Moneyball Handbook

[Jon]

Code of Conduct
It is the expectation that all members of the league will treat each other with respect at all times. We understand that disagreements may occur, but the league should operate as a professional space. Acts of intimidation, bullying, or harassment will not be tolerated.
--All members are expected to remain active and engaged within the league.
--You must be an active participant in the ProFSL community.  Use of ProFSL Discord is encouraged for enhanced communication.
--If you anticipate being unavailable for any reason (e.g., vacation or work commitments), please inform the league staff in advance.
--If you fail to respond to a direct message regarding your activity or status in the league, you may be removed due to inactivity.
--Your franchise name is linked to an MLB team. If your franchise name changes or relocates, it must be updated accordingly.

League hosting
Scoring - Fantrax: https://www.fantrax.com/fantasy/league/g1hokqgym575i8r7/home
Transactions - ProFSL Boards: https://www.profsl.com/smf/index.php/board,4364.html
Communication - ProFSL Discord: https://discord.gg/8FMbR7m8Uy

League Staff
Commissioner - Jon
Co-Commissioner - Rob
Moderator -
Moderator -
Moderator -

Moneyball Market Value
Each franchise has a Moneyball Market Value (MMV) that determines its cost within the league. MMV was established in December 2024, using MLB team payroll data to assign a relative value to each franchise. This system accounts for real-world disparities in payroll, while also adding some mitigation to ensure that the league remains balanced and competitive.

GM's are required to pay their team's MMV annually in order to remain active in the league. MMV will fluctuate each year based on team performance. The top 10 ranked teams at the end of each season will see an increase in their market value, while teams ranked 21-30 will experience a decrease. Teams ranked 11-20 will see no change in market value.

The adjustment in MMV follows these guidelines:

Teams ranked 1-10 in current MMV: Market value increases by 1%, while market value decreases by 3%.
Teams ranked 11-20 in current MMV: Market value increases and decreases by 2%.
Teams ranked 21-30 in current MMV: Market value increases by 3%, while market value decreases by 1%.

Example - If the Yankees finish in the top 10 in 2025, their market value will increase.  Since they are the #1 ranked MMV team, the total increase would be 1%.

Current MMV can be viewed here: https://www.profsl.com/smf/index.php/topic,481161.0.html

Rosters, Contracts & Salary Cap
Initial Roster Exceptions
Initial rosters are as of December 31st, 2024. GM's are allowed unlimited 'free drops' from their initial rosters in order to reduce their salary cap and eliminate undesirable contracts before the league officially starts. Additionally, there will be a trade window prior to the implementation of the salary cap, giving GMs the opportunity to trade players and adjust their rosters to comply with the cap.

Roster Size
MLB - 40
IR - 6
MiLB - 30

Positions
Hitting - C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, LF, CF, RF, UT
Pitching - 4x SP, 4x RP
Bench - 23

Lineups: Set daily, scoring period is weekly.

Injured Reserve Eligibility
Only players on the MLB Injured List may be moved to the Injured Reserve.  Fantrax determines IR eligibility.  Players on IR do not count against roster limit and their salaries do not count towards the team salary cap.

Minor League Roster Eligibility
A player is eligible for the minor league roster if they have either played fewer than 50 MLB games (position player) or pitched less than 40 innings (pitchers) in the Majors. Any eligible player can be assigned to the minors at any time. If a player in the minors exceeds the limit, they can remain there indefinitely.

Player MLB Service Time
Service time for minor league players does not start until the year he makes his MLB debut.  At that time, he will move to the following year after the completion of the current year. An example would be a first-year player who completes his current year but has not been called up to MLB. The following year, his contract will still be 1st year. If a player makes his MLB debut in any league season, then during the off-season, he will move to 2nd year, and his 6 year service time will start at that time.

2025 Salary Caps
NYY    149M
PHI    148M
LAD    143M
NYM    139M
ATL    133M
TEX    131M
HOU    128M
LAA    126M
SD    125M
BOS    124M
TOR    121M
SF    121M
CHC    120M
ARI    114M
STL    114M
MIN    112M
COL    112M
SEA    112M
KC    108M
BAL    107M
DET    105M
MIL    105M
CLE    104M
CIN    102M
TB    100M
PIT    99M
CHW    99M
WSH    98M
ATH    97M
MIA    96M

Salary cap fluctuation
Each year, team salary cap is adjusted based on actual increases in MLB payroll and the performance of "Moneyball" teams. The total increase in MLB team payroll, referred to as the Annual Payroll Increase (API), is proportionally allocated to each Moneyball team based on the previous season's performance. The allocation is structured as follows:

Top 10 ranked teams: 36.3% of the AVI
Teams ranked 11-20: 33.3% of the AVI
Teams ranked 21-30: 30.3% of the AVI

Example: 2022 to 2023 Adjustment
For the 2023 season, the total increase in MLB team payroll was $438 million. This represents the AVI and would be distributed across the Moneyball teams as follows:

Top 10 ranked teams: $438M * 0.363 / 10 = +$15.9M per team
Teams ranked 11-20: $438M * 0.333 / 10 = +$14.6M per team
Teams ranked 21-30: $438M * 0.303 / 10 = +$13.3M per team

MLB payroll data is sourced from Spotrac.com.  Salary cap data will be captured as of June 1st each year to establish API.

2024 total MLB team payroll AAV = $6,660,278,133 per https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/aav/_/year/2024/sort/combined_aav_total
2025 total MLB team payroll AAV = TBA on June 1st, 2025

Minor League Contracts
All minor league players in Service Time years 1-6 will have a 300K contract.

Retired Players
All contracts for players who retire from the MLB are considered null and void.

Deceased Players
All contracts for players who are deceased are considered null and void.

No Variable Contracts: Each year of a contract must have the same salary amount. All contracts must be signed for a minimum of $500,000.

Extensions
Players eligible for extensions can have their contracts renewed based on their current MLB Average Annual Value (AAV) and term, plus an additional year. Contract details are sourced from Spotrac.com. Extensions are only permitted during the final year of a player's existing contract and must be executed within the MLB regular season. Any expiring player not offered an extension by the end of the regular season will be eligible for Free Agency.

Releasing players/buyouts
Except for players on prospect contracts, all players released while under contract will still count against the salary cap, but at a buyout rate of 66% of the remaining contract value. Players on prospect contracts will not count against the cap if released.

The buyout can be paid in full within the current contract year, or spread over the remaining contract term. However, the buyout cannot be extended beyond the contract's remaining duration. For example, if a player has two years left, the buyout can't extend beyond two years.

Buyout Early Payment: A GM may choose to pay off a multi-year financed buyout at any time. This must be done in full, either pay the entire remaining buyout amount or continue with the scheduled yearly payments. Partial payments (e.g., paying off just the final year) are not allowed.

Free Agency
Bids are submitted in the format of total contract value. The number of years does not need to be specified until the bid is won. The resulting salary will be calculated by dividing the final bid by the number of years, rounded to the nearest $100,000. The winning bid will be the highest total contract amount. Each player is auctioned in a separate thread on ProFSL, which can be started by anyone. A bid on a player is considered final once it has been open for 48 hours.
--No team may have more than 5 active bids at any time.
--Only players MLB players may be acquired via Free Agency.  Any player that is Minors eligible (less than 50 games played or 40 innings pitched) may only be acquired via the amateur draft.

Free Agent Contract Limits
Contracts signed through free agency adhere to the following guidelines:
Term Options: 1 to 5 years.
Contracts with an annual value under $1M: Can only be signed for 1 or 2 years.
Contracts with an annual value under $5M: Can only be signed for 1, 2, or 3 years.
Contracts with an annual value under $10M: Can only be signed for 1, 2, 3, or 4 years.
Contracts with an annual value of $10M or more: Can be signed for any length, from 1 to 5 years.

Amateur Draft
An annual 5-round amateur draft will be held, where all MLB draftees and any other prospect-eligible players (those who have not played in MLB games), including players drafted in previous years, and those undrafted players signed from overseas, are eligible for selection. A player who remains undrafted and unsigned in their first eligible draft year cannot be selected in subsequent amateur drafts until they are either drafted or signed by an MLB team. Prospect eligible players must be signed to an MLB team before the start of the Moneyball amateur draft. For example, if a Japanese phenom signs an MLB contract while our draft is ongoing, he would not be eligible to draft until the following season. The draft will be hosted on Fantrax and held in February each year.
--There will be no draft in the inaugural 2025 season as rosters were inherited with players drafted from the 2024 draft.

Scoring
Scoring is Head to Head Points - 7 matchups per weekly period.
At Bats (AB)   0.5
Hits (H)   2
Home Runs (HR)   2
Runs Batted In (RBI)   2
Runs Scored (R)   2
Stolen Bases (SB)   1.5
Walks (BB)   2
Fielding Percentage (FLD%)   1
Total Bases (TB)   1.5
Blown Saves (BS)   -10
Earned Runs Allowed (ER)   -3
Games Played (GP)   2
Hits Allowed (H)   -1.5
Holds (HLD)   5
Innings Pitched (IP)   6
Quality Starts (QS)   10
Saves (SV)   10
Strikeouts Pitched (K)   3
Walks Allowed (BB)   -1.5
Wins (W)   10
Fielding Percentage (FLD%)   1
Max IP per Period:78 (pro-rated in extended/merged lineup periods)

Trade Rules
Any combination of players, draft picks, or cash may be traded.  When trading cash, its value must be less than or equal to the value of the player contracts involved. NO FUTURE CASH - cash exchanges are only allowed for the current season.

Cash exchanged cannot be attached to a contract. For example, if you're trading a player with a $5 million contract and agree to cover that cost, the contract remains unchanged; you are simply sending your trade partner $5 million toward their salary cap.

Draft picks may be traded, for drafts up to six years from the current season. Fantrax includes picks up to six years out, so if you see them on Fantrax, they are tradeable. If they're not listed, they cannot be traded.

Trade details should be posted on the transactions board for review and simultaneously on Fantrax. Commissioners will routinely approve trades on Fantrax, while the trade thread on ProFSL will remain open for 72 hours for league review. If any Moneyball member objects during this period, the commissioners will convene to discuss and evaluate the trade. After reaching a consensus, they will either approve or veto the trade. If vetoed, the trade will be reversed on Fantrax.

Trade Deadline
The trade deadline aligns with the actual MLB trade deadline.

Prize Payouts
League funds will adjust annually based on MMV fluctuations. GM's will receive the following payouts: $50 for making the playoffs, $100 for advancing to the League Championship, $200 for reaching the World Series, and the remaining balance will be awarded to the League Champion.

2025 payouts expected:
Fantrax League Fee    $129.95
AL Seed 1    $50.00
AL Seed 2    $50.00
AL Seed 3    $50.00
NL Seed 1    $50.00
NL Seed 2    $50.00
NL Seed 3    $50.00
AL WC 1    $50.00
AL WC 2    $50.00
AL WC 3    $50.00
NL WC 1    $50.00
NL WC 2    $50.00
NL WC 3    $50.00
ALCS 1    $100.00
ALCS 2    $100.00
NLCS 1    $100.00
NLCS 2    $100.00
WS 1    $200.00
WS 2    $200.00
Champion    $623.46

Lineup Management and Tanking Rules
GMs are required to set their lineups daily. It is prohibited to purposely leave points on the bench in order to gain an advantage. While "tanking", intentionally underperforming to secure a better draft position for rebuilding a franchise, is allowed, it must be done within the framework of the leagues rules.
--Young, productive prospects who have not been called up from the minors and have reached the 50-game/40-IP threshold do not need to be promoted to the MLB merely because they've met this milestone. This allows GMs the option to "stash" these players, keeping their points off the weekly score without violating any rules. This method of rebuilding is a legitimate, accepted strategy.
--However, intentionally benching productive players from the 40-man roster to artificially lower your team's standing is considered a violation of these rules. Such tactics undermine the integrity of the competition and represent an unfair advantage.