Internet Explorer: To get the URL of a picture, right-click on it and select “Properties” from the pop-up menu. Highlight the text in the “Address (URL)” field, right-click on that highlighted text and select “Copy” from the pop-up menu.
• In Firefox: To get the URL of a picture, right-click on it and select “Copy Image Location” from the pop-up menu.

Hyperlinking of pictures and text is also possible through Submit News. To hyperlink a picture, click on it and then click the “Insert/edit link” button located on the bottom-left of the icon rows (just to the right of the “Insert/edit image” button). Then you simply paste the link into the URL field and click the “Insert” button. Your picture is now linked. Follow the same method for linking non-PEBA-related text. Highlight the text to be linked, click the “Insert/edit link” button, paste in the URL and click “Insert”.

At your option, you may also add “Easter egg” links. Easter egg links are links to non-PEBA-related web pages. Readers enjoy finding these surprise links littered throughout the league’s articles. You add Easter egg links just as you would a normal link. Highlight the text to be linked, click the “Insert/edit link” button, paste in the URL and click “Insert”. Links to inappropriate material will be removed.

In certain advanced cases, you may wish to insert HTML code into your article. This is useful when creating an article that uses a HTML template (example). To insert HTML, click on the “Edit code” button located on the bottom-right of the icon rows (third icon from the right). Copy your HTML code and paste it into the window that pops up. Be sure to paste over any existing code if you’re copying over a full article. When you’re finished, click the “Update” button and your imported code will be displayed in Submit News.

When you’re ready to send off your article, locate the Publishing section located directly under the box where your text is typed in. Select “Submissions” from the Section pull-down menu and select your team’s name from the Category pull-down menu. You may also enter in an Author Alias if you like. Type in a Title for your article at the top of the page.

Now you’re ready to submit your work. Just to the right of the Title field is the “Save” button. When you click the “Save” button, the article is sent to an editor’s inbox. The editor will make any necessary edits and publish the article on the homepage.

Once the article has been published, copy the homepage version of the text and paste it into a new thread in the appropriate writing sub-forum. This will give league members an opportunity to comment on your work. Forum versions of article need not be hyperlinked.

When constructing article storylines, please keep the following in mind:

• Consider the feelings of those whom you will be referencing, including both current and former league members.  Disparaging comments towards past or present members will not be permitted.
• The PEBA website draws a wide variety of visitors.  To accomodate the broadest readership possible, coarse language in articles is not permitted.
• Be aware of the league’s fictional timeline and established canon.  Articles must adhere to previously established ficton, and real world events should be referenced in past tense to reflec the fact tha the PEBAverse is years ahead in their timeline.
• It is permissible to reference politics and political figures in a neutral manner.  However, staking or advocating specific political positions in articles is to be avoided.
• Hateful or bigoted speechis strictly forbidden and grounds for expulsion from the league.

The PEBA forums are provided as a place for league members to share their thoughts on matters both related and unrelated to the league.  Members should create new threads in the appropriate sub-forum.  Two off-topic sub-forums are provided for discussion of non-league topics.  All topics are welcome in these sub-forums with the exception of political discussion/debate, which is forbidden.

Members are expected to maintain civility when communicating with their peers on the forums.  Competitiveness is welcome as long as respectfulness is maintained.  Disagreement and debate will naturally be part of the forum experience, yet at all times, members should consider the feelings of their peers before posting.  Members making disrespectful or insulting posts will receive a warning.  Hateful, intolerant or bigotted speech will result in a member’s immediate expulsion from the league.

PEBA forum etiquette requires that members refrain from making multiple posts in a single thread in a short time span if no response from another member has yet been made.  If a member wishes to make a number of quotes and responses, or if he has multiple thoughts to share, he should include them all in one post rather than separate them into multiple small posts made one right after the other.  If a member thinks of an addendum to a post he just made, he should edit his last post or wait for another member to respond before posting his new thought.

Members are welcome to maintain a team blog in the appropriate league writing sub-fourm.  Forum blogs are excellent tools for posting quick thoughts when there isn’t time or material to flesh out a full-length article.  Blog entries do not need to be formatted like homepage aritlces (i.e. no links or diacritics need be included).  The tradeoff is that members do not receive writing CP for forum blog entries; only fully formatted homepage articles qualify for writing CP.  Members maintaining forum blogs should create new forum threads for articles submitted to the homepage rather than posting articles in their blog.

New members will receive a reminder notice when making rapid fire posts in a thread. For established members, rapid fire posting will result in a CP penalry. -1 miscellaneous CP will be assessed for repeated violations of forum etiquette. No penalty notification will be sent; established members are expected to be aware of league policy on this issue.

Article XI   Contribution Points

Members may earn Contribution Points (or CP) which can be exchanged during the PEBA’s Winter Meetings for a variety of benefits. CP can be earned in several ways:

Standard Awards

• 4 CP for each regular season export submitted on time (maximum 100). Exports must be received prior to the scheduled sim time on sim nights to qualify. There will be neither a CP award nor penalty for first exports received after the scheduled sim time but before the sim is run. This award will be accrued during excused absences (for extended absences, the person you have designated to manage your team in your absence must export for you to receive this award).
• 1 CP for every 4 forum posts (maximum 50).
• 2 CP for every 250 words written in submitted news articles (maximum 50). Articles are to be submitted with the first appearance of player, personnel, team and league names linked to their HTML pages. Unlinked articles will not receive any writing CP credit.
• Maximum standard season earnings: 200

Bonus Awards*

• 10 CP for receiving all possible export awards over the course of a season. Exports received after 8 PM ET but before the start of a sim will count towards this bonus.
• 10 CP for contributing towards web space upkeep costs. This reward can be earned once per year.
• 10 CP for winning Executive of the Year Award.
• 5 CP for earning “Best of” in a writing category: Humor, Drama, Statistical Analysis, Draft Coverage, Trade Analysis, Game Recaps, Season Previews, Season Recaps, Most Original, Minors, HS/College, International. No member may win more than two categories.
• 5 CP for recruiting a GM who stays on for one full season.
• 2 CP for every 500 words written in submitted articles after the max standard CP gain of 50 has been reached.
• Variable CP award (at Board’s discretion) for special contributions benefiting the league.
• Maximum standard + bonus season earnings: 225

* Unlike standard awards, bonus awards allow members to recoup CP penalties

There are a few circumstances under which members can lose CP. These include:

Missed Export Penalties

• -6 CP for each unexcused missed regular season export.
• -2 CP for each consecutive unexcused missed regular season export. This penalty stacks with the standard unexcused missed export penalty and increases by 2 for each consecutive missed export.

Team Negligence Penalties

• -2 CP for leaving a player on the DFA list past the allotted time.

• -2 CP for having too many players on a roster within your organization.
• -2 CP for failing to provide space in low minors for draftees with whom bonuses have successfully been negotiated (one penalty for each violation).

• -2 CP for having too many foreigners on a roster (LRS only).

Miscellaneous Penalties

• -10 CP for failing to participate (without excuse) in mandatory league events.
• -5 CP for failing to participate (without excuse) in mandatory league votes.
• -4 CP for violations of contract-related house rules.
• -2 CP for each player rostered during sim preceding Rule 5 draft.
• -1 CP and up for failing to address DL/roster issues after receiving a warning (penalty will increase until the issue(s) are resolved).
• Variable CP penalty (at Board’s discretion) for behavior that goes against the PEBA’s spirit of courtesy and competitiveness.

The PEBA is a “participation league”. All members are expected to contribute to some degree over the course of a given season (note that a “CP season” is marked as the time between Winter Meetings). There are very basic participation requirements for continued league membership. Members must earn at least 100 CP by the conclusion of their league’s regular season for continued membership in the PEBA. The Board will contact a GM who appears to be in danger of failing to reach this mark to discuss if he would still like to (or is able to) participate in the league, as well as ways to boost participation. In addition, members must meet one of the following criteria by the conclusion of a CP season:

• Earn at least 10 writing AND 10 posting CP – This entails writing at least 1,250 words and making at least 40 forum posts.
• Earn at least 35 writing OR 35 posting CP – If a GM would prefer to focus his efforts on just one area, writing 4,500 words or making 140 posts will cover his participation obligation, freeing him from the responsibility of hitting both minimum requirements.

CP carries over from season to season. Members may carry a maximum of 450 CP at any given time. CP earnings that take a member’s total over 450 will not be counted.

Article XII   Standard Contribution Points Rewards

NOTES ON “CHANGE TEAM DETAILS” REWARDS: The PEBA takes its history very seriously.  Before considering team detail changes, please keep the following notes in mind.

• Any desired change to major or minor league team details must be announced to the Board well in advance.  See the respective reward descriptions for details.
• New GMs may not alter team details until they have spent one full season with the league.
• For desired location changes, both the geographical distribution of other teams in the changing team’s division/league and the appropriateness of the population of the desired new location relative to the changing team’s league must be considered.  Locations that are deemed inappropriate for either of those reasons will be disallowed.  In some cases, a location change may be possible with realignment involving one other team.  In these instances, if all else is acceptable, the Board will speak with the GM of the other team to determine if realignment would be acceptable.
• Team nickname changes must bear some relevance – historical, cultural, etc. – to the team’s location.  Name changes that bear no association with the team’s location will be disallowed.
• While a GM requesting an art change is welcome to send in a sample, the Board reserves the right to reject submitted art samples.  Samples may be used by the PEBA art team as inspiration for a unique design.  The GM will be provided with multiple samples to choose from but should be aware that his own art submission may not be used.

• Fan Interest – Exchange 20 CP for a one point FI increase. FI cannot be increased past 85 via this exchange.
• Cash – Exchange 40 CP for $1,000,000 in cash. This will not allow a team to exceed the cash maximum.
• Change Minor League Affiliate Details – Exchange 20 CP + $1,000,000 + an article on the changes to alter details of one of your minor league affiliates. You may change as many details as you like (city, name, logo, colors, ballpark, etc.). Selection of this reward must be announced to the Board prior to the conclusion of your league’s regular season, and all desired changes must receive Board approval. This reward may be selected once every three seasons for each affiliate. Members must have participated in the PEBA for one full season before qualifying to select this reward.  See notes on “Change Team Details” rewards below.
• Change Major League Team Details – Exchange 60 CP + $2,500,000 + an article on the changes to alter details of your team. You may change as many of these details as you like: nickname, logo, team colors, cap and jersey. Selection of this reward must be announced to the Board prior to the arrival of your league’s All-Star break, and all desired changes must receive Board approval. This benefit may be selected once every six seasons. Members must have participated in the PEBA for one full season before qualifying to select this reward. See notes on “Change Team Details” rewards below.
• Change Ownership – Exchange 100 CP + $3,500,000 + an article on new ownership to alter details of your team. You may submit new details for your team’s owner, including name, nickname, date/location of birth, nationality, height/weight and a new picture. Your new owner’s Patience and Spending traits will be randomly determined by OOTP. All changes must be approved by the Board. An owner created/altered through the Change Ownership reward is protected from OOTP-generated ownership changes for five seasons.  This benefit may be selected once every six seasons. New league members may select this reward during their first off-season with the league regardless of when the team last changed owners.
• New Ballpark Picture – Exchange 50 CP + $50,000 to have a custom rendering of your major league park created, or 25 CP + $15,000 for a rendering of one of your minor league parks.  You may supply your own rendering if you prefer, which must be approved by the Board.  This picture will display during your in game home park replays.
• Add Nickname – Exchange 5 CP + an article explaining the new nickname. You may add a nickname to any one player. All nicknames must be approved by the Board. Please use good taste!
• Add Personnel Nickname – Exchange 5 CP (normal personnel) or 20 CP (GM/team owner) + an article explaining the new nickname. You may add a nickname to any one personnel, GM or team owner. All nicknames must be approved by the Board. Please use good taste!
• Change Facial Hair – Exchange 5 CP + an article explaining the new facial hair. You may select a new facial hair style for your player from any of these options. Selections will remain in place for three seasons or until the player is no longer under contract with his current team, whichever comes first. This reward may only be selected twice per year.
• Define Feeder Player – Exchange 15 CP + an article about the selected player. You may choose a first-year feeder player’s name and hometown (nationality may not be altered).  You may also provide a picture for FaceGen conversion or request a custom FaceGen photo be made to your specifications.  For an extra 5 CP, you may add a nickname.  Only newly generated feeder league players who have not appeared in a game are eligible to be defined by this reward.  All details must mesh with a player’s nationality and be approved by the Board.  In the event that two members select the same player to define, priority will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis.  This reward may only be selected once per year.
• Improve Personnel – GMs may improve the rating in any category of any personnel within their organization. Exchange 30 CP + $300,000 to purchase one die roll. Each die roll determines the rating gain the personnel earn. The chances for gains are as follows (NOTE: Scale below reflects OOTP’s internal ratings scale, not the 1-10 ratings scale visible on the Personnel page):
  • 15 point gain – 50 % chance
  • 10 or 25 point gain – 20% chance each
  • 5 or 30 point gain – 5% chance each
• Convert Player to Personnel – Exchange 10 CP + $100,000 + an article explaining the new role to convert a retired player into a coach or Scouting Director for your organization. Players who retired from your organization or played the majority of their major league careers for your organization can be converted immediately; others require a 3-year wait after their retirement. GMs can specify what kind of coach (Manager, Bench, Hitting, Pitching) they want the converted player to become.

  Upon conversion, new personnel will be assigned ratings by OOTP. Additional points for upgrading ratings will be granted to GMs selecting this reward depending on the role assigned to the new personnel. Players converted to Managers/Bench Coaches will receive 240 points to be distributed to ratings at will. Players converted to Hitting/Pitching Coaches will receive 80 points to be distributed to ratings at will. Players converted to Scouting Directors will receive 200 points to be distributed to ratings at will.

• Hometown Hero (LRS only) – Exchange 50 CP + $500,000 + an article on the hometown hero.  A player designated as a hometown hero sees his Local Popularity increase to “Extremely Populay” and his National Popularity rise one level, and his morale receives a boost.  A team’s Fan Loylaty receives a +1 boost as long as the hometown hero is on the roster.  This boost becomes permanent if the homrtown hero playes at least six seasons with the team after being designated a hometown hero AND retires as a member of the team.  A hometown hero who retires as a member of his hometown team may be coverted to a personnel role at no cost (idential to the “Convert Player to Personnel” reward).

  To qualify for “Hometown Hero” designation, a player must have at least 9 major league service years and must have played for his home team for parts of at least 3 seasons.  He must also hail from one of the team’s designated “Hometown Hero” prefectures/cities.  Unless specified, all listed locations are prefectures and not cities.  A Japanese player’s city of birth is listed in this format: “City (Prefecture)”.

  EDO: Hokkaido – Kyoto – Shiga
  FY: Fukuoka – Nagasaki – Oita – Saga – city of Higashiosaka – city of Machida
  HYA:  Hiroshima (excluding city of Kure) – Hyogo – city of Hachioji
  KAW: Gunma – Nara – Saitama
  KUR: Chiba – Hiroshima (excluding city of Hiroshima) – Yamaguchi
  KUW: Gifu – Ibaraki – Mie – Shiga – Wakayama – city of Nagoya
  LUP: Kanagawa – Ishikawa – Toyama
  NAH: Kagoshima – Kumamoto – Miyazaki – Okinawa – Shizuoka
  NT: City of Tokyo
  NII: Chiba – Ehime – Kagawa – Kochi
  SEO: Osaka – country of South Korea
  SS: Aichi – Nagano – Yamanashi

Article XIII   Winter Ball

GMs may send up to two eligible players to Winter Ball, where they can increase their actual (but not potential) ratings. While all players sent to WB will show improvement, some will make greater strides than others. Here are the factors that improve the chance for a breakthrough:

• Working on fewer different areas
• A low actual rating in the area(s) being worked
• Where applicable, a high potential rating in the area(s) being worked
• Where applicable, a large spread between potential/actual ratings in the area(s) being worked
• Focusing on improving vs. L/R-handers

To be eligible for WB, a player must meet all of these qualifications:

• Must be between the ages of 20-30
• Must have at least 2 years of professional service time
• Must have accumulated at least 200 career PA or career 50 IP at or above AA
• Must not have more than 1 year major league service time
• Must not have previously attended Winter Ball
• Must not be injured as of the conclusion of the Winter Meetings

A maximum of 110 CP may be used on a player. There must be enough of a gap between the potential and actual ratings you’re trying to improve to allow room for growth. Players with little separation between actual/potential ratings are not good candidates for improvement in that area. Areas that lack potential ratings are guaranteed to be improved.

Working on any qualified area will always result in a baseline improvement. Because scouts differ in their evaluations of a player’s ratings and because the 1-10 scouting scale doesn’t readily display ratings gains, it’s impossible to precisely quantify the minimum improvement that each scout will report. However, since these are “true” improvements made within the player editor, these increases will translate into on-the-field performance. The gains will increase – sometimes dramatically – depending on the listed breakthrough factors.

Below is a list of available WB improvements and their associated CP costs. For each category where multiple ratings can be improved, ratings listed further to the right are more easily improved that those listed further to the left. “Total packages” can be purchased for most categories; these improve every rating in the category, albeit to a lesser degree than specializing. There is also a cash cost associated with sending players to WB that is determined by how much total CP is being spent:

• 25-50 CP: $500,000
• 51-100 CP: $1,000,000
• 101-150 CP: $1,500,000
• 151+ CP: $2,000,000

Batter Improvements

• Basic Batting – Contact (60 CP), Avoid K’s (30 CP), Gap (30 CP), Power (60 CP), Eye (50 CP). Alternately, you can purchase a “total package” that trains all 5 ratings for 110 CP. You may direct your player to focus on particularly improving a rating vs. LHP or RHP for an additional 15 CP.
• Miscellaneous Offense – Running Speed (55 CP), Stealing Bases (55 CP), Baserunning Instincts (40 CP), Sacrifice Bunt (20 CP), Bunt for Hit (20 CP). Alternately, you can purchase a “total package” that trains all 5 ratings for 80 CP.
• Fielding – Range (70 CP; not for catchers), Error (60 CP; not for catchers), Arm (70 CP for catchers / 50 CP for non-catchers), Turn Double Play (30 CP; infielders only), Catcher Ability (40 CP; catchers only). Improving any of these ratings will have a positive effect on overall positional ratings. Positions at which the player is currently more proficient will benefit more from this training than positions at which the player has little experience.
• Learn New Position – This is an extremely intensive training, and GMs must spend 110 CP to reflect their player’s total focus on gaining this new proficiency. You may select the position to be learned. The final results aren’t guaranteed, but you should expect a minimum rating of 2 in the new position. A player must have at least one positional rating of 3 or higher according to OSA to be eligible for this improvement. The rating of the newly learned position will not exceed the player’s highest current positional rating. The new rating is greatly influenced by the position you’re trying to learn and the player’s current defensive ability. The defensive spectrum is as follows (with progressing difficulty from left to right): 1B – LF – RF – 3B – CF – 2B – SS. Players trying to learn an easier position will have a greater chance of a breakthrough. Players currently proficient in difficult positions will have an easier time learning a hard position. No player may gain proficiency at catcher or pitcher via this improvement.

Pitcher Improvements

• Basic Pitching – Movement and Control (55 CP each). You may direct your player to focus on particularly improving a rating vs. LHB or RHB for an additional 15 CP.
• Miscellaneous Pitching – Stamina (60 CP), Hold Runners (25 CP).
• Defensive Training – You may purchase a “total package” that upgrades your pitcher’s four defensive ratings plus his positional rating for 40 CP.
• Pitch Perfection – Improve a pitch currently in a pitcher’s repertoire (55 CP each).
• Pitch Focus – Remove one pitch from pitcher’s repertoire and improve remaining pitches (90 CP).  You may select the pitch to be removed and designate how you would like your pitcher’s talent improvements to be distributed amongst his remaining pitches (e.g. 50% towards fastball, 40% towards slider, 10% towards curve).  The great the pitcher’s talent in the removed pitch, the more gain will be realized in his remaining pitches.
  
• Learn New Pitch – This is an extremely intensive training, and GMs must spend 110 CP to reflect their player’s total focus on gaining this new proficiency. The player is guaranteed to learn the new pitch, though the final ratings aren’t guaranteed. Both Current and Potential talent are increased by this reward. The ratings of the newly learned pitch will not exceed the player’s highest Current/Potential pitch ratings.

Article XIV   Ballpark Rewards

NOTE: Members must have participated in the PEBA for one full season before qualifying to select any Ballpark Reward with the exception of Additional Seating. Cash costs of ballpark rewards will first be deducted from a team’s private Ballpark Funds account (if available) before on-hand cash reserves are touched. See Article IV for details on Ballpark Funds accounts. Unless noted, all Ballpark Rewards require an article about the reward to be submitted prior to the start of the upcoming season.

Ballpark Renovation

• Additional Seating – 50 CP base cost + Construction Costs(see below). Must be purchased in blocks of 100 seats. No more than 5,000 seats may be added during one off-season and no ballpark may exceed 65,000 seats. Construction costs per 100 seats are as follows:
  • 35,100-45,000: 2 CP + $40,000
  • 45,100-55,000: 3 CP + $70,000
  • 55,100-65,000: 4 CP + $100,000
• Grass – Convert field to grass turf for $2,000,000
• Artificial Turf – Install artificial turf for $4,000,000
• Permanent Roof – Convert your ballpark into a dome for $10,000,000. This renovation cannot be undone once selected.
• Retractable Roof – Add a retractable roof for $15,000,000. This renovation cannot be undone once selected.
• Move Fences – Alter your ballpark’s dimensions by raising/lowering or bringing in/pushing out your outfield fences. The cost is $1,000,000 + $50,000 per foot of change. Moving the fences will alter your ballpark’s factors (exact changes to be determined by the Board). Final dimensions must be approved by the Board.

Ballpark Naming Rights

Teams may sell the naming rights to their stadium in exchange for either fan interest or cash. This allows GMs to rename an existing stadium. There are two ways to choose this reward:

• “Responsible Renaming” – Teams choosing this path recognize that fans prefer a less corporate, more community-oriented name for the ballpark. Exchange 40 CP + $500,000 (ballpark funds may not be used to pay this cash cost). Your fan base rewards your responsibility with +2 Fan Interest (max 85). New ballpark names must be approved by the Board. This reward may only be selected once every ten seasons.
• “Corporate Sellout” – Teams choosing this path recognize that the highest dollar can be had by selling out to the highest bidder. Receive for $3,000,000 plus the right to rename your ballpark. This will not allow a team to exceed the cash maximum. Fan dissatisfaction with your mercenary ways results in -1 Fan Loyalty. New ballpark names must be approved by the Board. This reward may only be selected once every ten seasons.

Ballpark Construction

Constructing a new 35,000 seat ballpark in your current city costs 100 CP base cost + $50,000,000, and you must submit a news release at least 1,000 words in length announcing plans for the new ballpark. At the time this reward is selected you may elect to increase the new ballpark’s capacity to 45,000 for an additional $10,000,000 or to 55,000 for an additional $25,000,000 above the base cost. Additional CP may be exchanged at the time of purchase to offset construction costs; every 10 CP spent will lower the construction costs by $1,000,000 (to a minimum of $25,000,000). Ballpark construction costs are eligible for a payment plan (see below).

There are a number of benefits to constructing a new ballpark:

• Fan loyalty increases by 1
• Market size increases by 1

New ballparks open one full season after being selected as a reward. GMs may choose the type (open / retractable roof / dome) and turf (grass / artificial) of their ballpark. Dimensions and wall heights may also be determined by GMs, although final plans are subject to approval by the Board and a surcharge may be levied in the case of particularly unusual designs. A name and unclaimed picture may also be chosen for the new ballpark. Teams must stay in their new ballparks for a minimum of 10 years.

Relocation

Any GM may elect to relocate his team (the Board must approve your team’s new location). Details are essentially the same as the Ballpark Construction reward. Certain teams may have extra incentive to relocate, however, while others may have incentive to stay put. There are 6 criteria that are checked when you elect to relocate:

• Fan interest 60 or less
• Fan loyalty “Slightly Above Average” or less
• Market size “Average” or less
• Five consecutive losing seasons
• Team not profitable over the previous three seasons
• Attendance less than 65% of stadium capacity in both the previous two seasons

GMs who meet 3 of the 6 criteria qualify for double the Ballpark Construction reward (+2 Fan Loyalty and Market Size). GMs who meet 1 of the 6 criteria will receive the same benefit as the Ballpark Construction award. GMs who don’t meet any of the criteria will still gain +1 Market Size but will take a penalty of -1 to Fan Loyalty (reflecting the “mercenary” ways of team ownership).  In all circumstances, relocation confers the additional benefit of allowing a team to change major league details as if the “Change Major League Details” reward had been selected (no CP or cash expenditure required, but the required article on changes still applies).

Payment Plan

Ballpark Construction and Relocation (but not Renovation) costs are eligible for a payment plan. Rather than paying the full construction costs at the time the reward is selected, you may instead elect to pay 10% at the time of selection and break the remaining payments up over four years. Choosing this option adds an additional 20% to the total cost. For example, you could elect to spread out the entire cost of a $50,000,000 ballpark over four years. Doing so would add 20% to the cost, increasing it to $60,000,000. You would now owe just $6,000,000 up front and $13,500,000 each of the next four years (due during the Winter Meetings).

Using the payment plan delays the completion of the construction/relocation as well as the trigger of secondary benefits (fan interest/loyalty and market size) until the full sum has been paid. Defaulting on a payment will result in a fan interest penalty and an interest charge of 30% on your next payment. Defaulting on a second consecutive payment will cancel the reward. In this circumstance, there will be no refund.

Article XV   League Settings

The league settings detailed here are subject to change. The Board reserves the right to make changes to league settings during the off-season as he sees fit. While most of these changes will be reported, some may be made without notification in an effort to change the landscape and “shake things up”.

• Scouting and Coaching are enabled.
• Injuries are enabled.
• Player Personality Ratings and Morale System are enabled
• The PEBA will play a 162-game schedule with no interleague games. The LRS will play a 144-game schedule with 2 separate blocks of six 2-game interleague series.
• Normal regular season sims will cover 7 in-game days.
• Normal regular season Waiver Period Length will be 8 days; Normal regular season DFA Period Length will be 15 days.
• PEBA secondary roster size will be 40 players. LRS secondary roster size will be 35 players.
• All PEBA teams will use the DH. LRS teams in the Shining Star Group will use the DH. LRS teams in the Bright Blade Group will not use the DH.
• PEBA teams will have a AAA, AA, Hi-A and SS-A affiliate. LRS teams will have a AAA and A affiliate. All minor league teams will use the DH.
• Roster limits are 25 players for all levels except PEBA SS-A and LRS A, which have limits of 35 players.
• The standard DL option will require a stint of no less than 14 days.
• All player and coaching ratings are on a 1-10 scale. Ratings > Max are not revealed, instead appearing as “10”.
• Box Scores will be kept for all leagues. Game Logs will be kept for Human Leagues only. Game Replays will be kept for Human Teams only. News Logs, Injury Logs, and Transaction Logs will be kept from all leagues.
• Career L/R Splits, Fielding and Postseason Stats will be kept for all levels.
• Fictional Player and Coach Pictures are enabled (normal color).
• Trading with AI-run teams is disabled.
• Draft pick trading is enabled.
• Baseball America’s Top Prospect List will be updated once yearly upon the start of each new season.
• The PEBA Amateur Draft will be held on June 7th. The LRS Amateur Draft will be held on June 21st.
• Each league will have two feeder leagues – 1 College and 1 High School – from which players will enter the league’s draft.
• The Amateur Draft Pool will be revealed 75 days prior to the draft. The draft will be populated exclusively via feeder league players.
• PEBA roster expansion will occur on September 1st. LRS roster expansion will occur on September 15th.
• PEBA Playoffs: 8 teams participate (4 division winners + 4 wild cards). Round 1 (PEBA Division Series) is best-of-5 in 2-2-1 format. Rounds 2 (League Alliance Tournament) and 3 (Planetary Extreme Championship) are best-of-7 in 2-3-2 format.
• LRS Playoffs: 4 teams participate (2 division winners + 2 wild cards). Round 1 (Wasei Junkesshou) is best-of-7 with all games being played at higher seeded team’s ballpark. Round 2 (Neo-Tokyo Cup) is best-of-7 in 2-3-2 format.
• Minimum Days of Service for one Service Year are 172 in the PEBA, 145 in the LRS.
• Players reach arbitration eligibility after 3 service years and free agency after 6 service years in the PEBA. Players reach arbitration eligibility after 6 service years and free agency after 9 service years in the LRS. Only major league service years count towards arbitration eligibility.
• Free agents may sign with international leagues, and vice versa.
• Each team has access to its entire revenue. There is no Salary Cap.
• Revenue Sharing: 31% of each team’s income will be distributed amongst all PEBA teams on the first day off each off-season.
• Cash Maximum is +/- $25,000,000.
• League minimum salary is $490,000 in the PEBA, $81,500 in the LRS.
• LRS only: Foreign Player Limit will be 4 non-Japanese players permitted on active roster.

Article XVI   House Rules

The PEBA employs several house rules that distinguish it from standard leagues and define basic expected parameters for its participants. It is the responsibility of each member to familiarize himself with these rules.

• Exporting is mandatory for all regular season sims: Exporting for off-season sims is non-mandatory but encouraged. Five missed exports during a season will result in forfeiture of league membership.
• Team maintenance requirements: There are several base requirements regarding the management of rosters, lineups/rotations/depth charts, DL and personnel that are spelled out in Article III. Members are expected to attend to these requirements.
• Minimum CP and participation requirement: Members must earn at least 100 CP by the conclusion of their league’s regular season for continued membership in the PEBA. There is also a very basic participation requirement for continued league membership that can be met in one of two ways:
  1. Earn at least 10 writing AND 10 posting CP – This entails writing at least 1,250 words and making at least 40 forum posts.
  2. Earn at least 35 writing OR 35 posting CP – If a GM would prefer to focus his efforts on just one area, writing 4,500 words or making 140 posts will cover his participation obligation, freeing him from the responsibility of hitting both minimum requirements.
• Mandatory votes and “floater” opinions: Members will be asked to cast online ballots for All-Stars, end-of-season awards and Hall of Fame inductions. Casting ballots for these awards is considered mandatory. Additionally, members are expected to submit their opinions on league “floater” proposals during the off-season.
• Article Submission: Articles must be submitted through the homepage’s Submit News interface, must have first appearances of PEBA-related proper nouns hyperlinked, and must include any diacritics appearing in names in order for them to qualify for writing CP.
• Team Finance Checks:GMs are expected to steer their team towards profitability. To that end, these checks are placed on finances:
  1. Losses beyond -$25,000,000 will be erased upon the end of a season, but there will be a penalty to fan interest for every $5M below the league’s cash minimum in cash a team ends a season with.
  2. A fan interest penalty assessed to teams who end consecutive seasons with negative total cash and who have failed to make progress towards break-even in the previous year.
• Performance-Based Fan Loyalty/Market Size Fluctuation: Shortly after the conclusion of every season, data from teams’ current year and previous 3-year averages will be compared against their previous 6-year averages. The data will include won-lost record, attendance, revenue and expenses. Also factoring into the equation will be playoff appearances, average divisional finish and games behind divisional leader, and end-of-season awards won by members of the team over the previous 3 years. Once this information has been tallied, a % chance for a market size/fan loyalty increase will be determined based on a set scale and a random die roll will be made. If the roll fails, no change will occur. If the roll succeeds, the team will experience a one-level shift upwards/downwards in market size and/or fan loyalty. A minimum of 2 years must pass between fan loyalty changes, and a minimum of 3 years must pass between market size changes. Winning a PEBA championship makes a team exempt from market size/fan loyalty drops for the next 3 years, while an LRS championship protects a team from drops for the next 2 years.
• Contract House Rules: Contact the Board for approval before offering a contract in violation of these rules. Permission may be given to offer a contract in violation of these guidelines if the Board deems there is sufficient reasoning behind the request.
  1. Yearly salaries within a multi-year contract offer may never decrease.  Salaries may only be at or above the value of the previous season’s salary within a multi-year contract offer.  GMs are strongly encouraged to realistically escalate salaries over the life of a multi-year contract.
     
     • EXCEPTION: Only between the conclusion of a league’s playoffs and the arrival of free agency, qualifying veterans may be offered a 1-year contract at a salary no less than 75% of the player’s current salary.  The qualifications are as follows:
       • Player is at least 33 years old as of the conclusion of a league’s playoffs
       • Player has a Loyalty rating of “Normal” or higher
       • Player has enough service time to qualify for free agency
       • Player has signed at least one previous major league contract with his current team
       • Player has been under major league contract with his current team for the previous three consecutive seasons or six total seasons
  2. The salary in the first year of an extension must be at or above the value of the player’s current year salary.  If you wish to sign the player to a contract with a salary lower than what he is currently making, you must first let him test free agency. Once a player reaches free agency, you may offer him whatever you like.
  3. Extensions of three or more years in length must adhere to the following minimum salary restrictions:
     
     • • All contract years that cover a player’s arbitration years must feature a salary at least equal to the league average salary.
       • All contract years that cover a player’s free agency years must feature a salary at least triple the league average salary.
  4. Players with enough major league service time to qualify for free agency may not be signed to one-year major league contracts between the conclusion of a league’s season and the arrival of a league’s free agency period.  If a team wishes to sign a player with enough major league service time to qualify for free agency (6 ML years in the PEBA; 9 ML years in the LRS) during this restricted period, the team must offer the player a contract of at least two guaranteed years in length.
  5. Teams may not sign a player to a major league extension within 45 days of his signing a major league contract.  A brief cool-down period is required before a new contract may be extended.
  6. If a contract with a player is voided, the GM’s next contract offer to the player must be for at least 150% of the total value of the previous offer (plus bonuses).
     • • A voided contract worth $3M over 3 years would require that the next contract offer to the player to feature a guaranteed average yearly salary of at least $1.5M ($3M / 3 x 1.5).
       • NOTE: This rule does not apply to contracts voided due to salary protection.  Salary protected contracts have their own rule governing violations.
• Bonus Restrictions:There are restrictions on bonus clauses in contracts, both for free agents and extensions:
  1. Players must meet a minimum average guaranteed salary value in order to qualify to be offered Royal Raker, Golden Arm, Saiyu-shu-senshu or Sawamura Award bonuses.
     • PEBA contracts require an average guaranteed yearly salary value of at least $5M to qualify for award bonus offers.
       • Example: PEBA GMs are allowed to offer a Royal Raker bonus along with a contract offer of $4M for 2010, $5M for 2011 and $6M for 2012 (average value of $5M). If the $6M for 2012 is absent from the offer (dropping the average value to $4.5M), a Royal Raker bonus may not be offered.
     • LRS contracts require an average guaranteed yearly salary value of at least $2.5M to qualify for award bonus offers.
  2. PA/IP bonuses can be given to any player, up to a PA/IP cap determined by the team’s league.
     • PEBA: GMs may include bonus triggers no greater than 650 PA / 200 IP.
     • LRS: GMs may include bonus triggers no greater than 575 PA / 175 IP.
  3. The cap on the amount of total bonus money that may be offered is 25% of the highest guaranteed yearly salary in the contract.
     • Example: In a contract offer of $5M for 2010, $6M for 2011 and a $7M option for 2012, a GM may offer bonuses up to $1.5M (25% of $6M, the highest guaranteed yearly salary in the contract).
  4. Each league features a seasonal cutoff point after which contract bonuses may only be offered to free agents receiving multi-year offers. This restriction remains in effect until the conclusion of the league’s playoffs.
     • The in-season free agent bonus cutoff for PEBA GMs is June 6th.
     • The in-season free agent bonus cutoff for LRS GMs is June 14th.
  5. If a contract features an illegal bonus, the bonus will be added to yearly salaries.
     • Example: PEBA GMs cannot include Royal Raker or Golden Arm bonuses unless the average guaranteed yearly salary value of the contract is at least $5M. If a PEBA team signs a contract with a player that features an average guaranteed yearly salary value of $4.5M and includes a $1M Royal Raker bonus, that bonus will be eliminated and $1M will be added to the base salary of each season covered by the contract.
• Juuki Designation: Only in the LRS, a team may designate one player per season as juuki.  The player designated as juuki will automatically be signed to a one-year contract at the same salary as his current-year salary. The Board will enter this extension in for you; there is no need to negotiate it yourself. This powerful tool carries with it some caveats. Here are the details of the juuki designation:
  1. Teams may designate one (and only one) player as juuki by informing the Board between the start of the off-season and the arrival of free agency.
  2. Only pending free agents may be designated as juuki.
  3. Only players who spent the entire just-completed season with their current team (either in the majors or minors or on the DL) may be designated as juuki.
  4. Non-Japanese players must have appeared in at least one LRS game in each of the last three seasons to qualify for juuki designation.
  5. A player may only be designated as juuki once during his career.
  6. A player designated as juuki automatically receives a one-year contract at the same salary and with the same bonuses as featured in his current-year contract.
  7. A player designated as juuki receives a full no-trade clause for the upcoming season.
  8. Players designated as juuki may not be offered arbitration when their juuki contract is up.
  9. Players greatly dislike having the juuki tag placed on them, as it inhibits them from seeking top dollar for their services on the free market.  Juuki-designated players will suffer a noticeable morale hit.
  10. The first year salary of any extension offered to a player currently playing under a one-year juuki contract must be at least 150% of his current-year salary.

• High-Value Contracts: Only in the LRS, teams will receive a fan interest boost for signing a player to a guaranteed yearly salary representing at least 18% of its total budget.  A similar boost will also be triggered when a player is signed to a contract featuring a guaranteed salary of $10,000,000 or more, or a total contract value in excess of $50,000,000.
• Ballpark Funds: At the end of each season, teams with in excess of $25,000,000 on hand will have that excess removed from their in-game account and added to their Ballpark Funds.  This account can be tapped when purchasing CP Ballpark Rewards (see Article XIV).
• Live Amateur Draft: Each league will hold a live amateur draft (the PEBA every June 7th; the LRS every June 21st). Amateur drafts will be held in the PEBA chat room and are conducted through StatsLab (see Article IX). Participation in amateur drafts is mandatory. See Article VI for details on each league’s participation requirements.
• Major League Contracts for Draftees: Major league contracts to draftees must feature an average yearly salary of at least $750,000 (PEBA)/$250,000 (LRS).  The term of these entry contracts is capped at six years.
• Trade Restrictions: There are certain restrictions/qualifiers on trades:
  1. No more than five players may be included by a team in a single trade.
     Players selected in the Amateur Draft are ineligible to be traded for one full year.
  2. Players on a team’s 60-day DL may not be included in trades.  Additionally, players listed as facing one month or more of recovery time may not be included in trades.
  3. International free agents may not be traded until one year after the signing of their first professional contract.
  4. No player may be traded within 90 days of signing a major league contract, or within 30 days of signing a minor league contract.
  5. Players with at least 10 years of major league service and at least 5 years spent with current team may exercise their 10/5 rule rights to veto a trade.  GMs will be informed if/when this occurs.
  6. Free agents signed to off-season major league contracts may not be traded until a set date during the upcoming season:
     • PEBA: June 15th
     • LRS: July 8th
  7. No Player To Be Named Later (PTBNL) may be included in a trade.
  8. No more than 5 picks may be included by a team in a single trade. Only picks for the upcoming Amateur Draft may be traded. Draft picks may not be traded during the sim cycle directly preceding an Amateur Draft. Compensation picks for unsigned draftees may not be traded.
  9. Only cash on hand may be traded (i.e. no deficit trading), unless the team deficit trading is relinquishing more unpaid salary than the amount of cash it is trading.
• Playoff eligibility and injury replacement rules: The PEBA uses custom playoff roster and injury rules.
  1. Players must be on a team’s 25-man roster or major league DL on the day before roster expansion in the league which the team belongs to (Aug. 31 for PEBA teams, Sept. 14 for LRS teams).  If less than 25 players are on a team’s active roster on the listed dates, the vacant roster spot(s) must also remain vacant during the playoffs.
  2. If a playoff-eligible player is injured between league roster expansion and the start of the playoffs, he may be replaced on your playoff roster by any player who was on a roster in your organization prior to league roster expansion.
  3. A player who is injured during the course of the playoffs may be replaced between series by any player who was on a roster in your organization prior to your league’s roster expansion.  Players may not be replaced during a series.
  4. Any player placed on the DL during the playoffs is ineligible to return to the playoff roster.
  5. Ineligible players on a playoff roster will be removed by the Board.  Their vacated roster spot may not be filled for the duration of the current playoff series.
• Rule 5 draft restrictions: Players may not be placed on a team’s secondary roster during the in-game Dec. 1st sim cycle (the Rule 5 sim).
• Contribution Points Rewards: Members earn Contribution Points (CP) throughout the season by exporting, writing articles, posting in the forums, and various other activities that contribute to the betterment of the league. CP can be cashed in at the start of the Winter Meetings for a variety of rewards. See the articles covering CP rewards for more details.
• Live Winter Meetings: The Winter Meetings will be conducted as a non-mandatory live event each off-season. All player trade restrictions are waived for the duration of the Meetings.
• Posting & Transfer system: A custom posting and transfer system allows for player transfer from the LRS to the PEBA, and vice versa. See Article VIII for details.