MLB Pro League Rules

The Common Sense Accord

Article I — League Governance
Article II – League Play Schedule
Article III — Responsibilities of the Membership
Article IV — Financials
Article V — Rosters and Team Setup
Article VI — Drafts
Article VII — Trades
Article VII — League Settings

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MLB Pro attempts to be a realistic Out of the Park Baseball (OOTP) league. By accepting an invitation to MLB Pro, you are acknowledging your agreement to accept and abide by the League Rules in its current and future forms.

Disrespect towards ANYONE WITHIN THE LEAGUE IS NOT TOLERATED! While disagreements and debates will always be a part of any gathering of individuals, there is a line between joking around and being disrespectful and offensive. Make sure it is a line that is not crossed.

Decisions by the MLB Pro League Office are final. It is true that this league is not a dictatorship. It is also not a democracy. While input is welcomed, sought out and always encouraged, at the end of the day, decisions have to be made by the League Office and those decisions need to be respected.

To be clear, these factors will always be considered when making changes:

Realism
The time it would take to implement and/or maintain the decision
The positive vs. negative consequences
The capabilities of OOTP

If you don’t like or understand a decision, please direct your opinion to the Commissioners via PM on Slack.

The Common Sense Accord (CSA)

MLB Pro 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 League Office, who can and will enforce unilateral actions when needed to prevent and/or reverse moves that go against the spirit of the CSA.

If you are uncertain whether a move you’re considering would violate the League Rules, contact the League Office to receive guidance. Your case will always garner the best reception when you provide forewarning.

Article I — League Governance

The Constitution of MLB Pro will be referred to for all questions regarding the rules and regulations of MLB Pro. The Constitution may be revised as necessary for the league to evolve. Whenever appropriate, members will be consulted prior to a Constitutional change. This is greatly dependent on the importance of the change on the health of the league. Any changes to these settings that are vital to the health of the league must be made solely by the League Office. Any changes that are optional and do not affect the health of the league will be voted on by the league.

Article II — League Play Schedule

During the regular season, sims are scheduled daily with GM exports due at 8:00 pm EST.* In the event of deviations from the schedules, members will be notified in advance in Slack. Each sim will be one day unless otherwise noted.

MLB Pro members recognize that timely exporting is the most basic and essential requisite of a smoothly running league. In turn, the League Office recognizes that life responsibilities/emergencies can and do occasionally conflict with the exporting process.

Article III — Responsibilities of the Membership

There are base responsibilities involved with participation in MLB Pro. The League Office will contact GMs neglecting their responsibilities. Repeated violations can result in removal from the league.

From February 1 through the end of the season (we can discuss off-season activity at a later point), that everyone exports at a clip of AT LEAST 25% per month. This is roughly twice a week AT MINIMUM!
- (Not all 25%’s are created equal…)
- If this becomes a problem that I see OR if I am notified by someone about your exports/not responding to Slack AND if I agree with those assessments by others, I will issue a warning.
In addition to the 25% monthly clip, please try and avoid the lengthy absences. Again, stuff comes up, I get it, I understand it, and if it happens once or twice, sure, but more than that, please try and let us know when you will not be around.
Moving forward, to be eligible for a “Competitive Balance Draft Pick”, you will need to:
- Export at a clip of 50% or better FOR THE SEASON
- Export at a clip of 33% or better FOR EACH MONTH FEBRUARY-SEPTEMBER
- Avoid being notified about your exports being a concern.
Failure to meet exporting guidelines will lead to review.

Rosters: The roster limit for all MLB active rosters is 26 players during the regular season and 28 during the September roster expansion. Minor league teams above Rookie League will have a roster limit of 30 players. Rookie League teams do not have a roster size limit, but players must have less than 4 years of professional service time to remain in the Rookie League. Failure to meet these requirements will result in auto-assignment by OOTP (which may not be to your liking).

Designated for Assignment (DFA): Players may stay on your DFA list for up to 10 days. GMs must assign, trade or release a player before his allotted time on the list expires. Failure to do so will result in the release of the DFA regardless of contract status. Players can be placed on the DFA list for the following 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 ensure 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 and depth charts. GMs are expected to adjust for injuries as needed.

Injured List (IL): The injured list is not to be used to get around roster size limits. Rehab and assign players off of the injured list once healthy. During the off-season, all players must be removed from the injured list. Players can return to the injured list when Spring Training begins.

Personnel: GMs are expected to keep all teams in their organization fully staffed while in season. A lack of “quality” available personnel is not an excuse. Coaches/Personnel/Staff CANNOT be demoted.

Voting: GMs are expected to vote for All-Star representation and for awards. We ask that team’s refrain from voting for their own players, with the exception of truly obvious situations.

Article IV — Financials

Ticket Price: Each GM may set his or her team’s ticket prices. These prices must be within the range of $15.00 and $40.00. While ticket prices will be acceptable anywhere within the $15-$40 range, it is imperative that teams use some discretion when adjusting prices. In 2013, only 1 team had an average ticket price for the season exceed $30. Please keep in mind the average price when determining if your team should exceed the league average and by how much. Use common sense, recent and current team success, fan interest, and market size to determine what is appropriate for your franchise. The League Office will continue to monitor teams and what they ultimately decide to charge. If we determine a price to be unrealistic according to the above guideline, we will be in contact with said team in the hope of finding an appropriate ticket price.

National media contracts are the same for every team but local media contracts can vary based on team interest, team support, and market size and are determined automatically by OOTP.

Teams are allowed to hold an unlimited amount of cash at any point but the maximum amount of cash that any team can carry over to the next year is $10,000,000.

There will be no salary cap. GMs are free to deficit spend if they so choose; however, as of January 9, 2020, teams will not be able to acquire salary via a trade that pushes them beyond $10M over budget at any given point in time.

Budget is defined by the trade screen. For an individual GM to check it would be the finance tab’s “Total Money Available” — a reminder that salaries are prorated during the season.

Revenue sharing will include all team revenue at a rate of 35%.

PLAYER CONTRACTS

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.

–Contract Options–

Contracts of three-years or less of length will be limited to no more than 1 option (Team, Player, Vesting) OR opt-out.
Contracts of four-years and five-years in length will be limited to no more than a combination of 2 options or opt-out years. (Example: Opt Out Y2 / Option Y4 or Option Y3 / Option Y4)
Contracts of at least six-years in length may include up to 2 option years (Player/Team/Vesting) AND one player opt-out years.

One team options is allowed in the final-year of a contract WITH a 50% buyout included.
- No player or vesting options are allowed following a team option
Vesting Options: (If a vesting option breaks these limitations, the option will be converted into a guaranteed year.)
- Games Played (All Position Players): 80 GP Maximum, Plate Appearances 250 Maximum
- Games Started (Starting Pitchers): 20 GS Maximum
- Innings Pitched (All Pitchers): 120 IP Maximum for SP/50 IP Maximum for RP

-MLB CONTRACT EXTENSIONS-

The allowable length of a contract extension will be directly tied to the player’s time spent on the secondary roster — rounding down to the nearest COMPLETED year of service time will dictate the number of years that can be offered to a player.

A player who has completed 0 years of time on the secondary roster is NOT ELIGIBLE for an extension.
A player who has completed between 1 and 4 years of time on the secondary roster may sign an extension UP TO 4 years in length.
A player who has completed 5 years of time on the secondary roster may sign an extension UP TO 6 years in length.
A player who has completed 6 years of time on the secondary roster has no restrictions on a contract extension.

Any violation of the above will result in the immediate voiding of the contract extension.

-INTERNATIONAL FREE AGENCY-

International Amateur Signees cannot be traded until July 1 of the following season.

Article V — Rosters and Team Setup

The roster limit for all MLB active rosters is 26 players during the regular season and 28 during the September roster expansion. Minor league teams have a roster limit of 30 players with the exception of Rookie League teams that do not have a roster size limit. GMs must ensure that these limits are not exceeded before their export. Failure to meet these requirements will result in auto-assignment by the AI.

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, per the requirements previously stated.

To be eligible for a team’s playoff roster, a player must be on that specific team’s 40-man roster or their injured list on August 31st, the day before the September roster expansion. Players signed through free agency or acquired on the waiver wire after August 31st are not eligible for postseason play, regardless if they were playoff eligible for their previous team. Roster moves cannot be made while a playoff series is in progress.

If a player is injured between now and the playoffs, a replacement may be made by a player in your organization as of end of tonight.

During the playoffs, at the completion of a round, if there is need for an injury replacement, again the player may be picked from your organization as of end of tonight.

Article VI — Drafts

The MLB Pro Amateur draft will take place via Stats+. Amateur Draft participation is mandatory. MLB Pro GMs unable to make a pick live are expected to create a pre-ranked list within Stats+.

Recently drafted players may be traded following the World Series of their first professional season.

MLB Pro will hold a Rule 5 draft in December/January of each season. The goal is to hold the draft via Slack each season. Teams will be able to submit a draft list if they are unable to attend. If unable to run the Rule 5 draft via Slack, the draft will be conducted in-game.

Article VII — Trades

Players, personnel, and cash are all viable items to trade. Draft picks cannot be traded.

Trade Deadline/August Trading: The trade deadline will be announced in-season each year. The goal will be to match the real-life trade deadline date.

Beginning again in 2024, the August trade period will be allowed. Players who are on minor-league contracts and have not spent any time on the 40-man roster during the season will be tradable.

Trade Restrictions:

No more than five players may be included by a single team in a single trade.
No-trade clauses and 10/5 veto requests are on and will be honored.
The minimum amount of cash that can be traded in a trade is $50,000.
A player who signs a big league contract or extension during the season, cannot be trade for three calendar months. (ie: Contract/Extension signed on 4/3, cannot be traded until 7/3) – During the season: Opening Day – End of the World Series
A player who signs a big league contract or extension during the off-season, cannot be traded until July 1 of the following season. – During the offseason: all times that fall outside of OD-End of Playoffs
- A player who is arbitration eligible who signs a one-year extension between the end of the World series and day of arbitration hearings, may be traded immediately. This one-year extension is being viewed as an arbitration settlement thus making the player eligible to be traded.

NOT ELIGIBLE TO BE TRADED: Recently drafted players (eligible after WS ends), recently signed IFA players (July 1 following year), and no including of ‘players to be named later.’

TRADES

Please use the following as a template for all trade posts:

Title: Miami/Texas
Miami sends:
SP Mark Buehrle
2B Gabriel Ortiz – AAA New Orleans
Texas sends:
LF Alex Gordon
3B Christian Villanueva – AA Frisco
RF Nomar Mazara – A Myrtle Beach
Miami accepts this deal because Buehrle is a good pitcher but is far too inconsistent for our tastes, not to mention he becomes very expensive over the years. He get our new left fielder in the young star of Alex Gordon, as well as two solid prospects and cash that will be very handy this offseason.*

New GM Waiting Period: New GM’s are not able to trade in their first two-weeks. This serves as an introductory period for new GM’s. In addition, we ask new GM’s to at some point prior to making any trades, that they make a trade block.

The responsibility of the new rule is shared upon those already in the league. Let the new GM’s become acclimated to the league before bombarding them with trade offers. When we hire a new GM, it is with the intention that they will be sticking around for YEARS. You will have plenty of time to make trades with our new GM’s, we just ask that they do not come within this new period. This goes beyond posting trades — do not discuss dealings in depth. Sure, it’s fine to ask what their plans might be, but try and not go much beyond that!

Article VIII — 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. As previously stated, any changes to these settings that are vital to the health of the league must be made solely by the Board. Any changes that are optional and do not affect the health of the league will be voted on by the league. Some of these settings have already been mentioned in relevant sections and are posted for reinforcement.

All-Star Game Options

All-Star Game decides home field for final playoff round: Disabled
Every team will be represented in the All-Star Game

Auto-Save & Log Options

Auto-Save: Daily
Save Box Scores from: Human Teams
Save Game Logs from: Human Teams
Save Replays from: Human Teams
Keep news logs: All
Keep injury logs: All
Keep transaction logs: All

Amateur Draft Rules

Amateur Draft: Enabled
Use pre-defined draft value for AI: Disabled
Amateur Draft Date: Mid-June, date can change some year to year
Amateur Draft Pool Reveal Date: 100 days prior to draft
Advanced Draftee Signing (Signing Bonus Negotiations): Disabled

Beginning with the 2024 MLB Pro draft, the following system will be used to determine draft orderThe first six picks of the first round would be decided by a draft lottery. Draft Odds can be seen in the chart below.

Picks 7-18 will be non-playoff teams from worst record to best record (think current draft order in-game).
Picks 19-30 will be determined by the playoffs.19-22: Losers of the Wild Card Round (Worst record to best record)
23-26: Losers of the LDS (Worst record to best record)27-28: Losers of the LCS (Worst record to best record)
29: World Series Loser
30: World Series Champion
In rounds 2-20…Picks 1-18 will be worst record to best record of non-playoff teams
Picks 19-30 will remain in the same order they were for round 1.

Collective Bargaining Agreement Rules

(Beginning in the off-season following the 2020 World Series) In an attempt to match the recent MLB CBA, MLB Pro will undergo a change to our free-agent compensation rules. The following system recreates the latest CBA in what is hopefully a much easier to follow and understand set of rules.

In order to qualify for any compensation, players must be offered an in-game qualifying offer.
If a player declines the qualifying offer, he will become a free-agent.

Once a player becomes a free-agent, the following system is in order:

If a player signs a contract…	The team losing the player…	The team signing the player…
W/ a total value when signed of $45,000,000 or more. [Category 1]	Gets a pick between Rounds 1 & 2	Loses a 2nd round pick
W/ a total value when signed of less than $45,000,000. [Category 2]	Gets a pick between Rounds 2 & 3	Loses a 3rd round pick

-If a team signs multiple free-agents who have qualified for compensation, they will lose the next highest pick available from the category. [I.E. Team X signs two players from Category 1, it loses a 2nd and 3rd round pick, whereas Team Y who signed two players from Category 2 would loses a 3rd and a 4th round pick.

International Posted Free Agent Posting Fee:

One unique aspect of MLB Pro’s free-agency posting system is the compensation structure for the player’s former international team. If any of these players sign with an MLB Pro team, their former teams will receive a fee based on the total value of the player’s contract. The breakdown is as follows:

Contract worth less than $25 million: 20% of contract value
Contract worth $25 million to $50 million: $5 million plus 17.5% of the amount over $25 million
Contract worth more than $50 million: $9.275 million plus 15% of the amount over $50 million
Minor League Contract: $1,000,000

The fee is disbursed as a miscellaneous expense spread across two seasons.

Financial & Free Agency Settings

Financial System: Enabled
Minimum Service Years for Free Agency: 6 Years
Generate International Free Agents: 30 per year
Draft Pick Compensation for lost FA’s: Enabled
Service Years Required for Arbitration: 3 Years
Minimum Service Years for Minor League FA: 6 Years/NPB: N/A

Game Options

Scouting: Enabled
Scouting Accuracy: Very High
Coaching: Enabled

Minor League Structure

International League (AAA)
Pacific Coast League (AAA)
Eastern League (AA)
Southern League (AA)
Texas League (AA)
California League (A+)
Carolina League (A+)
Florida State League (A+)
Midwest League (A)
South Atlantic League (A)
Arizona League (Rookie)
Gulf Coast League (Rookie)
Las Vegas Rookie League (Rookie Complex)

Minor League Settings

Designated Hitter Rule: Various
Playoffs: Enabled

Rosters

Active Roster Size: 30 Players (Rookie leagues are unlimited)
Disabled List Length: 10 Days

Misc. Options

Player Personality Ratings: Enabled
Morale System: Enabled
Storylines: Enabled

Rating Scales

Player Actual Ratings Scale: 20 to 80
Player Potential Ratings Scale: 20 to 80
Other Player Ratings Scale: 20 to 80
Show Ratings > Max: No, cut off
Show Potential < Actual: No, adjust
Overall/Potential Rating: None displayed
Overall rating based on AI evaluation, not pure ratings: Disabled
Overall rating based on all players, not positions: Disabled
Coach/Scout Ratings Scale: 20 to 80

Report Options

Top Prospect List: Dynamic
Preseason Predictions: Automatic

Roster Rules

Age Minimum: None
Age Maximum: None
Active Roster Size: 26
Foreign Players Limit: None
Expanded Roster Size: 28 beginning September 1
Roster Expansion Date: September 1st
Post-Season Roster Rules: Enabled
Secondary (40-Man) Roster Size: 40 Players
Minimum Days of Service for One Service Year: 144
Waiver Period Length: 3 Days
DFA Period Length: 10 Days
Minor League Option Years: Enabled
Right to Refuse Minor League Assignment: Enabled
Rule 5 Draft: Enabled
Disabled List/Injury List (DL/IL) Length: Batters – 10 Days, Pitchers – 15 Days
Minimum Salary: $750,000

Simulation Schedule

Days per Sim: One
Sim Days per Week: Every Day
Team Export Deadline/Sim Time: 8:00 PM EST
Real-Time Sim: Enabled
Spring Training: Enabled

Suspensions, Injury & Fatigue

Suspensions: Enabled
Drug Suspensions: Enabled
Injuries: Enabled
Delayed Injury Diagnosis: Occasionally
Hide Injury Rating: Disabled

Team Revenue Setting1

Average National Media Contracts: $51,500,000
National Media Contract Fixed: Yes, same contract for every team
Average Local Media Contract: $53,500,000
Average Merchandising Revenue: $24,7500,000
Team Owner controls Budget?: Yes, owner decides over budget
Cash Maximum: $10,000,000

Trade Rules

Player Trades: Enabled
Trading Deadline Date: TBD Each Season
Trades with other Major Leagues: Disabled
Allow trading of recently drafted players: Enabled
10/5 Rule (Veterans have right to veto trades): Enabled
Allow draft pick trading: Disabled