| 2025 Season Important Dates | |
| Prologue | |
| Two things. 1) Kevin, you're good at this. If you see it as unbalanced, you're probably right. Please understand that we see baseball and talent radically differently. 2) Joel, everybody forgets you got screwed on draft day. If you hadn't missed so many picks, you'd be doing 20-50 points better. It really sucks. Yes, you get a hard time, but this season isn't indicative of your performance. | |
| Chapter |
Title
|
| 1 | Teams and Rosters |
| 2 | Drafts |
| 3 | Position Eligibility |
| 4 | Fees & Prize Money |
| 5 | Player Salaries & Contracts |
| 6 | Free Agent Acquisition Bidding (FAAB) |
| 7 | Standings |
| 8 | Stats |
| 9 | Trades |
| 10 | Waivers/Player Release |
| 11 | Prospects |
| 12 | Roster Protection, & Arbitration |
| 13 | Governance |
Season 2025 Important Dates (All times Eastern)
| Date/Time | Details |
| October 5 | Prospect Eligibility Updated. |
| December 1 | $50 dues due |
| December 1 12:01 AM | All teams must have pared their rosters down to no more than 24 players still under contract, no more than 18 of which can be non-prospects. Arbitration decisions also due. |
| December 1 | Slow draft begins. Link to appear here to slow draft page. |
| January 1 | Offseason trading begins. |
| Sunday 3/9/2025 11:59 PM | Fantrax processes keepers. By this date, you need to indicate on your team page which players are keepers. Up to 9 non-prospects and up to 6 P prospects. |
| Sunday 3/23/2025 5PM | Spring Draft, Auction immediately followed by reserve snake |
| Thursday 3/27/2025 1PM (time tentative pending final MLB schedule) | MLB season begins, All rosters must be in-season-legal according to 1.3. There are two games in Japan prior to this date; all stats will be rewarded retroactively. |
| Sunday 8/10/2025 11:59 PM | Trade Deadline. No trades can be offered or accepted after this deadline. Also, this is the final FAAB round of the season where newly signed players will be eligible for new Arbitration status. |
1.1. There will be 12 teams in the Field of Dreams Baseball League (FoDBL) consisting
of players from any MLB team or their minor league affiliates, excluding players who were drafted in the MLB draft during the current year, regardless of whether they're available on Fantrax. Only players listed in the Fantrax player universe are eligible for FoDBL rosters.
1.2. From the completion of the spring auction through the all-star break, each team will consist of 34 players (23 active starters, 5 reserves, and 6 prospects).
1.3. At the beginning of each season, following the initial auction, a team's roster consists of the following players:
1.2. From the completion of the spring auction through the all-star break, each team will consist of 34 players (23 active starters, 5 reserves, and 6 prospects).
1.3. At the beginning of each season, following the initial auction, a team's roster consists of the following players:
- 2 catchers
- 1 first baseman
- 1 second baseman
- 1 shortstop
- 1 MI (second baseman or shortstop)
- 1 third baseman
- 1 CI (first or third baseman)
- 5 outfielders
- 1 utility player (non-pitcher who can be any offensive player)
- 9 pitchers (any combination of starters and relievers)
- 5 reserves (any position)
- 2 reserves (nonpitchers)
- 6 prospects (any position, see Chapter XI for more info)
1.4. During the MLB season, each FoDBL team has three (3) additional an unlimited number of Injured List roster spots available to them for players who are Fantrax (and therefore MLB) designated as being on their MLB team's IL.
1.5. The day a player is reinstated from the Fantrax and MLB IL, Fantrax will lock the roster of any team who still has that player on their Injured List. In order to make any roster moves other than drops, the FoDBL team will need to make any drops necessary to make room on their 34-man roster for the previously injured player, unless said player is dropped.
1.6. On September 1, rosters expand so that all prospect slots become reserve slots.
1.7. On December 1, all FoDBL teams must reduce their rosters to a maximum of 24 players who still have at least 1 year remaining on their contract. At least 6 of those players must be prospects (See Rule 11.1). There are no positional restrictions. The 24-player limit applies only on December 1. Offseason trades that increase roster sizes do not require corresponding drops.
1.8. There is a minimum innings pitched requirement for all staffs of 1,250 innings. Anyone who does not achieve 1,250 innings, will be placed last in the categories of ERA and WHIP. There is also a maximum innings pitched of 2,200. Any team that reaches that limit will stop accumulating pitching stats for any games starting after that day.
2.2. In the spring auction held the last Sunday before the MLB seasons begins, each team must acquire enough players to fill their active roster (23 players). The total salary of those 23 players must not exceed $260. A team's initial auction balance is equal to $260 less the total salary of the (up to) 9 kept players who are on the fantasy team's active 23-man roster for the draft. A team need not spend the maximum in the auction.
2.3. Teams will nominate players for acquisition in a randomized order.
2.4. Only players who are listed available on the Fantrax website are eligible for any drafts.
2.5. The team bidding first opens with a salary bid of at least $1 for any eligible player and the bidding proceeds at minimum increments of $1 until only one bidder is left. That team acquires the nominated player for the final bid amount. The process is repeated, with successive owners nominating players to be bid on, until every team has acquired a squad of 23 players by requisite position.
2.6. No team may make a bid for a player it cannot afford. For example, a team with $3 left and two openings on its roster is limited to a maximum bid of $2 for one player. (Leaving $1 for the other unfilled roster spot.)
2.7. No team may bid for a player who qualifies only at a position that the team has already filled and that team has already fulfilled its utility position.
2.8. After an owner acquires a player, he immediately chooses the position that player will fill. Players eligible at more than one position may be shifted during the course of the auction.
2.9. The salary of a player acquired in the major league auction is his final bid amount.
2.10. Following the auction, a snake draft will take place to fill the five reserve roster slots as well as any vacant prospect slots any team(s) have. The snake draft order will be the reverse order of the previous year's finish.
2.11. The salary of a player drafted in the snake draft (reserve or prospect) is $1.
2.12. In the fall after the season ends and before the December 1 kickoff of next season, a slow 3-round snake draft will be held for teams to add prospects to their rosters. All FoDBL rosters will be frozen two days prior to the snake draft until draft completion. Only players who ended the most recent season with their FoDBL rookie status intact (130 AB, 50 IP) will be eligible for the draft. Snake order will be the reverse of the season-end standings (last place picks first, etc). The draft will occur with at least one pick per day and will be managed offline on the league Facebook Messenger chat and the league blog. Each owner will have 24 hours to pick following the previous owners pick.
3.1. A player may be assigned to any position he is eligible for according to the Position Eligibility policy at Fantrax.
3.2. Once the season is underway, a player becomes eligible for any position at which he appears at least 5 times.
4.1. Annual league dues are: $50
4.2. All dues must be paid by December 1 for the upcoming season. Unless arrangements have been made, commissioner has right to freeze rosters until fees are up to date.
4.3. All transactions made throughout the season are free.
4.4. A home run pool (or another type of pool) may be held each year with the winner getting a $50 prize.
4.5. After paying the Fantrax site fee and the pool winner, the prize money shall be divided among the first three teams in the final standings as follows:
5.2. The salary of a player drafted in the reserve/prospects snake draft is $1.
5.3. When a player is won in FAAB (See Section VI), his salary becomes the winning bid.
5.4. All player contracts are 3 years in length, beginning when a player is drafted in auction or in FAAB and lasting the remainder of that season and the two subsequent seasons. Arbitration eligible players can be extended for up to 3 additional years. See rules 12.5 and 12.6.
5.5. The maximum total salary an FoDBL team can have for their entire 32-man (34-man including IL) roster is $420. Exceeding that amount will disqualify the team from accumulating any points until the total salary is brought to $420 or below.
7.1. The following criteria are used to determine team performance:
Batters
7.3. In case of ties in an individual category, the tied teams are assigned points by totaling points for the rankings at issue and dividing by the total number of teams tied.
7.4. In case of ties in total points, each team involved in the tie is compared to all other teams involved in the tie in each individual category. One point is given to each team for leading in a category. The team with the most points using this method wins the tiebreaker. If, after this method is used, it is still a tie, the tie stands.
8.1. Fantrax will constitute the official statistics for our league. Any problems with statistics/player moves etc. must be reported to the commissioner within 7 days.
8.2. The effective date of any transaction for purposes of statistical calculation is the second calendar day following the day the transaction is accepted by both teams.
8.3. Performance statistics of a player shall be assigned to a Field of Dreams team only when he is on the active roster of that team.
1.7. On December 1, all FoDBL teams must reduce their rosters to a maximum of 24 players who still have at least 1 year remaining on their contract. At least 6 of those players must be prospects (See Rule 11.1). There are no positional restrictions. The 24-player limit applies only on December 1. Offseason trades that increase roster sizes do not require corresponding drops.
1.8. There is a minimum innings pitched requirement for all staffs of 1,250 innings. Anyone who does not achieve 1,250 innings, will be placed last in the categories of ERA and WHIP. There is also a maximum innings pitched of 2,200. Any team that reaches that limit will stop accumulating pitching stats for any games starting after that day.
2.2. In the spring auction held the last Sunday before the MLB seasons begins, each team must acquire enough players to fill their active roster (23 players). The total salary of those 23 players must not exceed $260. A team's initial auction balance is equal to $260 less the total salary of the (up to) 9 kept players who are on the fantasy team's active 23-man roster for the draft. A team need not spend the maximum in the auction.
2.3. Teams will nominate players for acquisition in a randomized order.
2.4. Only players who are listed available on the Fantrax website are eligible for any drafts.
2.5. The team bidding first opens with a salary bid of at least $1 for any eligible player and the bidding proceeds at minimum increments of $1 until only one bidder is left. That team acquires the nominated player for the final bid amount. The process is repeated, with successive owners nominating players to be bid on, until every team has acquired a squad of 23 players by requisite position.
2.6. No team may make a bid for a player it cannot afford. For example, a team with $3 left and two openings on its roster is limited to a maximum bid of $2 for one player. (Leaving $1 for the other unfilled roster spot.)
2.7. No team may bid for a player who qualifies only at a position that the team has already filled and that team has already fulfilled its utility position.
2.8. After an owner acquires a player, he immediately chooses the position that player will fill. Players eligible at more than one position may be shifted during the course of the auction.
2.9. The salary of a player acquired in the major league auction is his final bid amount.
2.10. Following the auction, a snake draft will take place to fill the five reserve roster slots as well as any vacant prospect slots any team(s) have. The snake draft order will be the reverse order of the previous year's finish.
2.11. The salary of a player drafted in the snake draft (reserve or prospect) is $1.
2.12. In the fall after the season ends and before the December 1 kickoff of next season, a slow 3-round snake draft will be held for teams to add prospects to their rosters. All FoDBL rosters will be frozen two days prior to the snake draft until draft completion. Only players who ended the most recent season with their FoDBL rookie status intact (130 AB, 50 IP) will be eligible for the draft. Snake order will be the reverse of the season-end standings (last place picks first, etc). The draft will occur with at least one pick per day and will be managed offline on the league Facebook Messenger chat and the league blog. Each owner will have 24 hours to pick following the previous owners pick.
3.1. A player may be assigned to any position he is eligible for according to the Position Eligibility policy at Fantrax.
3.2. Once the season is underway, a player becomes eligible for any position at which he appears at least 5 times.
4.1. Annual league dues are: $50
4.2. All dues must be paid by December 1 for the upcoming season. Unless arrangements have been made, commissioner has right to freeze rosters until fees are up to date.
4.3. All transactions made throughout the season are free.
4.4. A home run pool (or another type of pool) may be held each year with the winner getting a $50 prize.
4.5. After paying the Fantrax site fee and the pool winner, the prize money shall be divided among the first three teams in the final standings as follows:
- 1st 50%
- 2nd 35%
- 3rd 15%
5.2. The salary of a player drafted in the reserve/prospects snake draft is $1.
5.3. When a player is won in FAAB (See Section VI), his salary becomes the winning bid.
5.4. All player contracts are 3 years in length, beginning when a player is drafted in auction or in FAAB and lasting the remainder of that season and the two subsequent seasons. Arbitration eligible players can be extended for up to 3 additional years. See rules 12.5 and 12.6.
5.5. The maximum total salary an FoDBL team can have for their entire 32-man (34-man including IL) roster is $420. Exceeding that amount will disqualify the team from accumulating any points until the total salary is brought to $420 or below.
VI. FREE AGENT ACQUISITION BIDDING (FAAB)
6.1. FoDBL teams begin each season with a Free Agent Acquisition Budget of $100. This budget is reduced by the amount of every successful winning FAAB bid won throughout the season.
6.2. Players eligible for FAAB include those eligible according to 1.1, with the exception of players designated by Fantrax as being on the MLB IL at the time the FAAB is held (Monday morning approximately 2 AM)
6.3. Teams may place and edit silent bids on available free agents from Monday through Sunday each week. There is no minimum bid ($0 bids are allowed).
6.4. In order to place a silent bid, teams must either designate a player to be accordingly dropped or must be under the maximum roster size. There is no limit to the number of silent bids a team can place on players each week.
6.5. Every Sunday night following the completion of MLB games, Fantrax will hold the silent auction, processing all silent bids made during the previous week for available free agents.
6.6. Fantrax will award players to the winning bidder for each player for which a bid is placed. In the case of ties, a tiebreaker list exists that consists of the reverse of the standings at the end of the previous period (at the end of Monday's games).
7.1. The following criteria are used to determine team performance:
Batters
- OBP (Composite On Base Percentage)
- R (Total Runs Scored)
- HR (Total Home Runs)
- RBI (Total Runs Batted In)
- SB (Total Stolen Bases)
- W (Total Wins)
- SHOLDS (Total Saves + Total Holds)
- ERA (Composite Earned Run Average)
- WHIP (Composite pitching ratio of walks and hits to innings pitched (RATIO = (BB + H)/IP))
- K (Total Strikeouts)
7.3. In case of ties in an individual category, the tied teams are assigned points by totaling points for the rankings at issue and dividing by the total number of teams tied.
7.4. In case of ties in total points, each team involved in the tie is compared to all other teams involved in the tie in each individual category. One point is given to each team for leading in a category. The team with the most points using this method wins the tiebreaker. If, after this method is used, it is still a tie, the tie stands.
8.1. Fantrax will constitute the official statistics for our league. Any problems with statistics/player moves etc. must be reported to the commissioner within 7 days.
8.2. The effective date of any transaction for purposes of statistical calculation is the second calendar day following the day the transaction is accepted by both teams.
8.3. Performance statistics of a player shall be assigned to a Field of Dreams team only when he is on the active roster of that team.
8.4. Players rostered as hitters can only accumulate hitting stats in a game. Likewise, players rostered as pitchers can only accumulate pitching stats in a game.
8.5. Lineup deadlines adhere to the Fantrax policy of Five minutes before game-time for each player.
8.6. Standings and Transactions will be tabulated daily on-line and available on the Internet.
8.7. All regular season statistics from Major League Baseball, including any extra games necessary to determine playoff teams, will be included. Statistics from Major League Baseball's playoffs are not included.
8.8. FoDBL teams that have illegal rosters on any given day will not accumulate performance statistics on that day.
9.1. From the completion of the spring auction draft through midnight of the second Sunday in August (the Trade Deadline), teams are free to make trades without any restrictions.
9.2. FoDBL teams not involved in the trade will have the calendar day following the announcement of any trade to made an objection vote. When four (4) objection votes are registered, the Commissioner will take a closer look at the trade in order to make a ruling on collusion, which is the only reason for any trade nullifications (and is also grounds for immediate dismissal from the league).
9.3. Trades become official and player(s) change teams on the second calendar day following the submittal to the League of the trade by both teams, unless the Commissioner needs more time to rule on the possibility of collusion.
9.4. Teams involved in trades may be required to make roster moves on the day the trade processes in order to bring their team into compliance. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of statistics for that day, according to rule 8.7.
9.5. From January 1 through 2 weeks before the spring auction, teams are free to make trades without any restrictions. These trades are not bound by an positional nor roster size requirements, and players involved in the trades are not required to be kept into the following season.
9.6. No trades may take place during the following times:
9.8. Reserve draft picks and auction money may not be traded at any time.
10.1. In-season, any player may be released at any time by his FoDBL team.
8.5. Lineup deadlines adhere to the Fantrax policy of Five minutes before game-time for each player.
8.6. Standings and Transactions will be tabulated daily on-line and available on the Internet.
8.7. All regular season statistics from Major League Baseball, including any extra games necessary to determine playoff teams, will be included. Statistics from Major League Baseball's playoffs are not included.
8.8. FoDBL teams that have illegal rosters on any given day will not accumulate performance statistics on that day.
9.1. From the completion of the spring auction draft through midnight of the second Sunday in August (the Trade Deadline), teams are free to make trades without any restrictions.
9.2. FoDBL teams not involved in the trade will have the calendar day following the announcement of any trade to made an objection vote. When four (4) objection votes are registered, the Commissioner will take a closer look at the trade in order to make a ruling on collusion, which is the only reason for any trade nullifications (and is also grounds for immediate dismissal from the league).
9.3. Trades become official and player(s) change teams on the second calendar day following the submittal to the League of the trade by both teams, unless the Commissioner needs more time to rule on the possibility of collusion.
9.4. Teams involved in trades may be required to make roster moves on the day the trade processes in order to bring their team into compliance. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of statistics for that day, according to rule 8.7.
9.5. From January 1 through 2 weeks before the spring auction, teams are free to make trades without any restrictions. These trades are not bound by an positional nor roster size requirements, and players involved in the trades are not required to be kept into the following season.
9.6. No trades may take place during the following times:
- between the Trade Deadline and January 1
- from two weeks before the spring auction until the auction is complete
9.8. Reserve draft picks and auction money may not be traded at any time.
10.1. In-season, any player may be released at any time by his FoDBL team.
10.2. Teams will be locked out of dropping players during two periods in the offseason:
11.1. FoDBL teams are allowed to keep up to 6 prospects (minor league players) who are still under contract. Fantrax will be the final determiner of prospect eligibility, but primarily that is determined by MLB rookie status as follows:
11.3. The only players who are eligible to be on a FoDBL's MINORS roster in-season are:
11.5. A prospect may be retained from one season to the next without his salary counting towards the team's $260 salary cap.
12.1. From season to season, each team can retain 9 players who are still under contract, excluding prospects.
12.2. From season to season, each team can retain an additional 6 prospects who are still under contract.
12.3. The players being retained must be submitted to the Fantrax site no less than 2 weeks before the spring auction draft.
12.4. Following the processing of keepers two weeks before the draft, rosters are locked, meaning no adds, drops, or trades may occur until the draft is completed.
12.5. Players not kept are released from their teams 2 weeks prior to the spring draft and are available to all teams in the auction.
12.6. Players who are added to a FoDBL team as Prospects (while they still retain rookie status) on or before the trade deadline are Arbitration-eligible, as indicated by an A in their Prospect status on the player's Overview page.
12.7. When an arbitration-eligible player's contract expires, the FoDBL team may exercise the one-time arbitration option to extend his contract for the following lengths and salary per year
13.1. The decision of the Commissioner supersedes the rules herein and is final in any disputes. He also has the power to change a rule with an unforeseen loophole post de facto (After the fact) for the benefit of the league. The overall good of the league as a whole will be greater than the benefit to any sum of its constituents.
13.2. The Commissioner has discretion, for the overall good of the league, to replace team managers in-season for teams that are deemed inactive. Managers are required to participate periodically in FAAB and to make regular roster adjustments weekly.
13.3. At the end of the season, the Commissioner will determine which teams will have their managers replaced with new managers for the overall good of the league.
- the slow prospect draft
- the two weeks between the keeper deadline and the spring draft
11.1. FoDBL teams are allowed to keep up to 6 prospects (minor league players) who are still under contract. Fantrax will be the final determiner of prospect eligibility, but primarily that is determined by MLB rookie status as follows:
11.2. When a prospect is drafted, he is placed on the team's MINORS roster. This protects a team's rights to that player.For hitters, no more than 130 at bats in the major leagues
For pitchers, no more than 50 innings pitched in the major leagues
11.3. The only players who are eligible to be on a FoDBL's MINORS roster in-season are:
- those who were kept as prospects this season, as indicated by a green M (Minors-eligible) on the roster page
- those who are currently in the MLB minor leagues, as indicated by a green flag (in MLB Minor Leagues) on the roster page
11.5. A prospect may be retained from one season to the next without his salary counting towards the team's $260 salary cap.
12.1. From season to season, each team can retain 9 players who are still under contract, excluding prospects.
12.2. From season to season, each team can retain an additional 6 prospects who are still under contract.
12.3. The players being retained must be submitted to the Fantrax site no less than 2 weeks before the spring auction draft.
12.4. Following the processing of keepers two weeks before the draft, rosters are locked, meaning no adds, drops, or trades may occur until the draft is completed.
12.5. Players not kept are released from their teams 2 weeks prior to the spring draft and are available to all teams in the auction.
12.6. Players who are added to a FoDBL team as Prospects (while they still retain rookie status) on or before the trade deadline are Arbitration-eligible, as indicated by an A in their Prospect status on the player's Overview page.
12.7. When an arbitration-eligible player's contract expires, the FoDBL team may exercise the one-time arbitration option to extend his contract for the following lengths and salary per year
- 1 additional year which increases his salary $5
- 2 additional years, which increases his salary $10
- 3 additional years, which increases his salary $15
13.1. The decision of the Commissioner supersedes the rules herein and is final in any disputes. He also has the power to change a rule with an unforeseen loophole post de facto (After the fact) for the benefit of the league. The overall good of the league as a whole will be greater than the benefit to any sum of its constituents.
13.2. The Commissioner has discretion, for the overall good of the league, to replace team managers in-season for teams that are deemed inactive. Managers are required to participate periodically in FAAB and to make regular roster adjustments weekly.
13.3. At the end of the season, the Commissioner will determine which teams will have their managers replaced with new managers for the overall good of the league.