Jock Trap League Baseball Articles of Organization
 
Mission Statement of the Jock Trap League
Jock Trap League Baseball (JTL) exists to provide entertainment and amusement for its members.  All owners are asked to remember that this is just a game. 
 
Article 1: Definition and Vision
The Jock Trap League is a Yahoo-based 5x5 Rotisserie (Roto) fantasy baseball league.  Position players are limited to 162 games per season and pitchers are limited to 1325 innings pitched.  The JTL operates as a dynasty league with all rosters remaining intact each off-season.  Upon admittance to the JTL, managers agree to these articles and will operate a single team.  Teams may be allowed to have more than one owner at the owner’s request.  Any co-ownership of teams must be approved by the commissioner.
 
Owners are allowed to move players daily using the Yahoo system.
 
Any changes to the rules must be approved by 2/3 (8) of the current owners in order for the changes to be in effect.  Changes will be voted on during the offseason and will be effective beginning the following season.  Proposals for rule changes must be submitted to the commissioner, either verbally or in writing.  The commissioner will determine if the proposed rule change would be positive to the league and will submit the rule for the league to vote on, assuming that the rule is not judged to be outside the best interests of the league.  Any rule change judged by the commissioner to be harmful to the league will be rejected without a league vote.
 
The commissioner reserves the right to change rules mid-season in the event that not changing the rules will adversely affect league play.  Such rule changes are not subject to approval of the league.
 
Article 2: Teams
The JTL will consist of 12 teams with rosters made up of a 30-man Yahoo roster and a 20-man minor league roster kept at the website www.4sfc.boardhost.com (4SFC).  The number of teams operating in the JTL and the number of players on the minor league roster will be evaluated annually by the commissioner.
 
Article 3: Minor League Rosters
A minor league player consists of any player who is currently on a minor league roster, this includes players making rehab starts for minor league teams. Players not on a minor league roster are not eligible to be added to your minor league squad.  Rookie international signees are eligible to be added to a minor league roster.  No college, high school players or players currently playing in international baseball leagues may be added to your minor league roster.
 
An updated minor league roster will always be available on the 4SFC website.  You retain exclusive rights to any player listed on your minor league roster regardless of their status and availability an Yahoo’s website. No other manager will be allowed to use a player on your minor league roster on their Yahoo roster.
 
You may bring up a player from your minor league at any time, however to do so, you will need to create room on your Yahoo roster. Your released player is available to the rest of the league following normal waiver and free agent procedures.  You may only send a minor league player back to your minor league roster if they are currently on an MLB clubs minor league roster. You must post your intentions on the Yahoo forum, the 4SFC forum, or both.
 
Players may remain on a minor league roster indefinitely, however once any player on your minor league roster is called up to their major league team, you will not be able to make any further changes to your minor league roster until the major league player is called up to your Yahoo roster.  Locked rosters carry over into the offseason.  Minor league players called up after September 1 but remaining on your minor league roster will not cause your roster to lock.
 
Article 4: Activity
Yahoo teams that are inactive for 30 days or more without prior communication to the commissioner will be locked and transferred to another owner, with or without prior communication to the previous owner. Your minor league roster will be transferred as well.  Owners are responsible for ensuring that they stay active for the entire season.
 
Article 5: Draft Picks and Waiver Claims
Draft picks and waiver periods on 4SFC will last for 24 hours before your turn is forfeit. Once your first turn is forfeit, your draft/waiver window shortens to 12 hours. You may make your forfeited selection until 24 hours have elapsed since your pick was skipped. Once 24 hours have elapsed, you will not be able to make another selection until the following round. If you post to have your pick skipped (or that you are done drafting), you may not make another selection until your selection in the following round. You may choose not to participate in drafts and waiver periods by posting a message in the Yahoo forum, at 4SFC, or by contacting the commissioner.
 
There will be 24 hours notice given to owners at the end of a draft period.  At the end of the draft period, undrafted players will become free agents.
 
Article 6: Rule 4 Draft
The Rule 4 draft will be conducted following the MLB draft and after the start of MLB’s international signing period. Draft priority will be determined by weighted lottery using the final standings of the previous year’s Yahoo league. Any draft picks must be posted at 4SFC and the name of the player added to your minor league roster must be accompanied by the player you have removed from your minor league roster, unless your team has an open spot (released players will become minor league free agents). A manager not wishing to make a selection from the MLB drafted players may pass on their selection.  Any players not signed, by their MLB club, at the MLB deadline for signing drafted players, will be cut from the minor league roster at 4SFC.
 
Players chosen in the Rule 4 draft who are not signed by their drafting major league clubs are forfeited.  In these instances, the GM that drafted the unsigned player will be entitled to a compensation pick in the following year’s Rule 4 draft.  Any forfeited draft choices will be redrafted at the same slot plus one the following year; i.e. the #1 pick is redrafted at #1a, the #2 pick is redrafted at #2a and so on.  All other draft slots will slot around these compensation picks.
 
There will be a maximum of five (5) rounds conducted during the Rule 4 draft.  All undrafted players will become minor league free agents.
 
Article 7: Offseason Transactions
After the regular season ends, no further additions will be allowed to the Yahoo rosters, with the exception of movement of minor league players.  Following the supplemental draft session (Annual Draft, see Article 8), adds and drops will be allowed.  Trades will be allowed for the entire off-season.  No trade may take you over the limit defined for your Yahoo roster.  If you make a trade that will take you over the player limit, you must also post the player you are dropping, this player will be available during the supplemental draft.  Likewise, if you make a trade and are under your Yahoo player limit, you may not make an addition to your team until the supplemental draft session.
 
Minor league adds and drops will be allowed during the off-season.  You must post any adds or drops at 4SFC.
 
Article 8: Annual Draft & Roster Loading
After all owners have loaded their teams onto the Yahoo website, the commissioner will load the rosters.  A pre-season draft will take place for any unowned players at the end of the previous season as well as any dropped players during the offseason and new players signed by MLB teams during the offseason that have not been on a minor league roster (i.e. international signees).  The draft will take place at 4SFC.  Draft priority will be determined by weighted lottery using the final standings of the previous year’s Yahoo league.  Draft picks must be accompanied by the player you have removed from your Yahoo roster, either by sending them to your minor league roster or by releasing the player.  Minor league players currently on a minor league roster are not included in this draft. 
 
There will be a maximum of five (5) rounds conducted during the annual draft.  Any unowned players will be classified as Free Agents, and will be available to all owners.
 
Following this draft, a waiver order will be randomly generated and loaded into the Yahoo system prior to the start of the regular season.
 
Article 9: Minor League Expansion
Minor league roster size will be decided by the commissioner.  Any time the minor league rosters are increased, we will conduct a minor league draft at 4SFC.  A draft time will be chosen by the commissioner and draft priority will be set in reverse order of the previous year’s final standings of the Yahoo league.  Current minor league free agents will be frozen until the draft has completed.  When the supplemental draft is completed, the minor league rosters will be unfrozen and minor league adds will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
 
Article 10: International Players
Rookie international players will follow the same rules as minor league players.  In the event that a “major league ready” international player becomes available during the course of the regular season, this player will be made available to the league on the basis of your Yahoo waiver priority. Claiming a Cuban defector or a Japanese posted player (or similar talent) during the middle of the season will reset your Yahoo waiver priority, regardless of whether the player actually plays in the majors that season.  If the player begins his time as a minor league player he will be allowed to be retained on your minor league roster without utilizing a roster spot.  Immediately upon his promotion to the major leagues, he must be added to your Yahoo roster.  At the end of the season, if this player has still not been brought up to the major leagues, he may remain on your minor league roster however you must clear a spot for the player; you will be unable to keep him as an extra player. 
 
Rookie international players, judged to be major league ready, that are signed by major league teams during the offseason will be included in the Annual Draft prior to the start of the season. All rookie international players that are signed during the MLB season and specifically during the MLB international signing period will be eligible to be drafted during the Rule 4 draft.
 
“Major league ready” international players will be identified by the commissioner or designee and posted at 4SFC.
 
Article 11: Trades and Transactions
No trade or transaction is final until it has been approved by the commissioner. Once approved, the trade will be processed as quickly as possible.  The JTL will not charge fees for transactions, including adds, drops, trades, etc.  The conversion from a free league to a pay league can only be made with unanimous approval of all owners.
 
Trades may consist of Yahoo and minor league players. Trades involving minor league players must be posted at 4SFC.  There will be no restrictions on the trading of draft picks.  No trades with "future considerations" (except for draft choices) are allowed; trades involving unclear compensation, or un-named players to be determined later, will be voided. 
 
Article 12: Resignation of Membership
Owners are requested to complete the current season prior to voluntarily resigning their JTL membership. As a courtesy to other members, those opting for resignation are encouraged to give as much notice as reasonably possible.  Open teams will be filled during the winter offseason.
 
Article 13: The Commissioner
Playing rules and procedures are to be determined by the commissioner.  The commissioner has final say over any existing and new rules and may make decisions as he sees fit keeping within the best interests of the league.  The commissioner also retains the right to veto trades that he feels will have an extremely negative effect on the competitive balance of the league.  As teams become vacant or if expansion teams are added to the league, the commissioner will be responsible for filling the vacancies.
 
Article 14: Censure and Expulsion from the League
Teams may be removed or expelled from the league under the following conditions:
• Any member of the JTL can voluntarily revoke their membership at any time.  Owners will be requested to complete the current season.  A new owner will be named as soon as possible in order to keep all teams in the league active over the winter. 
• Intentional violations of the JTL rules with the intent to gain an unfair advantage may result in removal or suspension from the JTL.
• Any blatant act of unethical misconduct with intent to manipulate JTL competition may result in removal or suspension from the JTL.
 
In all cases where an owner is being expelled, there must be sufficient proof of misconduct in order to expel the owner and team.  The commissioner will make the final decision to remove or suspend the team.  In place of removal or suspension, the commissioner may choose to censure the team; the commissioner may forfeit draft picks or waiver priority, or take other action as necessary after having a discussion with the offending owner.
 
Article 15: League Expansion
Applications for membership will be reviewed periodically, and will be judged by the commissioner based upon the following criteria: current overall JTL condition, evidence of an energetic and involved membership by the applicant, unavailability of existing teams, and daily access to e-mail/internet.  If and when expansion occurs, the method for expansion will be decided by the commissioner before the expansion occurs.  Original expansion rules will be voted on by the current owners of the league, requiring a majority vote to proceed.

 

Last edited by Bird (2/12/2021 12:26 pm)