LDB Rules - User contributions [en]

Special Rules for Shortened Seasons

2026-03-24T18:00:13Z

Ldbrules: /* No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season) */

The following rules are special rules originally put in place for the shortened 2020 season. They have been updated before the 2026 season. They can be viewed [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AAx6lLlNG5oYoQ4aemmRyWNvsLY86H2O9XfmjUOcoXI/edit?tab=t.0 in their entirety at this link]. They will be adapted as appropriate to fit the league’s rules and structure at that juncture.

==Scheduling==
In the event of a shortened MLB season, if the remainder of the MLB season does '''not''' allow for at least a 13-week LDB full season (i.e. regular season AND playoffs),then everyone's money will be refunded and no champion will be declared.
===13-18 week LDB Season===
If MLB’s scheduling allows for a 13- to 18-week LDB season, LDB would implement a 3-week playoff schedule and a 10-15 week regular season.
The playoff teams would consist of the 4 division winners and 2 wild card teams (one from each league).

===19+ week LDB season===
If MLB’s scheduling allows for a 19-week LDB season (or more), LDB would implement a 4-week playoff schedule and a 15+ week regular season.
Playoffs would happen as they are currently written in the LDB Rules (i.e. 4 division winners, 4 wild card teams).

==H/S Contracts==
===13+ week LDB season===
If we complete any partial LDB season that results in an LDB playoff (with 13 or more weeks being played), then all H/S contracts continue on as normal into the following season.

===Fewer than 13 week LDB season===

All players having H2-4 and S1-4 contracts for the shortened season remain unchanged going into the following season.

All AA players promoted to the Majors following the conclusion of the season preceding the shortened season may retain their AA contract status.

===Super 2===

==K/HTH Contracts==

Teams may keep any five eligible keepers (and/or HTHs) from their roster prior to the 2020 Keeper Deadline going into the 2021 LDB Majors draft. Those keepers/HTHs need not be the originally named keepers carried into the 2020 season. The 2020 season has no impact on those players’ contract status. I.e., contracts that would have been K2, K3 and HTH contracts going into 2020 remain the same going into 2021.

Teams have the option of keeping one of the players drafted as a K1 in the 2020 Majors draft as one of their five keepers. The new keeper will carry a K2 contract into the 2021 season.

Teams may not keep a K1 that they traded for during the 2020 season. The K1 must have been drafted by the original GM in order to be kept into the 2021 season.

No midseason pickup (MS) from the 2020 season may be kept as an HTH for the 2021 season.

Teams who selected players in the 2020 auction will get priority to keep those players over owners who owned those players in 2019 and declined to keep them at the 2020 keeper deadline. This will necessitate the need for two keeper deadlines, the first of which will occur 24 hours prior to the second, where the first keeper deadline will involve owners declaring intention to keep players selected in the 2020 auction, and the second declaring players owned at the 2020 keeper deadline.

Preference for keepers drafted in 2020 will also apply to homegrowns who were non-tendered at the 2020 keeper deadline should we vote to allow owners to reconsider those decisions.

Should this proposal fail, 2019 owners will instead receive preference and will declare their keepers 24 hours prior to declaration of the 2020 owners.

==RFA Contracts/Rights==

===No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season)===
If you draft a player on an RFA contract in an abandoned, you may not keep the RFA player in the following season. However, the RFA rights for that player remain with the GM that owned the rights at the start of the LDB Majors Draft in the shortened seasons.
If a player is auctioned as a K1 that could have potentially been drafted on an RFA contract, the winning GM has priority to keep the player as a K2 over the prior RFA rights owner, should the season be abandoned. If that player is not kept as a K1, the RFA rights revert back to the GM that owned the rights at the start of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft.

See “TRADES” section below for how to handle if a trade for RFA rights occurred during the 2020 LDB Majors draft.

===If 13 full LDB regular season weeks (or more) are played===
Usual LDB RFA rules apply.

==Trades==

===No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season)===
All trades made after the start of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft will be nullified and reversed (except in the situation below), and the state of the following season's LDB rosters/future AA draft picks/team salaries would be as they were prior to the beginning of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft.

However, if both/all GMs involved in a trade after the start of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft agree to keep their trade as valid going into the following LDB season, they may choose to do so.

===If 13 full LDB regular season weeks (or more) are played===
All trades are considered valid.

==McQueeney Penalties==

===No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season)===
No new McQ penalties would be applied in the event of an abandoned LDB season. McQ penalties accrued during the preceding LDB season would instead apply to the season after the abandoned season.

===If 13 full LDB regular season weeks (or more) are played===
Usual LDB Rules apply.

==Roster Requirements==

There were no roster penalties applied during the 2020 season. However, any roster roster penalties accrued during the 2019 LDB season carry over to 2021.

2021 positional eligibility based on 2020 playing time will be prorated based on the shortened 2020 season. As such, instead of the usual 17 games required for eligibility, for the 2021 LDB season only, players will only have had to have played 7 games at a position in 2020 to be eligible at that position for 2021.

Special Rules for Shortened Seasons

2026-03-24T17:59:34Z

Ldbrules: /* No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season) */

The following rules are special rules originally put in place for the shortened 2020 season. They have been updated before the 2026 season. They can be viewed [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AAx6lLlNG5oYoQ4aemmRyWNvsLY86H2O9XfmjUOcoXI/edit?tab=t.0 in their entirety at this link]. They will be adapted as appropriate to fit the league’s rules and structure at that juncture.

==Scheduling==
In the event of a shortened MLB season, if the remainder of the MLB season does '''not''' allow for at least a 13-week LDB full season (i.e. regular season AND playoffs),then everyone's money will be refunded and no champion will be declared.
===13-18 week LDB Season===
If MLB’s scheduling allows for a 13- to 18-week LDB season, LDB would implement a 3-week playoff schedule and a 10-15 week regular season.
The playoff teams would consist of the 4 division winners and 2 wild card teams (one from each league).

===19+ week LDB season===
If MLB’s scheduling allows for a 19-week LDB season (or more), LDB would implement a 4-week playoff schedule and a 15+ week regular season.
Playoffs would happen as they are currently written in the LDB Rules (i.e. 4 division winners, 4 wild card teams).

==H/S Contracts==
===13+ week LDB season===
If we complete any partial LDB season that results in an LDB playoff (with 13 or more weeks being played), then all H/S contracts continue on as normal into the following season.

===Fewer than 13 week LDB season===

All players having H2-4 and S1-4 contracts for the shortened season remain unchanged going into the following season.

All AA players promoted to the Majors following the conclusion of the season preceding the shortened season may retain their AA contract status.

===Super 2===

==K/HTH Contracts==

Teams may keep any five eligible keepers (and/or HTHs) from their roster prior to the 2020 Keeper Deadline going into the 2021 LDB Majors draft. Those keepers/HTHs need not be the originally named keepers carried into the 2020 season. The 2020 season has no impact on those players’ contract status. I.e., contracts that would have been K2, K3 and HTH contracts going into 2020 remain the same going into 2021.

Teams have the option of keeping one of the players drafted as a K1 in the 2020 Majors draft as one of their five keepers. The new keeper will carry a K2 contract into the 2021 season.

Teams may not keep a K1 that they traded for during the 2020 season. The K1 must have been drafted by the original GM in order to be kept into the 2021 season.

No midseason pickup (MS) from the 2020 season may be kept as an HTH for the 2021 season.

Teams who selected players in the 2020 auction will get priority to keep those players over owners who owned those players in 2019 and declined to keep them at the 2020 keeper deadline. This will necessitate the need for two keeper deadlines, the first of which will occur 24 hours prior to the second, where the first keeper deadline will involve owners declaring intention to keep players selected in the 2020 auction, and the second declaring players owned at the 2020 keeper deadline.

Preference for keepers drafted in 2020 will also apply to homegrowns who were non-tendered at the 2020 keeper deadline should we vote to allow owners to reconsider those decisions.

Should this proposal fail, 2019 owners will instead receive preference and will declare their keepers 24 hours prior to declaration of the 2020 owners.

==RFA Contracts/Rights==

===No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season)===
If you draft a player on an RFA contract in an abandoned, you may not keep the RFA player in the following season. However, the RFA rights for that player remain with the GM that owned the rights at the start of the LDB Majors Draft in the shortened seasons.
If a player is auctioned as a K1 that could have potentially been drafted on an RFA contract, the winning GM has priority to keep the player as a K2 over the prior RFA rights owner, should the season be abandoned. If that player is not kept as a K1, the RFA rights revert back to the GM that owned the rights at the start of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft.
See “TRADES” section below for how to handle if a trade for RFA rights occurred during the 2020 LDB Majors draft.

===If 13 full LDB regular season weeks (or more) are played===
Usual LDB RFA rules apply.

==Trades==

===No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season)===
All trades made after the start of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft will be nullified and reversed (except in the situation below), and the state of the following season's LDB rosters/future AA draft picks/team salaries would be as they were prior to the beginning of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft.

However, if both/all GMs involved in a trade after the start of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft agree to keep their trade as valid going into the following LDB season, they may choose to do so.

===If 13 full LDB regular season weeks (or more) are played===
All trades are considered valid.

==McQueeney Penalties==

===No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season)===
No new McQ penalties would be applied in the event of an abandoned LDB season. McQ penalties accrued during the preceding LDB season would instead apply to the season after the abandoned season.

===If 13 full LDB regular season weeks (or more) are played===
Usual LDB Rules apply.

==Roster Requirements==

There were no roster penalties applied during the 2020 season. However, any roster roster penalties accrued during the 2019 LDB season carry over to 2021.

2021 positional eligibility based on 2020 playing time will be prorated based on the shortened 2020 season. As such, instead of the usual 17 games required for eligibility, for the 2021 LDB season only, players will only have had to have played 7 games at a position in 2020 to be eligible at that position for 2021.

Special Rules for Shortened Seasons

2026-03-24T17:58:32Z

Ldbrules: /* RFA Contracts/Rights */

The following rules are special rules originally put in place for the shortened 2020 season. They have been updated before the 2026 season. They can be viewed [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AAx6lLlNG5oYoQ4aemmRyWNvsLY86H2O9XfmjUOcoXI/edit?tab=t.0 in their entirety at this link]. They will be adapted as appropriate to fit the league’s rules and structure at that juncture.

==Scheduling==
In the event of a shortened MLB season, if the remainder of the MLB season does '''not''' allow for at least a 13-week LDB full season (i.e. regular season AND playoffs),then everyone's money will be refunded and no champion will be declared.
===13-18 week LDB Season===
If MLB’s scheduling allows for a 13- to 18-week LDB season, LDB would implement a 3-week playoff schedule and a 10-15 week regular season.
The playoff teams would consist of the 4 division winners and 2 wild card teams (one from each league).

===19+ week LDB season===
If MLB’s scheduling allows for a 19-week LDB season (or more), LDB would implement a 4-week playoff schedule and a 15+ week regular season.
Playoffs would happen as they are currently written in the LDB Rules (i.e. 4 division winners, 4 wild card teams).

==H/S Contracts==
===13+ week LDB season===
If we complete any partial LDB season that results in an LDB playoff (with 13 or more weeks being played), then all H/S contracts continue on as normal into the following season.

===Fewer than 13 week LDB season===

All players having H2-4 and S1-4 contracts for the shortened season remain unchanged going into the following season.

All AA players promoted to the Majors following the conclusion of the season preceding the shortened season may retain their AA contract status.

===Super 2===

==K/HTH Contracts==

Teams may keep any five eligible keepers (and/or HTHs) from their roster prior to the 2020 Keeper Deadline going into the 2021 LDB Majors draft. Those keepers/HTHs need not be the originally named keepers carried into the 2020 season. The 2020 season has no impact on those players’ contract status. I.e., contracts that would have been K2, K3 and HTH contracts going into 2020 remain the same going into 2021.

Teams have the option of keeping one of the players drafted as a K1 in the 2020 Majors draft as one of their five keepers. The new keeper will carry a K2 contract into the 2021 season.

Teams may not keep a K1 that they traded for during the 2020 season. The K1 must have been drafted by the original GM in order to be kept into the 2021 season.

No midseason pickup (MS) from the 2020 season may be kept as an HTH for the 2021 season.

Teams who selected players in the 2020 auction will get priority to keep those players over owners who owned those players in 2019 and declined to keep them at the 2020 keeper deadline. This will necessitate the need for two keeper deadlines, the first of which will occur 24 hours prior to the second, where the first keeper deadline will involve owners declaring intention to keep players selected in the 2020 auction, and the second declaring players owned at the 2020 keeper deadline.

Preference for keepers drafted in 2020 will also apply to homegrowns who were non-tendered at the 2020 keeper deadline should we vote to allow owners to reconsider those decisions.

Should this proposal fail, 2019 owners will instead receive preference and will declare their keepers 24 hours prior to declaration of the 2020 owners.

==RFA Contracts/Rights==

===No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season)===
If you draft a player on an RFA contract in an abandoned, you may not keep the RFA player in the following season. However, the RFA rights for that player remain with the GM that owned the rights at the start of the LDB Majors Draft in the shortened seasons.
If a player is auctioned as a K1 that could have potentially been drafted on an RFA contract, the winning GM has priority to keep the player as a K2 over the prior RFA rights owner, should the season be abandoned. If that player is not kept as a K1, the RFA rights revert back to the GM that owned the rights at the start of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft.
See “TRADES” section below for how to handle if a trade for RFA rights occurred during the 2020 LDB Majors draft.

If 13 full LDB regular season weeks (or more) are played:
Usual LDB RFA rules apply.

A player drafted on an RFA contract in 2020 may not be kept in 2021. Instead, that player remains an RFA going into 2021, and the RFA rights for that player remain with the GM that owned the rights when the player went up for auction in the 2020 LDB Majors Draft.

If a player is auctioned as a K1 that could have potentially been drafted on an RFA contract, the winning GM has priority to keep the player as a K2 over the prior 2020 RFA rights owner. If that player is not kept as a K1, the RFA rights revert back to the GM that owned the rights when the player went up for auction in the 2020 LDB Majors Draft

==Trades==

===No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season)===
All trades made after the start of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft will be nullified and reversed (except in the situation below), and the state of the following season's LDB rosters/future AA draft picks/team salaries would be as they were prior to the beginning of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft.

However, if both/all GMs involved in a trade after the start of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft agree to keep their trade as valid going into the following LDB season, they may choose to do so.

===If 13 full LDB regular season weeks (or more) are played===
All trades are considered valid.

==McQueeney Penalties==

===No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season)===
No new McQ penalties would be applied in the event of an abandoned LDB season. McQ penalties accrued during the preceding LDB season would instead apply to the season after the abandoned season.

===If 13 full LDB regular season weeks (or more) are played===
Usual LDB Rules apply.

==Roster Requirements==

There were no roster penalties applied during the 2020 season. However, any roster roster penalties accrued during the 2019 LDB season carry over to 2021.

2021 positional eligibility based on 2020 playing time will be prorated based on the shortened 2020 season. As such, instead of the usual 17 games required for eligibility, for the 2021 LDB season only, players will only have had to have played 7 games at a position in 2020 to be eligible at that position for 2021.

Special Rules for Shortened Seasons

2026-03-24T17:54:02Z

Ldbrules:

The following rules are special rules originally put in place for the shortened 2020 season. They have been updated before the 2026 season. They can be viewed [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AAx6lLlNG5oYoQ4aemmRyWNvsLY86H2O9XfmjUOcoXI/edit?tab=t.0 in their entirety at this link]. They will be adapted as appropriate to fit the league’s rules and structure at that juncture.

==Scheduling==
In the event of a shortened MLB season, if the remainder of the MLB season does '''not''' allow for at least a 13-week LDB full season (i.e. regular season AND playoffs),then everyone's money will be refunded and no champion will be declared.
===13-18 week LDB Season===
If MLB’s scheduling allows for a 13- to 18-week LDB season, LDB would implement a 3-week playoff schedule and a 10-15 week regular season.
The playoff teams would consist of the 4 division winners and 2 wild card teams (one from each league).

===19+ week LDB season===
If MLB’s scheduling allows for a 19-week LDB season (or more), LDB would implement a 4-week playoff schedule and a 15+ week regular season.
Playoffs would happen as they are currently written in the LDB Rules (i.e. 4 division winners, 4 wild card teams).

==H/S Contracts==
===13+ week LDB season===
If we complete any partial LDB season that results in an LDB playoff (with 13 or more weeks being played), then all H/S contracts continue on as normal into the following season.

===Fewer than 13 week LDB season===

All players having H2-4 and S1-4 contracts for the shortened season remain unchanged going into the following season.

All AA players promoted to the Majors following the conclusion of the season preceding the shortened season may retain their AA contract status.

===Super 2===

==K/HTH Contracts==

Teams may keep any five eligible keepers (and/or HTHs) from their roster prior to the 2020 Keeper Deadline going into the 2021 LDB Majors draft. Those keepers/HTHs need not be the originally named keepers carried into the 2020 season. The 2020 season has no impact on those players’ contract status. I.e., contracts that would have been K2, K3 and HTH contracts going into 2020 remain the same going into 2021.

Teams have the option of keeping one of the players drafted as a K1 in the 2020 Majors draft as one of their five keepers. The new keeper will carry a K2 contract into the 2021 season.

Teams may not keep a K1 that they traded for during the 2020 season. The K1 must have been drafted by the original GM in order to be kept into the 2021 season.

No midseason pickup (MS) from the 2020 season may be kept as an HTH for the 2021 season.

Teams who selected players in the 2020 auction will get priority to keep those players over owners who owned those players in 2019 and declined to keep them at the 2020 keeper deadline. This will necessitate the need for two keeper deadlines, the first of which will occur 24 hours prior to the second, where the first keeper deadline will involve owners declaring intention to keep players selected in the 2020 auction, and the second declaring players owned at the 2020 keeper deadline.

Preference for keepers drafted in 2020 will also apply to homegrowns who were non-tendered at the 2020 keeper deadline should we vote to allow owners to reconsider those decisions.

Should this proposal fail, 2019 owners will instead receive preference and will declare their keepers 24 hours prior to declaration of the 2020 owners.

==RFA Contracts/Rights==

A player drafted on an RFA contract in 2020 may not be kept in 2021. Instead, that player remains an RFA going into 2021, and the RFA rights for that player remain with the GM that owned the rights when the player went up for auction in the 2020 LDB Majors Draft.

If a player is auctioned as a K1 that could have potentially been drafted on an RFA contract, the winning GM has priority to keep the player as a K2 over the prior 2020 RFA rights owner. If that player is not kept as a K1, the RFA rights revert back to the GM that owned the rights when the player went up for auction in the 2020 LDB Majors Draft

==Trades==

===No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season)===
All trades made after the start of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft will be nullified and reversed (except in the situation below), and the state of the following season's LDB rosters/future AA draft picks/team salaries would be as they were prior to the beginning of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft.

However, if both/all GMs involved in a trade after the start of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft agree to keep their trade as valid going into the following LDB season, they may choose to do so.

===If 13 full LDB regular season weeks (or more) are played===
All trades are considered valid.

==McQueeney Penalties==

===No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season)===
No new McQ penalties would be applied in the event of an abandoned LDB season. McQ penalties accrued during the preceding LDB season would instead apply to the season after the abandoned season.

===If 13 full LDB regular season weeks (or more) are played===
Usual LDB Rules apply.

==Roster Requirements==

There were no roster penalties applied during the 2020 season. However, any roster roster penalties accrued during the 2019 LDB season carry over to 2021.

2021 positional eligibility based on 2020 playing time will be prorated based on the shortened 2020 season. As such, instead of the usual 17 games required for eligibility, for the 2021 LDB season only, players will only have had to have played 7 games at a position in 2020 to be eligible at that position for 2021.

Special Rules for Shortened Seasons

2026-03-24T17:50:27Z

Ldbrules:

The following rules are special rules originally put in place for the shortened 2020 season. They have been updated before the 2026 season. They can be viewed [https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AAx6lLlNG5oYoQ4aemmRyWNvsLY86H2O9XfmjUOcoXI/edit?tab=t.0 in their entirety at this link]. They will be adapted as appropriate to fit the league’s rules and structure at that juncture.

==Scheduling==
In the event of a shortened MLB season, if the remainder of the MLB season does '''not''' allow for at least a 13-week LDB full season (i.e. regular season AND playoffs),then everyone's money will be refunded and no champion will be declared.
===13-18 week LDB Season===
If MLB’s scheduling allows for a 13- to 18-week LDB season, LDB would implement a 3-week playoff schedule and a 10-15 week regular season.
The playoff teams would consist of the 4 division winners and 2 wild card teams (one from each league).

===19+ week LDB season===
If MLB’s scheduling allows for a 19-week LDB season (or more), LDB would implement a 4-week playoff schedule and a 15+ week regular season.
Playoffs would happen as they are currently written in the LDB Rules (i.e. 4 division winners, 4 wild card teams).

==H/S Contracts==
===13+ week LDB season===
If we complete any partial LDB season that results in an LDB playoff (with 13 or more weeks being played), then all H/S contracts continue on as normal into the following season.

===Fewer than 13 week LDB season===

All players having H2-4 and S1-4 contracts for the shortened season remain unchanged going into the following season.

All AA players promoted to the Majors following the conclusion of the season before the shortened season may retain their AA contract status.

==K/HTH Contracts==

Teams may keep any five eligible keepers (and/or HTHs) from their roster prior to the 2020 Keeper Deadline going into the 2021 LDB Majors draft. Those keepers/HTHs need not be the originally named keepers carried into the 2020 season. The 2020 season has no impact on those players’ contract status. I.e., contracts that would have been K2, K3 and HTH contracts going into 2020 remain the same going into 2021.

Teams have the option of keeping one of the players drafted as a K1 in the 2020 Majors draft as one of their five keepers. The new keeper will carry a K2 contract into the 2021 season.

Teams may not keep a K1 that they traded for during the 2020 season. The K1 must have been drafted by the original GM in order to be kept into the 2021 season.

No midseason pickup (MS) from the 2020 season may be kept as an HTH for the 2021 season.

Teams who selected players in the 2020 auction will get priority to keep those players over owners who owned those players in 2019 and declined to keep them at the 2020 keeper deadline. This will necessitate the need for two keeper deadlines, the first of which will occur 24 hours prior to the second, where the first keeper deadline will involve owners declaring intention to keep players selected in the 2020 auction, and the second declaring players owned at the 2020 keeper deadline.

Preference for keepers drafted in 2020 will also apply to homegrowns who were non-tendered at the 2020 keeper deadline should we vote to allow owners to reconsider those decisions.

Should this proposal fail, 2019 owners will instead receive preference and will declare their keepers 24 hours prior to declaration of the 2020 owners.

==RFA Contracts/Rights==

A player drafted on an RFA contract in 2020 may not be kept in 2021. Instead, that player remains an RFA going into 2021, and the RFA rights for that player remain with the GM that owned the rights when the player went up for auction in the 2020 LDB Majors Draft.

If a player is auctioned as a K1 that could have potentially been drafted on an RFA contract, the winning GM has priority to keep the player as a K2 over the prior 2020 RFA rights owner. If that player is not kept as a K1, the RFA rights revert back to the GM that owned the rights when the player went up for auction in the 2020 LDB Majors Draft

==Trades==

===No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season)===
All trades made after the start of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft will be nullified and reversed (except in the situation below), and the state of the following season's LDB rosters/future AA draft picks/team salaries would be as they were prior to the beginning of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft.

However, if both/all GMs involved in a trade after the start of the shortened season's LDB Majors Draft agree to keep their trade as valid going into the following LDB season, they may choose to do so.

===If 13 full LDB regular season weeks (or more) are played===
All trades are considered valid.

==McQueeney Penalties==

===No LDB Season, or less than 13 full LDB regular season weeks are played (i.e. Abandoned LDB season)===
No new McQ penalties would be applied in the event of an abandoned LDB season. McQ penalties accrued during the preceding LDB season would instead apply to the season after the abandoned season.

===If 13 full LDB regular season weeks (or more) are played===
Usual LDB Rules apply.

==Roster Requirements==

There were no roster penalties applied during the 2020 season. However, any roster roster penalties accrued during the 2019 LDB season carry over to 2021.

2021 positional eligibility based on 2020 playing time will be prorated based on the shortened 2020 season. As such, instead of the usual 17 games required for eligibility, for the 2021 LDB season only, players will only have had to have played 7 games at a position in 2020 to be eligible at that position for 2021.

The Game

2026-03-18T14:57:56Z

Ldbrules: /* McQueeney Performance Penalties Known as "McQueeneys" */

LDB is divided into two subsidiary leagues: the Federal League and the Union Association. Each league has two four-team divisions. Beginning in 2027, before that season's
Majors draft, and every 10 years thereafter, the divisions will be realigned. Divisional realignment will be conducted via a draft.
During the regular season, each team will play another team for one week at a time (Monday to Sunday)<ref>With the exception of the first and eleventh weeks, which may extend beyond seven days.</ref> for a total of 20 weeks, with each statistical category representing one game, meaning 12 games are in play each week. After the regular season, top-performing teams advance to the playoffs.

== Schedule ==
Scheduling will be announced by the Commissioner(s) before the [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]] each year. During the regular season, each team will play the other three teams in their own division twice (6 games), each other team once (12 games), and each team will have two additional non-division intraleague matchups (2 games). Matchups for the extra two intraleague matchups will be determined by the prior season's records. Teams with the two best records in one division in a league will face the teams with the two best records in the other division in that league, and vice versa for the two teams with the worst records in their divisions.

The Commissioner(s) will implement "road trips" where teams play out of their divisions multiple weeks in a row. However, road trips may not be so long that they create a competitive imbalance for teams on long away stretches (as a result of being disfavored in weekly tiebreakers for such periods).

== Scoring ==
Lucid Dream Baseball scores the ten active batters and up to eleven active pitchers each day on the following statistics:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" width="500"
|-
! colspan="2" | LDB Scoring
|-
! width="200" | Batters
! Pitchers
|-
| On-Base Percentage (OBP)
| Modified Game Starts (MGS): 3*IP + 2(IP-4) + K - 2H - 4ER - 2(R-ER) - BB
|-
| On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage (OPS): OBP + SLG
| Adjusted WHIP (aWHIP): (H + BB + HBP)/INN
|-
| Runs Scored (R)
| VIJAY: (RIP+3*SV+3*HLD-8*BS-8*RL)/4
|-
| Adjusted Runs Batted In (aRBI) = RBI - GIDP
| Home Runs Allowed (HRA)
|-
| Home Runs (HR)
| Pitcher Strikeouts (K)
|-
| Adjusted Stolen Bases (ASB): SB - CS/2
| Earned Run Average (ERA)
|}

As in baseball, there can be no ties. If a statistical category ends in a tie at the conclusion of a week, the home team will win all such categories. However, any margin of victory in any statistical category, however small, is a victory and not a tie.

== Roster Requirements ==
Each week, each team must meet: the league minimum innings pitched requirement (IP) of 44 innings per week; have an eligible player in each positional roster spot (except designated hitter spots) each day; accumulate a minimum of 50 plate appearances per week; and maintain a roster of 31 players or less (or 26 during playoff matches).

If a team fails to meet these minimum requirements, the following penalties are applied:

=== Batting and Fielding Penalties ===
For every batter missing from a team's lineup on a game day, that team receives one "AAA start" for each missing player, which is 0H, 5 AB with 2 GIDP. After three separate days of batting roster violations, the team is penalized $0.5 million per player per day. The ﬁnes will be deducted from the following season’s payroll.

Teams that fail to accumulate 50 plate appearances in a week will forfeit all offensive categories in that matchup.

=== Pitching Penalties ===
If a team fails to reach the required 44 innings pitched in a given week, that team will automatically lose the following categories: MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA, and VIJAY. These losses will count as losses in the standings and will be known throughout the league as FUs,<ref>Fuck-ups</ref>. In the event two teams playing each other both miss the 44-inning requirement, both will be assigned FUs. Should a team miss the innings requirement more than once, teams will be assessed penalties for each infraction as follows:

* First infraction: warning
* Second infraction: $1 million fine
* Third infraction: $3 million fine
* Fourth infraction: $5 million fine
* Fifth infraction: loss of team's next AA draft pick in possession at the time of the infraction

=== Roster Penalties ===

====Regular Season====
If a team has a roster in excess of the 31-man limit there are potential penalties. At the conclusion of the league year, the Commissioner(s) will run a report on each team's roster for the season recently completed. If teams were over the 31-man limit, they will be penalized as follows: 1) no fine for only one day over the limit; 2) $0.25M per player over the limit for two consecutive days; 3) $0.5M per player per day in violation starting on the third consecutive day. If a team has more than 5 one-day violations, it will be fined $1.0M for each additional instance after the first five. Only days where at least one regular-season MLB game is played will the financial penalties apply (e.g., the All Star Break is excluded from a consecutive days analysis).
If a team is discovered to have a roster in excess of the 31-man limit in-season, the team must play with a roster below the 31-man roster limit for the number of days and players the team was above the limit for (e.g., if a team was discovered to be over the limit by 1 player for 3 days, it must play the next 3 days with only 30 players on their roster, etc.) This will be known as a "Sloppy Roster" penalty. A team must institute a Sloppy Roster immediately upon discovery by the Commissioner(s). As with the fines, Sloppy Roster penalties will only be applied on days where there is at least one regular season MLB game.

Once the end-of-season audit is complete, owners will be given a 2-week period to review any financial penalties, and to seek Commissioner Relief from penalties. Relief will be decided pursuant to the rules on [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]].

====Playoffs====
If an owner fails to set a legal playoff roster before rosters lock on the first day of a playoff week, all active players will automatically be considered part of the 26 man playoff roster. The remaining spots will be assigned to bench players in the order that they appear in MLB games until a team reaches 26 players. If a team starts players such that its roster exceeds the 26-man limit and the violation is discovered during the same playoff period in which it occurred, the team will be: (1) penalized the same as if it had violated the roster limit during the regular season and (2) have any stats accrued by such players removed from the current playoff matchup without another player’s stats being substituted. For any such violations discovered after a playoff period closes, a team will incur financial penalties the same as if it violated the roster limit during the regular season, except that the financial penalty will be five times the regular season penalty.

Teams on bye weeks in both the Championship and McQueeney brackets must abide by the regular season 31-man roster plus 6-man IL rules. Teams on byes in the Championship brackets must follow the same rules as if they are playing that week in the LDB playoffs, and all relevant rules will apply. Teams in the McQueeney bracket will not be fined for violations of the 31-man roster rule, but will still be subject to the "Sloppy Roster" penalty, including on bye weeks. Sloppy Roster penalties incurred during bye weeks will be applied once teams are no longer on byes.

====Offseason====
During the offseason, teams carry more than 31 players on its active roster. However, each team's rosters must be legal by the first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction. If a team's roster is "sloppy" to start the season, it will be fined $1M.

== McQueeney Performance Penalties <ref>Known as "McQueeneys"</ref>==
''The MQ penalties exist to create competitive balance and strive to do so in two ways: First, the penalties seek to encourage owner engagement throughout the entirety of the season; second, the penalties seek to discourage in-season tanking for the purpose of collecting future value, be it prospects, draft picks or a high AA selection. This rule shall be evaluated following the 2026 season and every three seasons thereafter based on these stated goals to determine whether the rule should remain in its existing state, be amended, or discontinued.''

The McQueeney Performance Penalty deducts LDB cash from a team's subsequent yearly budget when that team finishes the regular season with a sub-.400 winning percentage (including any FU losses and excluding any FU wins where the team would have lost the category but for their opponent's FU loss) in the second half of the regular season. The "McQueeneys" will be assessed according to the following formula:

:In the first half, each win below 48 carries a penalty of $500K. In the second half, each win below 48 carries a penalty of $750K. The maximum penalty for each half is set at 32 losses (i.e., $8M for the first half, and $12M for the second half). The maximum total penalty will be set at $20M. This formula will be adjusted as appropriate if LDB moves to a schedule that does not include exactly 120 second-half games.

Additionally:

*The McQueeney Penalties shall be capped at a $20 million maximum potential fine.
*The Commissioner(s) may, at their discretion, grant an exemption from the penalties for any team that actively and competently manages its roster throughout the season and does not make a concerted effort to sell players on its active major league roster for future value (i.e., draft picks, cash, or AA players).

For example, a team with 47 second-half wins would incur a $1.25 million penalty, a team with 46 second-half wins would incur a $2.5 million penalty, etc. A team with 32 or fewer second-half wins would incur the maximum penalty of $20 million.

McQueeney penalties for missed innings belong to owners, not teams. When an owner leaves LDB, their McQueeney penalties go with them. A new owner is not responsible for paying the McQueeney penalties that team's previous owner incurred.

However, a new owner can choose to pay the previous owner’s McQueeney penalties and instead opt to be exempt from McQueeney penalties during the new owner's first year of ownership. A team who chooses this option must still actively and competently manage his team, however, or else the Commissioner(s) may override the exemption and impose the fines in full or in part at their discretion. Additionally, this exemption is only available in the event a departing owner leaves with an outstanding fine of $5 million or more. These provisions apply equally to owners who have and have not owned an LDB team previously.

== All-Star Break ==
LDB will not hold regular games during the week of the MLB All-Star Game. That week, at the option of the Commissioner(s), LDB will: (1) hold an LDB All-Star Game and, (2) if easily accomplished, fold any official MLB stats accrued that week into the subsequent week.

The All-Star Game will be held between the Federal League and the Union Association and use official MLB statistics accrued during the week of the MLB All-Star Break. The Commissioner(s) will announce the logistics for such a game, and each of the divisions will select and announce players for the game. All-Star teams can list starting pitcher alternates in case their starters do not pitch at all.

The league that wins the LDB All-Star Game will have home field advantage in the Lucid Dream Series and McQueeney Cup final.

Each league's team will be managed by the owner of the prior season's league champion. The manager will be in charge of conducting the voting for his league's players and tracking their stats. All-Star teams will consist of a full lineup, three starting pitchers, and two relievers. There will be no alternates or lineup changes; if a player goes on the IL or misses the weekend, their spot remains empty. Every team in the league must have at least one player on their league's All-star team. The All-Star Game will use regular season scoring categories. The manager must report the final stats on the Monday following the All-star break and should report the daily stats on Saturday and Sunday.<ref>An easy way to track such scores is to use CBS's "Scout Team" page using the "Last 7 Days" viewing option. The manager may need to calculate rate stats separately.</ref>

There is no home field advantage in the All-Star Game; category ties are treated as ties. If the final score is tied, tiebreakers will be as follows: HR, aSB, Ka, R, RBI, OPS, VIJAY, OBP, WHIP, ERA, MGS.

The Commissioner(s) have discretion to adjust these rules unilaterally prior to the LDB All-Star Game if they deem it necessary. Changes after the All-Star Game has begun require a majority vote.

== Playoffs ==

=== Advancing to the Playoffs ===
LDB Playoffs occur after the regular season concludes. Eight teams make the playoffs: the four division winners and four wild card teams, two from each league. The wild card teams from each league first play each other in a wild card round. The winners of the wild card round advance to the Lucid Division series, where they will play the division winner in their respective leagues with the second best league record (that division winner therefore gets a one-round bye). The winner of the Lucid Division Series advances to the Lucid Championship Series, where they face the team with the best record in their league (the league winner therefore gets a double bye). The home team in the Lucid Dream Series is determined by the winner of the [[#All-Star_Break|All-Star Game]]. The tiebreakers to determine which teams make the playoffs, determine seeding, and home field advantage in the event no LDB All-Star Game takes place are as follows:

# Overall Points
# Head-to-head Record
# Head-to-head Record Excluding Tie Wins
# Wins (excluding tie wins from standings points)
# Intra-division Record
# Overall Roto Performance
# Commissioner(s)’s Coin Flip (with witnesses)

In case three teams are tied in overall points, a three team head-to-head tiebreaker is resolved by independent pairwise comparisons. For example:

:Consider 3 teams: A, B, and C:
:* A beat B in Week 1, 9-5
:* A beat C in Week 2, 10-4
:* B beat A in Week 3, 13-1
:* B tied C in Week 4, 7-7
:* B beat C in Week 5, 8-6
:* C beat A in Week 6, 11-3

:Therefore, head-to-head:
:A vs. B = (9+1) vs. (5+13) = 10 vs. 18.
:So B > A

:A vs. C = (10+3) vs. (4+11) = 13 vs. 15.
:So C > A

:B vs. C = (7+8) vs (7+6) = 15 vs. 13
:So B > C

:Therefore, B>C>A, and so B and C make the playoffs. Theoretically, if A = C in head-to-head, we would have to go to the normal tie-breaking regime above.

In the event pairwise comparison of head-to-head points is circular, then pairwise comparisons of totals runs scored in head-to-head matchups is the next category used. If this is also circular, then total head-to-head HR then K then aRBI are applied (in that order). If still tied, then tiebreaker is determined by fiat by the LDB Commissioner(s)’s preferred method (rock-paper-scissors suggested but not required).

=== Playoff Rosters ===
Once playoff rosters lock for the first time, player adds and drops may only be made by teams that have not been eliminated from their respective post-season brackets. The waiver claim period for the first week of the playoffs will begin as soon as roster lock for the final day of the regular season, at which point no regular FA adds may occur until after waivers have run. The league will run waivers on Monday morning of each playoff week, and the waiver order will be randomized each week as follows: first, the order of the remaining playoff teams will be randomized, and then subsequently the order of the remaining teams in the McQueeney bracket will be randomized, and will follow the last playoff team. Once waivers have run, additional players may be added until the first MLB game begins on Monday. However, in the event a player comes off the IL after rosters lock, there is no roster violation, but the owner must drop a player within 24 hours or prior to the start of their next matchup, whichever comes first.

Playoff rosters contain 26 players and lock at the start of each playoff round. The 26-man playoff roster consists of: active position players, reserve position players, active pitchers, reserve pitchers, and players potentially activated from the IL. Once rosters lock on Monday of each playoff week, players cannot be promoted from AA until the following Monday. However:

* Players on the IL may be added to the 26-man roster after rosters lock if there is a space reserved for their potential activation.
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster is placed on the IL at any point during the week, an owner may add another player from their 31-man roster to their 26-man roster
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster has not yet played in an MLB game during the playoff week, that player may be swapped out for another player on a team's 31-man roster at any time.

Once a player has been moved off the 26-man roster, he cannot be re-added to the roster. For convenience, teams may place any player who is not on their 26-man roster on any minor league roster.

Players within the 26-man roster may be freely subbed in and out during the playoffs. Each playoff team must accumulate at least 30 IP per playoff week or else they will lose MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA and VIJAY, just as they would in the regular season.

=== Playoff Scoring ===

Scoring stats for playoff matchups are identical to the regular season's scoring stats.

In the event of a tied category, ties are not awarded to the home team as in the regular season, except in the first round of the postseason, where the home team will receive credit for a win in one tied category. The team with more wins advances except in situations where there are more ties than wins for either team, in which case a tie results.

In the event of a playoff tie in points, such games will be decided by a tiebreaker pairing offensive and pitching categories, in the following ranked order:

:OPS/ERA
:OBP/aWHIP
:HR/K
:aRBI/HRA
:R/MGS
:aSB/VIJAY

The team that wins the highest ranked pair of categories shall be declared the winner. If all category pairs are split, then the team with the greatest margin of victory in the highest ranked category shall be declared the winner.

:Example 1 (simple tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and ERA. Team A is declared the winner.

:Example 2 (third pair tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and OBP. Team B wins ERA, aWHIP, HR, and K. Team B is declared the winner.

:Example 3 (margin of victory tiebreaker): Team A wins all offensive categories. Team B wins all pitching categories. Team A wins OPS .850 to .790 (60 point delta). Team B wins ERA 3.50 to 3.00 (50 point delta). Team A is declared the winner (60 point delta to 50 point delta).

=== The McQueeney Cup ===
LDB will award the McQueeney Cup each season to the non-playoff team that wins the McQueeney Cup bracket, which will be played over three rounds in parallel to LDB playoffs. Union and Federal ladders are composed of each divisions' respective four non-playoff teams, seeded in order of regular season finish. The final round includes the winners of the Union and Federal portions of the bracket. The winner of the McQueeney Cup will receive a AA draft pick in the following season's AA Draft that is sandwiched between the first and second round of that draft. In all other respects, McQueeney Cup games are decided as a regular playoff game. The winner of the McQueeney Cup may choose to either take the sandwich round pick or forfeit that pick in exchange for wiping McQueeney penalties to $0, should the team have any.

<references/>

External Transactions

2026-03-18T14:54:58Z

Ldbrules: /* Trades */

== Designation for Assignment ==
Cut players are designated for assignment. Designation immediately removes the player from the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] and subjects him to a 2-3 day waiver process. Waivers run for at least two days but are processed during the middle of the night following expiration of the 48-hour period. Such players are available to trade during that period if the trade deadline has not passed. If they are not traded during that period, they are given to the highest waiver claimant. If the player is not claimed on waivers, the player is cut. Designation is not revocable. Salary refunds are not applicable to players unclaimed on waivers. See the [[Finances#Payroll|Payroll]] section for more information.

== Mid-Season Free Agents ==
Any unsigned player can be acquired mid-season. Players who are acquired mid-season are MS-contract players, paid a prorated [[Finances#Payroll|league minimum]].

Players drafted in the [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|Snake Draft]] with non-guaranteed contracts may be freely swapped for a replacement player who is of the same type (i.e. position player or pitcher) until the end of April. Replacement players cannot subsequently be swapped for other replacement players. When a team swaps an NG player for a replacement player, it cannot execute a waiver trade of the NG player and receives no salary relief if they are claimed on waivers. Players dropped with NG status do not confer NG contract status when signed by a new team; such player has MS contract status. Players with NG contracts cannot be kept at the conclusion of the season.

== Waiver Claims ==
All dropped players will be placed on waivers, as described above, for 2-3 days. Any team may put in a claim for a player on waivers, and the player will be awarded to the team that is highest in the waiver order at the time the claim is processed. During the offseason and Week 1 of a new season, the waiver order will mirror the AA Draft order but will not reset until the conclusion of Week 1 of the new season. Starting in Week 2 of the season, the waiver order will be reset at the start of each week to the inverse of the LDB standings. If a team claims a player, they will temporarily drop to the bottom of the waiver order until the order resets. Tiebreakers on waiver claims for teams with identical records will be determined by whatever method CBS utilizes.

Awarding a player results in the acquisition of that player, pending roster space being made available for the new player. The claiming team assumes the remaining salary burden of the player, calculated by remaining weeks in the LDB regular season.

Teams may not claim players that they themselves dropped. Teams must wait until a player clears waivers to reacquire such players.

== Trades ==
Trades may occur at any point in the offseason and regular season, until the league trade deadline. The trade deadline is either: (1) Thursday at 11:59.59 PM EST after the MLB All Star Game or (2) 11:59.59 PM EST on the final day of Week 15, whichever is later. All trades must have timestamp of 11:59 PM EST<ref>The standard time zone for LDB is Eastern Standard Time.</ref> on the day of the trade deadline or earlier, or have been announced to the league in a reasonable manner before that deadline.

Trades will be subject to approval by a vote of the other managers in the league. If greater than one-half of the non-involved managers veto a trade, the trade will be cancelled. The veto window is three days. All trades are immediate. A veto of a trade will be prospective; if vetoed, the players traded will have their stats count for their teams that temporarily held them.

Trades may involve players, cash, and other assets, such as, but not limited to, future [[Keepers_and_Drafts#AA_Draft|draft picks]], [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Restricted_Free_Agents|RFA rights]], etc. Trades may include a "player to be named later" so long as that player has not accumulated any LDB stats between the trade and the player changing hands. As a general policy, trades are looked upon favorably, regardless of the types of assets involved. The full terms of a trade need not be fully disclosed to the league and may involve gentlemen agreements and other conditions. However, trades are subject to the following restrictions:

* No trade may involve an agreement to temporarily hold or "rent" a player. Any trade that attempts to work around the ban on renting players is also prohibited. For example, a trade involving an agreement to later send back a player of similar value could be considered a workaround. Whether a trade constitutes a rental or an attempted workaround will be determined by the Commissioner(s).
* Transfer of a player's RFA rights is prohibited once that player is nominated in the [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Majors_Draft|Majors Draft]] or selected in the [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Snake_Draft|Snake Draft]].
* Injury contingencies may be included in trades, but the conditions of the contingencies must be clear to be enforceable. Injury contingencies with ambiguities will not be enforced by the league. Injury contingencies need not be disclosed to the league. But unless there is clear, unambiguous, written documentation of a contingency between the trading parties, a contingency will not be enforced.
* Trades may not involve unowned [[Keepers and Drafts#AA Draft|AA draft picks]].

In any trade made after the Majors Draft, it is assumed that teams trading away a player pays the salary of such players. However, in any trade made in the offseason or mid-auction, it is assumed that teams receiving players pay the full salary of such players.

==Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")==
"Friendly wagers" are the only class of transactions that can include yet-unrealized future assets (money, AA picks past the 2-year allocation window, yet-unborn naming rights to sons/daughters, etc). Friendly wagers cannot adversely impact the competitiveness of the league. If there is question about whether a wager will affect the competitive balance of the league, the Commissioner(s) will determine whether such wager will. All assets involved in friendly wagers will be held in escrow, a spreadsheet that will spell out the parties, terms, timeline, and payouts of the friendly wager. Friendly wagers are bound to the team, rather than the owner, such that a owner's departure does not invalidate the wager (unless specified in the terms of the wager). In the event a team's owner leaves the league, new prospective owners should be made aware of the team's wagered obligations before agreeing to take control of a team, as the assets are held in escrow and will only be released pursuant to the terms of the wager.

<references/>

Organizational Structure

2026-03-18T14:52:24Z

Ldbrules: /* League Calendar */

Each LDB franchise has three tiers: Majors, the Injured List (IL), and AA.

== Majors ==

The Majors level is a 31-man roster and represents the active players on the team whose performance may affect scoring. It closely resembles an MLB franchise. All 31 players are available for active duty, and are broken down into the following positions:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! Hitters
! Pitchers
|-
| Catcher
| rowspan="4" | Starting Pitchers (Up to 5)
|-
| First Base
|-
| Second Base
|-
| Short Stop
|-
| Third Base
| rowspan="5" | Relief Pitchers (Up to 6)
|-
| Left Field
|-
| Center Field
|-
| Right Field
|-
| Designated Hitters (Up to 2)
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | Bench
|}

This structure changes during playoffs. See [[The_Game#Playoff_Rosters|Playoff Rosters]] for more information.

=== Positional Eligibility ===

==== Hitters ====
A player is eligible for an offensive position if (1) that player made 17 appearances in that position during the previous season or (2) the player appeared at that position for 50% of games in April of the current season, or, after April, appeared at that position a total of 12 times during the season. Until a hitter meets one of these thresholds, he may bat as a designated hitter only.

==== Pitchers ====
To be eligible as a starting pitcher, a player must have appeared as a starting pitcher in one game during the previous or current season. To be eligible as a relief pitcher, a player must have appeared as a relief pitcher in one game during the previous or current season.

However, if CBS allows a team to start a pitcher in a SP or RP slot who does not have eligibility under the rules above,<ref>Occurring most often in the event of an MLB debut or if a pitcher has not pitched in the current or previous season.</ref> teams may nevertheless start those pitchers as allowed by CBS if such players are slotted in positions that correspond with their actual MLB role (i.e., SPs must be used as SPs, and RPs must be used as RPs). Any players in this situation started in positions that do not correspond to their actual MLB roles will result in those players’ stats being voided.

== Injured, Suspended, and Other Lists==
In addition to its 31-man roster, each team may have up to six players on its injured list (IL). See [[Internal Transactions]] for rules related to IL transactions.

Players on the bereavement, paternity, disqualified (suspended), or any other "MLB Status List" other than injured will not count against the LDB 31-man roster. Suspended players may be placed in the LDB team's minor league without being subject to waivers. They must return to the active 31-man roster immediately upon conclusion of the MLB suspension.

== AA ==

The AA tier is a roster of unlimited rookie players signed in the AA draft. See [[Internal Transactions]] for rules relating to the consequences of promoting a player out of AA.

== League Calendar ==

LDB Years are standardized as follows. However, the Commissioner(s) may adjust these dates as necessary to effectuate league business:

* Monday after Thanksgiving: First Day of league business. Transactions begin processing.
* December 15-January 31: Rule Change Period (vote completed by January 31 each year)
* The last Monday in February: AA Draft begins at 12:00 PM EST
* Two Fridays before the LDB Auction: Keeper Deadline at 11:59 PM EST
* One of the two Saturdays immediately preceding MLB Opening Day (excluding early international series): LDB Auction at 10:00 AM EST
* First Waiver Process through the first pitcher of the first MLB game after the auction: MS players may be deemed keepers.
* The first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction: Rosters must be legal (31 active players, 6 IR players total)
* End of Week 10: Players may be promoted as Super-twos
* Either: (1) "Thursday at 11:59.59 EST after the MLB All Star Game" or (2) the end of Week 15, whichever is later.: LDB Trade Deadline
* End of Week 20: End of the Regular Season
* Week 21: Wild Card Week
* Week 22: Lucid Division Series
* Week 23: Lucid Championship Series
* Week 24: Lucid Dream Series
* Conclusion of the Lucid Dream Series: Luxury taxes, fines, and penalties assessed, and then a new LDB Year begins. However, the league is closed for business, and no transactions will be processed.

<references/>

The Game

2026-03-18T14:50:17Z

Ldbrules:

LDB is divided into two subsidiary leagues: the Federal League and the Union Association. Each league has two four-team divisions. Beginning in 2027, before that season's
Majors draft, and every 10 years thereafter, the divisions will be realigned. Divisional realignment will be conducted via a draft.
During the regular season, each team will play another team for one week at a time (Monday to Sunday)<ref>With the exception of the first and eleventh weeks, which may extend beyond seven days.</ref> for a total of 20 weeks, with each statistical category representing one game, meaning 12 games are in play each week. After the regular season, top-performing teams advance to the playoffs.

== Schedule ==
Scheduling will be announced by the Commissioner(s) before the [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]] each year. During the regular season, each team will play the other three teams in their own division twice (6 games), each other team once (12 games), and each team will have two additional non-division intraleague matchups (2 games). Matchups for the extra two intraleague matchups will be determined by the prior season's records. Teams with the two best records in one division in a league will face the teams with the two best records in the other division in that league, and vice versa for the two teams with the worst records in their divisions.

The Commissioner(s) will implement "road trips" where teams play out of their divisions multiple weeks in a row. However, road trips may not be so long that they create a competitive imbalance for teams on long away stretches (as a result of being disfavored in weekly tiebreakers for such periods).

== Scoring ==
Lucid Dream Baseball scores the ten active batters and up to eleven active pitchers each day on the following statistics:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" width="500"
|-
! colspan="2" | LDB Scoring
|-
! width="200" | Batters
! Pitchers
|-
| On-Base Percentage (OBP)
| Modified Game Starts (MGS): 3*IP + 2(IP-4) + K - 2H - 4ER - 2(R-ER) - BB
|-
| On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage (OPS): OBP + SLG
| Adjusted WHIP (aWHIP): (H + BB + HBP)/INN
|-
| Runs Scored (R)
| VIJAY: (RIP+3*SV+3*HLD-8*BS-8*RL)/4
|-
| Adjusted Runs Batted In (aRBI) = RBI - GIDP
| Home Runs Allowed (HRA)
|-
| Home Runs (HR)
| Pitcher Strikeouts (K)
|-
| Adjusted Stolen Bases (ASB): SB - CS/2
| Earned Run Average (ERA)
|}

As in baseball, there can be no ties. If a statistical category ends in a tie at the conclusion of a week, the home team will win all such categories. However, any margin of victory in any statistical category, however small, is a victory and not a tie.

== Roster Requirements ==
Each week, each team must meet: the league minimum innings pitched requirement (IP) of 44 innings per week; have an eligible player in each positional roster spot (except designated hitter spots) each day; accumulate a minimum of 50 plate appearances per week; and maintain a roster of 31 players or less (or 26 during playoff matches).

If a team fails to meet these minimum requirements, the following penalties are applied:

=== Batting and Fielding Penalties ===
For every batter missing from a team's lineup on a game day, that team receives one "AAA start" for each missing player, which is 0H, 5 AB with 2 GIDP. After three separate days of batting roster violations, the team is penalized $0.5 million per player per day. The ﬁnes will be deducted from the following season’s payroll.

Teams that fail to accumulate 50 plate appearances in a week will forfeit all offensive categories in that matchup.

=== Pitching Penalties ===
If a team fails to reach the required 44 innings pitched in a given week, that team will automatically lose the following categories: MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA, and VIJAY. These losses will count as losses in the standings and will be known throughout the league as FUs,<ref>Fuck-ups</ref>. In the event two teams playing each other both miss the 44-inning requirement, both will be assigned FUs. Should a team miss the innings requirement more than once, teams will be assessed penalties for each infraction as follows:

* First infraction: warning
* Second infraction: $1 million fine
* Third infraction: $3 million fine
* Fourth infraction: $5 million fine
* Fifth infraction: loss of team's next AA draft pick in possession at the time of the infraction

=== Roster Penalties ===

====Regular Season====
If a team has a roster in excess of the 31-man limit there are potential penalties. At the conclusion of the league year, the Commissioner(s) will run a report on each team's roster for the season recently completed. If teams were over the 31-man limit, they will be penalized as follows: 1) no fine for only one day over the limit; 2) $0.25M per player over the limit for two consecutive days; 3) $0.5M per player per day in violation starting on the third consecutive day. If a team has more than 5 one-day violations, it will be fined $1.0M for each additional instance after the first five. Only days where at least one regular-season MLB game is played will the financial penalties apply (e.g., the All Star Break is excluded from a consecutive days analysis).
If a team is discovered to have a roster in excess of the 31-man limit in-season, the team must play with a roster below the 31-man roster limit for the number of days and players the team was above the limit for (e.g., if a team was discovered to be over the limit by 1 player for 3 days, it must play the next 3 days with only 30 players on their roster, etc.) This will be known as a "Sloppy Roster" penalty. A team must institute a Sloppy Roster immediately upon discovery by the Commissioner(s). As with the fines, Sloppy Roster penalties will only be applied on days where there is at least one regular season MLB game.

Once the end-of-season audit is complete, owners will be given a 2-week period to review any financial penalties, and to seek Commissioner Relief from penalties. Relief will be decided pursuant to the rules on [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]].

====Playoffs====
If an owner fails to set a legal playoff roster before rosters lock on the first day of a playoff week, all active players will automatically be considered part of the 26 man playoff roster. The remaining spots will be assigned to bench players in the order that they appear in MLB games until a team reaches 26 players. If a team starts players such that its roster exceeds the 26-man limit and the violation is discovered during the same playoff period in which it occurred, the team will be: (1) penalized the same as if it had violated the roster limit during the regular season and (2) have any stats accrued by such players removed from the current playoff matchup without another player’s stats being substituted. For any such violations discovered after a playoff period closes, a team will incur financial penalties the same as if it violated the roster limit during the regular season, except that the financial penalty will be five times the regular season penalty.

Teams on bye weeks in both the Championship and McQueeney brackets must abide by the regular season 31-man roster plus 6-man IL rules. Teams on byes in the Championship brackets must follow the same rules as if they are playing that week in the LDB playoffs, and all relevant rules will apply. Teams in the McQueeney bracket will not be fined for violations of the 31-man roster rule, but will still be subject to the "Sloppy Roster" penalty, including on bye weeks. Sloppy Roster penalties incurred during bye weeks will be applied once teams are no longer on byes.

====Offseason====
During the offseason, teams carry more than 31 players on its active roster. However, each team's rosters must be legal by the first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction. If a team's roster is "sloppy" to start the season, it will be fined $1M.

== McQueeney Performance Penalties <ref>Known as "McQueeneys"</ref>==
The McQueeney Performance Penalty deducts LDB cash from a team's subsequent yearly budget when that team finishes the regular season with a sub-.400 winning percentage (including any FU losses and excluding any FU wins where the team would have lost the category but for their opponent's FU loss) in the second half of the regular season. The "McQueeneys" will be assessed according to the following formula:

:In the first half, each win below 48 carries a penalty of $500K. In the second half, each win below 48 carries a penalty of $750K. The maximum penalty for each half is set at 32 losses (i.e., $8M for the first half, and $12M for the second half). The maximum total penalty will be set at $20M. This formula will be adjusted as appropriate if LDB moves to a schedule that does not include exactly 120 second-half games.

Additionally:

*The McQueeney Penalties shall be capped at a $20 million maximum potential fine.
*The Commissioner(s) may, at their discretion, grant an exemption from the penalties for any team that actively and competently manages its roster throughout the season and does not make a concerted effort to sell players on its active major league roster for future value (i.e., draft picks, cash, or AA players).

For example, a team with 47 second-half wins would incur a $1.25 million penalty, a team with 46 second-half wins would incur a $2.5 million penalty, etc. A team with 32 or fewer second-half wins would incur the maximum penalty of $20 million.

McQueeney penalties for missed innings belong to owners, not teams. When an owner leaves LDB, their McQueeney penalties go with them. A new owner is not responsible for paying the McQueeney penalties that team's previous owner incurred.

However, a new owner can choose to pay the previous owner’s McQueeney penalties and instead opt to be exempt from McQueeney penalties during the new owner's first year of ownership. A team who chooses this option must still actively and competently manage his team, however, or else the Commissioner(s) may override the exemption and impose the fines in full or in part at their discretion. Additionally, this exemption is only available in the event a departing owner leaves with an outstanding fine of $5 million or more. These provisions apply equally to owners who have and have not owned an LDB team previously.

== All-Star Break ==
LDB will not hold regular games during the week of the MLB All-Star Game. That week, at the option of the Commissioner(s), LDB will: (1) hold an LDB All-Star Game and, (2) if easily accomplished, fold any official MLB stats accrued that week into the subsequent week.

The All-Star Game will be held between the Federal League and the Union Association and use official MLB statistics accrued during the week of the MLB All-Star Break. The Commissioner(s) will announce the logistics for such a game, and each of the divisions will select and announce players for the game. All-Star teams can list starting pitcher alternates in case their starters do not pitch at all.

The league that wins the LDB All-Star Game will have home field advantage in the Lucid Dream Series and McQueeney Cup final.

Each league's team will be managed by the owner of the prior season's league champion. The manager will be in charge of conducting the voting for his league's players and tracking their stats. All-Star teams will consist of a full lineup, three starting pitchers, and two relievers. There will be no alternates or lineup changes; if a player goes on the IL or misses the weekend, their spot remains empty. Every team in the league must have at least one player on their league's All-star team. The All-Star Game will use regular season scoring categories. The manager must report the final stats on the Monday following the All-star break and should report the daily stats on Saturday and Sunday.<ref>An easy way to track such scores is to use CBS's "Scout Team" page using the "Last 7 Days" viewing option. The manager may need to calculate rate stats separately.</ref>

There is no home field advantage in the All-Star Game; category ties are treated as ties. If the final score is tied, tiebreakers will be as follows: HR, aSB, Ka, R, RBI, OPS, VIJAY, OBP, WHIP, ERA, MGS.

The Commissioner(s) have discretion to adjust these rules unilaterally prior to the LDB All-Star Game if they deem it necessary. Changes after the All-Star Game has begun require a majority vote.

== Playoffs ==

=== Advancing to the Playoffs ===
LDB Playoffs occur after the regular season concludes. Eight teams make the playoffs: the four division winners and four wild card teams, two from each league. The wild card teams from each league first play each other in a wild card round. The winners of the wild card round advance to the Lucid Division series, where they will play the division winner in their respective leagues with the second best league record (that division winner therefore gets a one-round bye). The winner of the Lucid Division Series advances to the Lucid Championship Series, where they face the team with the best record in their league (the league winner therefore gets a double bye). The home team in the Lucid Dream Series is determined by the winner of the [[#All-Star_Break|All-Star Game]]. The tiebreakers to determine which teams make the playoffs, determine seeding, and home field advantage in the event no LDB All-Star Game takes place are as follows:

# Overall Points
# Head-to-head Record
# Head-to-head Record Excluding Tie Wins
# Wins (excluding tie wins from standings points)
# Intra-division Record
# Overall Roto Performance
# Commissioner(s)’s Coin Flip (with witnesses)

In case three teams are tied in overall points, a three team head-to-head tiebreaker is resolved by independent pairwise comparisons. For example:

:Consider 3 teams: A, B, and C:
:* A beat B in Week 1, 9-5
:* A beat C in Week 2, 10-4
:* B beat A in Week 3, 13-1
:* B tied C in Week 4, 7-7
:* B beat C in Week 5, 8-6
:* C beat A in Week 6, 11-3

:Therefore, head-to-head:
:A vs. B = (9+1) vs. (5+13) = 10 vs. 18.
:So B > A

:A vs. C = (10+3) vs. (4+11) = 13 vs. 15.
:So C > A

:B vs. C = (7+8) vs (7+6) = 15 vs. 13
:So B > C

:Therefore, B>C>A, and so B and C make the playoffs. Theoretically, if A = C in head-to-head, we would have to go to the normal tie-breaking regime above.

In the event pairwise comparison of head-to-head points is circular, then pairwise comparisons of totals runs scored in head-to-head matchups is the next category used. If this is also circular, then total head-to-head HR then K then aRBI are applied (in that order). If still tied, then tiebreaker is determined by fiat by the LDB Commissioner(s)’s preferred method (rock-paper-scissors suggested but not required).

=== Playoff Rosters ===
Once playoff rosters lock for the first time, player adds and drops may only be made by teams that have not been eliminated from their respective post-season brackets. The waiver claim period for the first week of the playoffs will begin as soon as roster lock for the final day of the regular season, at which point no regular FA adds may occur until after waivers have run. The league will run waivers on Monday morning of each playoff week, and the waiver order will be randomized each week as follows: first, the order of the remaining playoff teams will be randomized, and then subsequently the order of the remaining teams in the McQueeney bracket will be randomized, and will follow the last playoff team. Once waivers have run, additional players may be added until the first MLB game begins on Monday. However, in the event a player comes off the IL after rosters lock, there is no roster violation, but the owner must drop a player within 24 hours or prior to the start of their next matchup, whichever comes first.

Playoff rosters contain 26 players and lock at the start of each playoff round. The 26-man playoff roster consists of: active position players, reserve position players, active pitchers, reserve pitchers, and players potentially activated from the IL. Once rosters lock on Monday of each playoff week, players cannot be promoted from AA until the following Monday. However:

* Players on the IL may be added to the 26-man roster after rosters lock if there is a space reserved for their potential activation.
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster is placed on the IL at any point during the week, an owner may add another player from their 31-man roster to their 26-man roster
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster has not yet played in an MLB game during the playoff week, that player may be swapped out for another player on a team's 31-man roster at any time.

Once a player has been moved off the 26-man roster, he cannot be re-added to the roster. For convenience, teams may place any player who is not on their 26-man roster on any minor league roster.

Players within the 26-man roster may be freely subbed in and out during the playoffs. Each playoff team must accumulate at least 30 IP per playoff week or else they will lose MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA and VIJAY, just as they would in the regular season.

=== Playoff Scoring ===

Scoring stats for playoff matchups are identical to the regular season's scoring stats.

In the event of a tied category, ties are not awarded to the home team as in the regular season, except in the first round of the postseason, where the home team will receive credit for a win in one tied category. The team with more wins advances except in situations where there are more ties than wins for either team, in which case a tie results.

In the event of a playoff tie in points, such games will be decided by a tiebreaker pairing offensive and pitching categories, in the following ranked order:

:OPS/ERA
:OBP/aWHIP
:HR/K
:aRBI/HRA
:R/MGS
:aSB/VIJAY

The team that wins the highest ranked pair of categories shall be declared the winner. If all category pairs are split, then the team with the greatest margin of victory in the highest ranked category shall be declared the winner.

:Example 1 (simple tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and ERA. Team A is declared the winner.

:Example 2 (third pair tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and OBP. Team B wins ERA, aWHIP, HR, and K. Team B is declared the winner.

:Example 3 (margin of victory tiebreaker): Team A wins all offensive categories. Team B wins all pitching categories. Team A wins OPS .850 to .790 (60 point delta). Team B wins ERA 3.50 to 3.00 (50 point delta). Team A is declared the winner (60 point delta to 50 point delta).

=== The McQueeney Cup ===
LDB will award the McQueeney Cup each season to the non-playoff team that wins the McQueeney Cup bracket, which will be played over three rounds in parallel to LDB playoffs. Union and Federal ladders are composed of each divisions' respective four non-playoff teams, seeded in order of regular season finish. The final round includes the winners of the Union and Federal portions of the bracket. The winner of the McQueeney Cup will receive a AA draft pick in the following season's AA Draft that is sandwiched between the first and second round of that draft. In all other respects, McQueeney Cup games are decided as a regular playoff game. The winner of the McQueeney Cup may choose to either take the sandwich round pick or forfeit that pick in exchange for wiping McQueeney penalties to $0, should the team have any.

<references/>

The Game

2025-02-21T19:09:44Z

Ldbrules: /* Playoff Rosters */

LDB is divided into two subsidiary leagues: the Federal League and the Union Association. Each league has two four-team divisions. During the regular season, each team will play another team for one week at a time (Monday to Sunday)<ref>With the exception of the first and eleventh weeks, which may extend beyond seven days.</ref> for a total of 20 weeks, with each statistical category representing one game, meaning 12 games are in play each week. After the regular season, top-performing teams advance to the playoffs.

== Schedule ==
Scheduling will be announced by the Commissioner(s) before the [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]] each year. During the regular season, each team will play the other three teams in their own division twice (6 games), each other team once (12 games), and each team will have two additional non-division intraleague matchups (2 games). Matchups for the extra two intraleague matchups will be determined by the prior season's records. Teams with the two best records in one division in a league will face the teams with the two best records in the other division in that league, and vice versa for the two teams with the worst records in their divisions.

The Commissioner(s) will implement "road trips" where teams play out of their divisions multiple weeks in a row. However, road trips may not be so long that they create a competitive imbalance for teams on long away stretches (as a result of being disfavored in weekly tiebreakers for such periods).

== Scoring ==
Lucid Dream Baseball scores the ten active batters and up to eleven active pitchers each day on the following statistics:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" width="500"
|-
! colspan="2" | LDB Scoring
|-
! width="200" | Batters
! Pitchers
|-
| On-Base Percentage (OBP)
| Modified Game Starts (MGS): 3*IP + 2(IP-4) + K - 2H - 4ER - 2(R-ER) - BB
|-
| On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage (OPS): OBP + SLG
| Adjusted WHIP (aWHIP): (H + BB + HBP)/INN
|-
| Runs Scored (R)
| VIJAY: (RIP+3*SV+3*HLD-8*BS-8*RL)/4
|-
| Adjusted Runs Batted In (aRBI) = RBI - GIDP
| Home Runs Allowed (HRA)
|-
| Home Runs (HR)
| Pitcher Strikeouts (K)
|-
| Adjusted Stolen Bases (ASB): SB - CS/2
| Earned Run Average (ERA)
|}

As in baseball, there can be no ties. If a statistical category ends in a tie at the conclusion of a week, the home team will win all such categories. However, any margin of victory in any statistical category, however small, is a victory and not a tie.

== Roster Requirements ==
Each week, each team must meet: the league minimum innings pitched requirement (IP) of 44 innings per week; have an eligible player in each positional roster spot (except designated hitter spots) each day; accumulate a minimum of 50 plate appearances per week; and maintain a roster of 31 players or less (or 26 during playoff matches).

If a team fails to meet these minimum requirements, the following penalties are applied:

=== Batting and Fielding Penalties ===
For every batter missing from a team's lineup on a game day, that team receives one "AAA start" for each missing player, which is 0H, 5 AB with 2 GIDP. After three separate days of batting roster violations, the team is penalized $0.5 million per player per day. The ﬁnes will be deducted from the following season’s payroll.

Teams that fail to accumulate 50 plate appearances in a week will forfeit all offensive categories in that matchup.

=== Pitching Penalties ===
If a team fails to reach the required 44 innings pitched in a given week, that team will automatically lose the following categories: MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA, and VIJAY. These losses will count as losses in the standings and will be known throughout the league as FUs,<ref>Fuck-ups</ref>. In the event two teams playing each other both miss the 44-inning requirement, both will be assigned FUs. Should a team miss the innings requirement more than once, teams will be assessed penalties for each infraction as follows:

* First infraction: warning
* Second infraction: $1 million fine
* Third infraction: $3 million fine
* Fourth infraction: $5 million fine
* Fifth infraction: loss of team's next AA draft pick in possession at the time of the infraction

=== Roster Penalties ===

====Regular Season====
If a team has a roster in excess of the 31-man limit there are potential penalties. At the conclusion of the league year, the Commissioner(s) will run a report on each team's roster for the season recently completed. If teams were over the 31-man limit, they will be penalized as follows: 1) no fine for only one day over the limit; 2) $0.25M per player over the limit for two consecutive days; 3) $0.5M per player per day in violation starting on the third consecutive day. If a team has more than 5 one-day violations, it will be fined $1.0M for each additional instance after the first five. Only days where at least one regular-season MLB game is played will the financial penalties apply (e.g., the All Star Break is excluded from a consecutive days analysis).
If a team is discovered to have a roster in excess of the 31-man limit in-season, the team must play with a roster below the 31-man roster limit for the number of days and players the team was above the limit for (e.g., if a team was discovered to be over the limit by 1 player for 3 days, it must play the next 3 days with only 30 players on their roster, etc.) This will be known as a "Sloppy Roster" penalty. A team must institute a Sloppy Roster immediately upon discovery by the Commissioner(s). As with the fines, Sloppy Roster penalties will only be applied on days where there is at least one regular season MLB game.

Once the end-of-season audit is complete, owners will be given a 2-week period to review any financial penalties, and to seek Commissioner Relief from penalties. Relief will be decided pursuant to the rules on [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]].

====Playoffs====
If an owner fails to set a legal playoff roster before rosters lock on the first day of a playoff week, all active players will automatically be considered part of the 26 man playoff roster. The remaining spots will be assigned to bench players in the order that they appear in MLB games until a team reaches 26 players. If a team starts players such that its roster exceeds the 26-man limit and the violation is discovered during the same playoff period in which it occurred, the team will be: (1) penalized the same as if it had violated the roster limit during the regular season and (2) have any stats accrued by such players removed from the current playoff matchup without another player’s stats being substituted. For any such violations discovered after a playoff period closes, a team will incur financial penalties the same as if it violated the roster limit during the regular season, except that the financial penalty will be five times the regular season penalty.

Teams on bye weeks in both the Championship and McQueeney brackets must abide by the regular season 31-man roster plus 6-man IL rules. Teams on byes in the Championship brackets must follow the same rules as if they are playing that week in the LDB playoffs, and all relevant rules will apply. Teams in the McQueeney bracket will not be fined for violations of the 31-man roster rule, but will still be subject to the "Sloppy Roster" penalty, including on bye weeks. Sloppy Roster penalties incurred during bye weeks will be applied once teams are no longer on byes.

====Offseason====
During the offseason, teams carry more than 31 players on its active roster. However, each team's rosters must be legal by the first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction. If a team's roster is "sloppy" to start the season, it will be fined $1M.

== McQueeney Performance Penalties <ref>Known as "McQueeneys"</ref>==
The McQueeney Performance Penalty deducts LDB cash from a team's subsequent yearly budget when that team finishes the regular season with a sub-.400 winning percentage (including any FU losses and excluding any FU wins where the team would have lost the category but for their opponent's FU loss) in the second half of the regular season. The "McQueeneys" will be assessed according to the following formula:

:In the first half, each win below 48 carries a penalty of $500K. In the second half, each win below 48 carries a penalty of $750K. The maximum penalty for each half is set at 32 losses (i.e., $8M for the first half, and $12M for the second half). The maximum total penalty will be set at $20M. This formula will be adjusted as appropriate if LDB moves to a schedule that does not include exactly 120 second-half games.

Additionally:

*The McQueeney Penalties shall be capped at a $20 million maximum potential fine.
*The Commissioner(s) may, at their discretion, grant an exemption from the penalties for any team that actively and competently manages its roster throughout the season and does not make a concerted effort to sell players on its active major league roster for future value (i.e., draft picks, cash, or AA players).

For example, a team with 47 second-half wins would incur a $1.25 million penalty, a team with 46 second-half wins would incur a $2.5 million penalty, etc. A team with 32 or fewer second-half wins would incur the maximum penalty of $20 million.

McQueeney penalties for missed innings belong to owners, not teams. When an owner leaves LDB, their McQueeney penalties go with them. A new owner is not responsible for paying the McQueeney penalties that team's previous owner incurred.

However, a new owner can choose to pay the previous owner’s McQueeney penalties and instead opt to be exempt from McQueeney penalties during the new owner's first year of ownership. A team who chooses this option must still actively and competently manage his team, however, or else the Commissioner(s) may override the exemption and impose the fines in full or in part at their discretion. Additionally, this exemption is only available in the event a departing owner leaves with an outstanding fine of $5 million or more. These provisions apply equally to owners who have and have not owned an LDB team previously.

== All-Star Break ==
LDB will not hold regular games during the week of the MLB All-Star Game. That week, at the option of the Commissioner(s), LDB will: (1) hold an LDB All-Star Game and, (2) if easily accomplished, fold any official MLB stats accrued that week into the subsequent week.

The All-Star Game will be held between the Federal League and the Union Association and use official MLB statistics accrued during the week of the MLB All-Star Break. The Commissioner(s) will announce the logistics for such a game, and each of the divisions will select and announce players for the game. All-Star teams can list starting pitcher alternates in case their starters do not pitch at all.

The league that wins the LDB All-Star Game will have home field advantage in the Lucid Dream Series and McQueeney Cup final.

Each league's team will be managed by the owner of the prior season's league champion. The manager will be in charge of conducting the voting for his league's players and tracking their stats. All-Star teams will consist of a full lineup, three starting pitchers, and two relievers. There will be no alternates or lineup changes; if a player goes on the IL or misses the weekend, their spot remains empty. Every team in the league must have at least one player on their league's All-star team. The All-Star Game will use regular season scoring categories. The manager must report the final stats on the Monday following the All-star break and should report the daily stats on Saturday and Sunday.<ref>An easy way to track such scores is to use CBS's "Scout Team" page using the "Last 7 Days" viewing option. The manager may need to calculate rate stats separately.</ref>

There is no home field advantage in the All-Star Game; category ties are treated as ties. If the final score is tied, tiebreakers will be as follows: HR, aSB, Ka, R, RBI, OPS, VIJAY, OBP, WHIP, ERA, MGS.

The Commissioner(s) have discretion to adjust these rules unilaterally prior to the LDB All-Star Game if they deem it necessary. Changes after the All-Star Game has begun require a majority vote.

== Playoffs ==

=== Advancing to the Playoffs ===
LDB Playoffs occur after the regular season concludes. Eight teams make the playoffs: the four division winners and four wild card teams, two from each league. The wild card teams from each league first play each other in a wild card round. The winners of the wild card round advance to the Lucid Division series, where they will play the division winner in their respective leagues with the second best league record (that division winner therefore gets a one-round bye). The winner of the Lucid Division Series advances to the Lucid Championship Series, where they face the team with the best record in their league (the league winner therefore gets a double bye). The home team in the Lucid Dream Series is determined by the winner of the [[#All-Star_Break|All-Star Game]]. The tiebreakers to determine which teams make the playoffs, determine seeding, and home field advantage in the event no LDB All-Star Game takes place are as follows:

# Overall Points
# Head-to-head Record
# Head-to-head Record Excluding Tie Wins
# Wins (excluding tie wins from standings points)
# Intra-division Record
# Overall Roto Performance
# Commissioner(s)’s Coin Flip (with witnesses)

In case three teams are tied in overall points, a three team head-to-head tiebreaker is resolved by independent pairwise comparisons. For example:

:Consider 3 teams: A, B, and C:
:* A beat B in Week 1, 9-5
:* A beat C in Week 2, 10-4
:* B beat A in Week 3, 13-1
:* B tied C in Week 4, 7-7
:* B beat C in Week 5, 8-6
:* C beat A in Week 6, 11-3

:Therefore, head-to-head:
:A vs. B = (9+1) vs. (5+13) = 10 vs. 18.
:So B > A

:A vs. C = (10+3) vs. (4+11) = 13 vs. 15.
:So C > A

:B vs. C = (7+8) vs (7+6) = 15 vs. 13
:So B > C

:Therefore, B>C>A, and so B and C make the playoffs. Theoretically, if A = C in head-to-head, we would have to go to the normal tie-breaking regime above.

In the event pairwise comparison of head-to-head points is circular, then pairwise comparisons of totals runs scored in head-to-head matchups is the next category used. If this is also circular, then total head-to-head HR then K then aRBI are applied (in that order). If still tied, then tiebreaker is determined by fiat by the LDB Commissioner(s)’s preferred method (rock-paper-scissors suggested but not required).

=== Playoff Rosters ===
Once playoff rosters lock for the first time, player adds and drops may only be made by teams that have not been eliminated from their respective post-season brackets. The waiver claim period for the first week of the playoffs will begin as soon as roster lock for the final day of the regular season, at which point no regular FA adds may occur until after waivers have run. The league will run waivers on Monday morning of each playoff week, and the waiver order will be randomized each week as follows: first, the order of the remaining playoff teams will be randomized, and then subsequently the order of the remaining teams in the McQueeney bracket will be randomized, and will follow the last playoff team. Once waivers have run, additional players may be added until the first MLB game begins on Monday. However, in the event a player comes off the IL after rosters lock, there is no roster violation, but the owner must drop a player within 24 hours or prior to the start of their next matchup, whichever comes first.

Playoff rosters contain 26 players and lock at the start of each playoff round. The 26-man playoff roster consists of: active position players, reserve position players, active pitchers, reserve pitchers, and players potentially activated from the IL. Once rosters lock on Monday of each playoff week, players cannot be promoted from AA until the following Monday. However:

* Players on the IL may be added to the 26-man roster after rosters lock if there is a space reserved for their potential activation.
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster is placed on the IL at any point during the week, an owner may add another player from their 31-man roster to their 26-man roster
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster has not yet played in an MLB game during the playoff week, that player may be swapped out for another player on a team's 31-man roster at any time.

Once a player has been moved off the 26-man roster, he cannot be re-added to the roster. For convenience, teams may place any player who is not on their 26-man roster on any minor league roster.

Players within the 26-man roster may be freely subbed in and out during the playoffs. Each playoff team must accumulate at least 30 IP per playoff week or else they will lose MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA and VIJAY, just as they would in the regular season.

=== Playoff Scoring ===

Scoring stats for playoff matchups are identical to the regular season's scoring stats.

In the event of a tied category, ties are not awarded to the home team as in the regular season, except in the first round of the postseason, where the home team will receive credit for a win in one tied category. The team with more wins advances except in situations where there are more ties than wins for either team, in which case a tie results.

In the event of a playoff tie in points, such games will be decided by a tiebreaker pairing offensive and pitching categories, in the following ranked order:

:OPS/ERA
:OBP/aWHIP
:HR/K
:aRBI/HRA
:R/MGS
:aSB/VIJAY

The team that wins the highest ranked pair of categories shall be declared the winner. If all category pairs are split, then the team with the greatest margin of victory in the highest ranked category shall be declared the winner.

:Example 1 (simple tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and ERA. Team A is declared the winner.

:Example 2 (third pair tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and OBP. Team B wins ERA, aWHIP, HR, and K. Team B is declared the winner.

:Example 3 (margin of victory tiebreaker): Team A wins all offensive categories. Team B wins all pitching categories. Team A wins OPS .850 to .790 (60 point delta). Team B wins ERA 3.50 to 3.00 (50 point delta). Team A is declared the winner (60 point delta to 50 point delta).

=== The McQueeney Cup ===
LDB will award the McQueeney Cup each season to the non-playoff team that wins the McQueeney Cup bracket, which will be played over three rounds in parallel to LDB playoffs. Union and Federal ladders are composed of each divisions' respective four non-playoff teams, seeded in order of regular season finish. The final round includes the winners of the Union and Federal portions of the bracket. The winner of the McQueeney Cup will receive a AA draft pick in the following season's AA Draft that is sandwiched between the first and second round of that draft. In all other respects, McQueeney Cup games are decided as a regular playoff game. The winner of the McQueeney Cup may choose to either take the sandwich round pick or forfeit that pick in exchange for wiping McQueeney penalties to $0, should the team have any.

<references/>

External Transactions

2025-02-21T18:40:41Z

Ldbrules: /* Trades */

== Designation for Assignment ==
Cut players are designated for assignment. Designation immediately removes the player from the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] and subjects him to a 2-3 day waiver process. Waivers run for at least two days but are processed during the middle of the night following expiration of the 48-hour period. Such players are available to trade during that period if the trade deadline has not passed. If they are not traded during that period, they are given to the highest waiver claimant. If the player is not claimed on waivers, the player is cut. Designation is not revocable. Salary refunds are not applicable to players unclaimed on waivers. See the [[Finances#Payroll|Payroll]] section for more information.

== Mid-Season Free Agents ==
Any unsigned player can be acquired mid-season. Players who are acquired mid-season are MS-contract players, paid a prorated [[Finances#Payroll|league minimum]].

Players drafted in the [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|Snake Draft]] with non-guaranteed contracts may be freely swapped for a replacement player who is of the same type (i.e. position player or pitcher) until the end of April. Replacement players cannot subsequently be swapped for other replacement players. When a team swaps an NG player for a replacement player, it cannot execute a waiver trade of the NG player and receives no salary relief if they are claimed on waivers. Players dropped with NG status do not confer NG contract status when signed by a new team; such player has MS contract status. Players with NG contracts cannot be kept at the conclusion of the season.

== Waiver Claims ==
All dropped players will be placed on waivers, as described above, for 2-3 days. Any team may put in a claim for a player on waivers, and the player will be awarded to the team that is highest in the waiver order at the time the claim is processed. During the offseason and Week 1 of a new season, the waiver order will mirror the AA Draft order but will not reset until the conclusion of Week 1 of the new season. Starting in Week 2 of the season, the waiver order will be reset at the start of each week to the inverse of the LDB standings. If a team claims a player, they will temporarily drop to the bottom of the waiver order until the order resets. Tiebreakers on waiver claims for teams with identical records will be determined by whatever method CBS utilizes.

Awarding a player results in the acquisition of that player, pending roster space being made available for the new player. The claiming team assumes the remaining salary burden of the player, calculated by remaining weeks in the LDB regular season.

Teams may not claim players that they themselves dropped. Teams must wait until a player clears waivers to reacquire such players.

== Trades ==
Trades may occur at any point in the offseason and regular season, until the league trade deadline. The trade deadline is the end of week 15. All trades must have timestamp of 11:59 PM EST<ref>The standard time zone for LDB is Eastern Standard Time.</ref> on Sunday of week 15 or earlier, or have been announced to the league in a reasonable manner before that deadline.

Trades will be subject to approval by a vote of the other managers in the league. If greater than one-half of the non-involved managers veto a trade, the trade will be cancelled. The veto window is three days. All trades are immediate. A veto of a trade will be prospective; if vetoed, the players traded will have their stats count for their teams that temporarily held them.

Trades may involve players, cash, and other assets, such as, but not limited to, future [[Keepers_and_Drafts#AA_Draft|draft picks]], [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Restricted_Free_Agents|RFA rights]], etc. Trades may include a "player to be named later" so long as that player has not accumulated any LDB stats between the trade and the player changing hands. As a general policy, trades are looked upon favorably, regardless of the types of assets involved. The full terms of a trade need not be fully disclosed to the league and may involve gentlemen agreements and other conditions. However, trades are subject to the following restrictions:

* No trade may involve an agreement to temporarily hold or "rent" a player. Any trade that attempts to work around the ban on renting players is also prohibited. For example, a trade involving an agreement to later send back a player of similar value could be considered a workaround. Whether a trade constitutes a rental or an attempted workaround will be determined by the Commissioner(s).
* Transfer of a player's RFA rights is prohibited once that player is nominated in the [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Majors_Draft|Majors Draft]] or selected in the [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Snake_Draft|Snake Draft]].
* Injury contingencies may be included in trades, but the conditions of the contingencies must be clear to be enforceable. Injury contingencies with ambiguities will not be enforced by the league. Injury contingencies need not be disclosed to the league. But unless there is clear, unambiguous, written documentation of a contingency between the trading parties, a contingency will not be enforced.
* Trades may not involve unowned [[Keepers and Drafts#AA Draft|AA draft picks]].

In any trade made after the Majors Draft, it is assumed that teams trading away a player pays the salary of such players. However, in any trade made in the offseason or mid-auction, it is assumed that teams receiving players pay the full salary of such players.

==Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")==
"Friendly wagers" are the only class of transactions that can include yet-unrealized future assets (money, AA picks past the 2-year allocation window, yet-unborn naming rights to sons/daughters, etc). Friendly wagers cannot adversely impact the competitiveness of the league. If there is question about whether a wager will affect the competitive balance of the league, the Commissioner(s) will determine whether such wager will. All assets involved in friendly wagers will be held in escrow, a spreadsheet that will spell out the parties, terms, timeline, and payouts of the friendly wager. Friendly wagers are bound to the team, rather than the owner, such that a owner's departure does not invalidate the wager (unless specified in the terms of the wager). In the event a team's owner leaves the league, new prospective owners should be made aware of the team's wagered obligations before agreeing to take control of a team, as the assets are held in escrow and will only be released pursuant to the terms of the wager.

<references/>

Keepers and Drafts

2025-02-21T18:38:56Z

Ldbrules: /* Majors Draft */

== Keepers ==

LDB has several types of players who may be retained ("kept") from one season to the next. The Commissioner(s) will announce deadlines for teams to publicly declare their keepers for a given season.

=== Majors ===
In the off-season GMs may designate five players on their [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] rosters as keepers. Only players signed to long-term deals (i.e., contract status of K1 or K2) are eligible to be kept. These players are retained for the next year at their auction price, less a 10% signing bonus. However, no player can be paid less than the [[Finances#Payroll|league minimum]]). A player may be kept twice, for a total of three seasons with a team, and then become a [[#Restricted Free Agents|restricted free agent]].

==== Restricted Free Agents ====
After players have served three seasons under a contract, they become restricted free agents (RFAs). RFAs are up for auction during the following [[#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]]. However, the GM owning RFA rights has the option to match the winning bid for that player. The team with RFA rights is generally the previous owner, unless the RFA rights were previously [[External Transactions#Trades|traded]] to another team.

====Hometown Heroes====
Mid-season free agents are automatically free agents after the season ends. However, each team may designate one of its mid-season free agents, mid-season free agents claimed from waivers, and players traded with mid-season contracts as its "hometown hero" (HTH). K-, H-, S-, RFA, and NG waiver pickups are not eligible; the player must clear waivers if he was on one of these contracts. The HTH must be a player who logged non-September call-up time in the Majors and is no longer LDB rookie-eligible. The HTH must also have accrued positive fantasy statistics on an active roster of an LDB team during the regular season after he was picked up on an MS contract for the final time in order to grant HTH status the following season.

The HTH gets a one-year contract extension at six million dollars. However, RPs get one-year extensions for two million dollars, and catchers get one-year extensions for three million for catchers. The HTH contract cannot be extended beyond that one year. To qualify as a Relief Pitcher, a player must have pitched the majority of innings in the prior season as a reliever.

Teams have the option to expand the number of HTH contracts allowed each year beyond the one provided by substituting for a commensurate number of keeper contracts.

In addition, teams have the option of converting one HTH-eligible MS player into an RFA for the following Majors Draft. The designated HTH-to-RFA contract must be declared to the league by the keeper deadline. The resulting RFA rights are not tradable to another team.

=== Homegrown and Super-twos ===

Homegrown players are players drafted into [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]] (and possibly promoted). Homegrown players do not count against the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors keeper total]]. After AA players' promotion to the Majors, they are subject to the following salary schedule:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! colspan="2" | Homegrown Salary Structure
|-
| Year 1
| $0.5 million
|-
| Year 2
| $1.0 million
|-
| Year 3
| $1.5 million
|-
| Year 4
| $4.0 million
|}

If a homegrown player is traded, they remain on the same salary structure when they join their new team unless released and not claimed on waivers.

Teams may promote a homegrown player in the second half of the LDB season (after the final roster lock in Week 10) without starting the four-year clock on their homegrown status. These players are "super-twos" and are treated exactly as homegrown players for keeper purposes, but they follow an accelerated salary promotion scale:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! colspan="3" | Super-two Salary Structure
|-
| Year 0 (promotion year)
| $0.5 million
|-
| Year 1
| $1.0 million
|-
| Year 2
| $1.5 million
|-
| Year 3
| $4.0 million
|-
| Year 4
| $7.5 million
|}

Teams may decide upon promotion whether they want they player to use up a year of eligibility or to be a super-two at promotion time through notice to the Commissioner(s).

===Injured Keepers===
After the keeper deadline, but prior to the start of the auction, a team may release any keeper, H4, S4 or HTH and receive their salary in full for use at the upcoming auction if: (1) a player is injured or (2) a player's injury or the extent of an injury is reported after the keeper deadline. If a team releases a keeper or HTH under this rule, they may not designate a replacement keeper or HTH.

== AA Draft ==

The first phase of a season's draft will be the AA Draft, the only means for adding to a team's [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA Roster]] besides trades. At the start of each LDB Year, each team will be given three or four AA draft picks, depending on the availability of prospects, as determined by the Commissioner(s), for the AA Draft occurring two calendar years later. Picks beyond those presently owned cannot be traded in any capacity or included as 'player to be named later' in a trade. These draft picks are tradable. The Commissioner(s) may award new picks at their discretion to teams inherited by a new GM that sold off an abundance of prospects and AA draft picks during the season prior.

To draft a player in the AA Draft, the player must be LDB rookie-eligible, meaning the player has accrued less than 131 AB or 50 IP and the player is not an eligible keeper.

The AA Draft will be held prior to a new season as the Commissioner(s) see fit, subject to the requirements herein. For teams that do not make playoffs, the AA draft order will be in ascending order by wins from the previous season. Wins are used rather than the winning percentage to remove any advantage from intentionally forfeiting games by missing the innings requirement. The order for teams missing playoffs is then followed by teams making playoff appearances in ascending order of finishing places. The draft position of a traded draft pick corresponds to the original owner, not the owner at the time of the AA Draft.

=== Logistics and Requirements ===

Once a team is on the clock to draft an AA player and has not picked for one full day (24 hours), that team will incur a $2 million fine, subject to the provisions below, and the draft may continue on as if he has picked. Such a team may jump back in and pick at any time. A team may assign another GM to make the pick on its behalf.

If the draft is not complete by 10:00 PM EST on the Friday prior to the auction, two penalties are assessed: (1) the $2 million fines above and (2) the three teams who have caused the longest delay between picks, counting only the hours between noon and 10:00 PM EST, will each be fined $1 million for each pick remaining in the draft. The delay must be at least 3 hours to qualify for this fine. In this situation the AA draft will be completed on the morning of the Majors Draft before the auction commences.

== Majors Draft ==

[[File:Place_your_bids.jpg|border|right|250px|]]After the AA Draft, LDB will draft [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors players]]. The draft will be in an auction format. The Majors draft will take place at a time determined by the Commissioner(s). Each season, the Commissioner(s) will appoint a committee to select the location and plan the following season's live auction.

At the draft, teams will nominate players in an order determined by the Commissioner(s). A nominating team will name a player and an opening bid for that player. The bid must be at least the minimum league salary. Other owners may choose to raise the bid on that player. The team that turns in the highest bid will be awarded the player.

Bidding prices are subject to these increments:
* $0.5 million - $9.5 million: $0.5 million
* More than $9.5 million: $1 million

In the event of a tie, deference is afforded to bidders drafting remotely. In the event the tie is between two remote or two present GMs, the tiebreaker will go to the team that comes first in the nomination order after the GM who nominated the player. If a GM is involved in a tiebreaker, they will win the next tiebreaker in which they are involved.

If a player being drafted is an RFA, the team holding RFA rights will be afforded an opportunity to match the final bid once it is determined.

Teams may draft until: (1) they have signed 26 players, (2) run out of money, or (3) pass their turn to nominate a player. The Majors draft ends when no GM can nominate a player for auction. However, if a team reaches the 26-player limit and subsequently drops or trades a player, that team may rejoin the Majors Draft.

===Blind Auction Option===
The Commissioner(s) may timely announce that any number of rounds will be conducted by blind auction. In a blind auction, teams take turns nominating players as they do above. Nominating a player requires the nominating team to post at least a minimum salary bid. Teams then simultaneously make a single bid. Bids under $10 million must be rounded to the nearest $0.5 million, and bids $10 million or higher must be rounded to the nearest $1 million. The highest bid wins the player. Ties are resolved by: (1) deferral, (2) an open "bidding war" process that resembles the Majors Draft, or (3) draft nomination order in the event that nobody defers or offers a higher bid.

== Snake Draft ==

The final component of a season's draft is the Snake Draft, during which time each team may draft up to five additional players for their Majors roster. Players with H1, H2, S1, or S2 contract statuses may fill Snake round draft spots, but must be announced before the Majors Draft starts. Players may not move up or down from Snake Draft slots once the Majors Draft begins.

Every player chosen in the Snake Draft receives the league minimum salary. Up to three Snake draftees may be given non-guaranteed (NG) contracts, which the drafting team must declare as the player is drafted. See [[External Transactions]] for the benefits and limitations of NG contracts. Players drafted as NGs during the auction must remain NGs cannot be converted to K1s prior to Opening Day, except for eligible conversions in lieu of acquiring post-auction K1s, as set out under [[External Transactions]].

== Rule V Draft ==

In order to dissuade teams from retaining players in AA that are performing well in MLB, LDB will hold an MLB Rule V-style draft during each year's All-Star Break. In that draft, teams may poach such players from other teams' farm systems. To be eligible for the Rule V Draft, a player must:
* Currently be in LDB AA,
* Not be a team's designated protected player,
* Be age 23 or above as of the date of the Rule V Draft (birthday on draft day counts),
* Have accumulated 900 PA, 225 IP, or 50 pitching appearances over his career, and
* Currently be on an MLB team's 26-man roster.

The Rule V draft will take place over the All-Star Break each season. During that week, and before the draft begins, teams will be afforded an opportunity to announce one protected player that cannot be drafted and to promote AA players subject to the Rule V draft before the draft. A player may not be designated as a "protected player" in consecutive years. The draft will last until each team passes. Once a team passes, the team may still participate further in the draft. There are no restrictions on the number of players one team may take or have taken from them. The draft order will be non-serpentine, with the order being in reverse order of the then-current standings at the close of the LDB week preceding the All-Star Game. The Commissioner(s) will conduct the Rule V Draft by means they determine. If there is only one player eligible for the Rule V draft, the Commissioner(s) may simply subject the player to waivers instead of holding a formal draft; Rule V players drafted through waivers otherwise carry all the same rights and responsibilities of any other Rule V draftee.

Teams drafting players by Rule V will be required to keep them on their LDB Majors roster for the following one and one half seasons. Teams may place Rule V draftees on the IL. However, spending a half season on the IL (10 weeks, aggregated over all IL stints) does not count toward the one and one half seasons. Owners will not be required to include Rule V draftees on their playoff roster.

A team that drafts a player in the Rule V Draft and drops that player in the off-season is still accountable for the player’s salary if unclaimed.

Rule V draftees may be traded. Traded Rule V draftees or draftees claimed off of waivers will remain under the same restrictions for teams acquiring them.

If a team is unable to maintain the player in LDB Majors or the IL and cannot move him by trade, the player must be offered back to his original team for $0.2 million. If the original team declines to take the player, he enters general waivers. When an original owner acquires a player back before they have cleared waivers, the original team is under Rule V restrictions described here.

Teams may not change their protected player once the draft begins without either promoting that player or subjecting him to waivers.

<references/>

Lucid Dream Baseball League Rules

2025-02-21T18:37:51Z

Ldbrules: /* Finances */

{| style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; border:0;"
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2007.jpg|border|150px|2007 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2008.jpg|border|150px|2008 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2010.jpg|border|150px|2010 Draft]]
|-
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2011.jpg|border|150px|2011 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2012.jpg|border|150px|2012 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|
|-
| valign="center" align="center" colspan="3"| A study in technological advances of cell phone cameras.
|}Lucid Dream Baseball (LDB) is a fantasy baseball league designed to mirror owning and managing a Major League Baseball franchise as nearly as possible. LDB principally accomplishes this two ways: (1) providing each league member deep organizational tiers that allow all types of players, from marquee superstars to young prospects and (2) calculating player performance from statistics that better measure player performance than traditional fantasy baseball systems. LDB also offers other features that better simulate team management than traditional fantasy baseball systems, including a yearly budget, trades that involve assets other than players, rules for internal team management that mirror MLB, among others.

Each LDB league member will be the GM of his or her own franchise, in complete control of team payroll, roster composition, game lineups, and management of the farm system.<ref>However, a GM may opt to appoint a co-manager. Co-managed teams have one vote on trade vetoes, rule changes, etc.</ref> Financial constraints have been designed to resemble those of the top-tier of MLB organizations, and GMs will have the ability to engage in realistic transactions and roster moves to put their teams in the best position to win. Given the unique features LDB offers, LDB GMs have a higher responsibility to manage their team than they would in an average fantasy league.<ref>[[Legacy_Rules_and_Rules_Board_Reporter#In_re_Robinson_Cano.27s_Contract_Status.2C_2012_LDB_1_.28Feb._16.2C_2012.29|In re Robinson Cano's Contract Status, 2012 LDB 1 (Feb. 16, 2012)]].</ref>
__NOTOC__
==[[Organizational Structure]]==
* [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]]
* [[Organizational Structure#Injured, Suspended, and Other Lists|Injured, Suspended, and Other Lists]]
* [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]]
* [[Organizational Structure#League Calendar|League Calendar]]

==[[Finances]]==
* [[Finances#Yearly Budget|Yearly Budget]]
* [[Finances#Luxury Tax|Luxury Tax]]
* [[Finances#Taxes, Fines, and Penalty Assessments|Taxes, Fines, and Penalty Assessments]]
* [[Finances#Payroll|Payroll]]

==[[Keepers and Drafts]]==
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Keepers|Keepers]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#AA Draft|AA Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|Snake Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Rule V Draft|Rule V Draft]]

==[[The Game]]==
* [[The Game#Schedule|Schedule]]
* [[The Game#Scoring|Scoring]]
* [[The Game#Roster Requirements|Roster Requirements]]
* [[The Game#McQueeney Performance Penalties|McQueeney Performance Penalties]]
* [[The Game#All-star Break|All-star Break]]
* [[The Game#Playoffs|Playoffs]]

==[[Internal Transactions]]==
* [[Internal Transactions#Injured List Transactions|Injured List Transactions]]
* [[Internal Transactions#AA Transactions|AA Transactions]]
* [[Internal Transactions#Contract Redesignations|Contract Redesignations]]

==[[External Transactions]]==
* [[External Transactions#Designation for Assignment|Designation for Assignment]]
* [[External Transactions#Mid-Season Free Agents|Mid-Season Free Agents]]
* [[External Transactions#Waiver Claims|Waiver Claims]]
* [[External Transactions#Trades|Trades]]
* [[External Transactions#Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")|Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")]]

==[[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies]]==
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Rule Changes|Rule Changes]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Rules Disputes|Rules Disputes]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Contingencies|Contingencies]]

==[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zv1CQUTWkl3Limne9-pJbF_e8yW41Bl1CqWE1ZDktYg/edit?usp=sharing Future Rule Changes]==

==[[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons]]==
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#2021 Draft|2021 Draft]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#H/S Contracts|H/S Contracts]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#K/HTH Contracts|K/HTH Contracts]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#RFA Contracts/Rights|RFA Contracts/Rights]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#Trades|Trades]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#McQueeney Penalties|McQueeney Penalties]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#Roster Requirements|Roster Requirements]]

==[[Legacy Materials]]==
* [[Legacy Materials#Legacy Rules|Legacy Rules]]
* [[Legacy Materials#LDB Rules Board Reporter|LDB Rules Board Reporter]]

<references/>

Lucid Dream Baseball League Rules

2025-02-21T18:37:21Z

Ldbrules: /* Organizational Structure */

{| style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; border:0;"
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2007.jpg|border|150px|2007 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2008.jpg|border|150px|2008 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2010.jpg|border|150px|2010 Draft]]
|-
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2011.jpg|border|150px|2011 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2012.jpg|border|150px|2012 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|
|-
| valign="center" align="center" colspan="3"| A study in technological advances of cell phone cameras.
|}Lucid Dream Baseball (LDB) is a fantasy baseball league designed to mirror owning and managing a Major League Baseball franchise as nearly as possible. LDB principally accomplishes this two ways: (1) providing each league member deep organizational tiers that allow all types of players, from marquee superstars to young prospects and (2) calculating player performance from statistics that better measure player performance than traditional fantasy baseball systems. LDB also offers other features that better simulate team management than traditional fantasy baseball systems, including a yearly budget, trades that involve assets other than players, rules for internal team management that mirror MLB, among others.

Each LDB league member will be the GM of his or her own franchise, in complete control of team payroll, roster composition, game lineups, and management of the farm system.<ref>However, a GM may opt to appoint a co-manager. Co-managed teams have one vote on trade vetoes, rule changes, etc.</ref> Financial constraints have been designed to resemble those of the top-tier of MLB organizations, and GMs will have the ability to engage in realistic transactions and roster moves to put their teams in the best position to win. Given the unique features LDB offers, LDB GMs have a higher responsibility to manage their team than they would in an average fantasy league.<ref>[[Legacy_Rules_and_Rules_Board_Reporter#In_re_Robinson_Cano.27s_Contract_Status.2C_2012_LDB_1_.28Feb._16.2C_2012.29|In re Robinson Cano's Contract Status, 2012 LDB 1 (Feb. 16, 2012)]].</ref>
__NOTOC__
==[[Organizational Structure]]==
* [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]]
* [[Organizational Structure#Injured, Suspended, and Other Lists|Injured, Suspended, and Other Lists]]
* [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]]
* [[Organizational Structure#League Calendar|League Calendar]]

==[[Finances]]==
* [[Finances#Yearly Budget|Yearly Budget]]
* [[Finances#Luxury Tax|Luxury Tax]]
* [[Finances#Fines and Penalties|Fines and Penalties]]
* [[Finances#Payroll|Payroll]]

==[[Keepers and Drafts]]==
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Keepers|Keepers]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#AA Draft|AA Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|Snake Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Rule V Draft|Rule V Draft]]

==[[The Game]]==
* [[The Game#Schedule|Schedule]]
* [[The Game#Scoring|Scoring]]
* [[The Game#Roster Requirements|Roster Requirements]]
* [[The Game#McQueeney Performance Penalties|McQueeney Performance Penalties]]
* [[The Game#All-star Break|All-star Break]]
* [[The Game#Playoffs|Playoffs]]

==[[Internal Transactions]]==
* [[Internal Transactions#Injured List Transactions|Injured List Transactions]]
* [[Internal Transactions#AA Transactions|AA Transactions]]
* [[Internal Transactions#Contract Redesignations|Contract Redesignations]]

==[[External Transactions]]==
* [[External Transactions#Designation for Assignment|Designation for Assignment]]
* [[External Transactions#Mid-Season Free Agents|Mid-Season Free Agents]]
* [[External Transactions#Waiver Claims|Waiver Claims]]
* [[External Transactions#Trades|Trades]]
* [[External Transactions#Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")|Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")]]

==[[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies]]==
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Rule Changes|Rule Changes]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Rules Disputes|Rules Disputes]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Contingencies|Contingencies]]

==[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zv1CQUTWkl3Limne9-pJbF_e8yW41Bl1CqWE1ZDktYg/edit?usp=sharing Future Rule Changes]==

==[[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons]]==
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#2021 Draft|2021 Draft]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#H/S Contracts|H/S Contracts]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#K/HTH Contracts|K/HTH Contracts]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#RFA Contracts/Rights|RFA Contracts/Rights]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#Trades|Trades]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#McQueeney Penalties|McQueeney Penalties]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#Roster Requirements|Roster Requirements]]

==[[Legacy Materials]]==
* [[Legacy Materials#Legacy Rules|Legacy Rules]]
* [[Legacy Materials#LDB Rules Board Reporter|LDB Rules Board Reporter]]

<references/>

Organizational Structure

2025-02-21T18:36:56Z

Ldbrules: /* Injured List and Suspended List */

Each LDB franchise has three tiers: Majors, the Injured List (IL), and AA.

== Majors ==

The Majors level is a 31-man roster and represents the active players on the team whose performance may affect scoring. It closely resembles an MLB franchise. All 31 players are available for active duty, and are broken down into the following positions:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! Hitters
! Pitchers
|-
| Catcher
| rowspan="4" | Starting Pitchers (Up to 5)
|-
| First Base
|-
| Second Base
|-
| Short Stop
|-
| Third Base
| rowspan="5" | Relief Pitchers (Up to 6)
|-
| Left Field
|-
| Center Field
|-
| Right Field
|-
| Designated Hitters (Up to 2)
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | Bench
|}

This structure changes during playoffs. See [[The_Game#Playoff_Rosters|Playoff Rosters]] for more information.

=== Positional Eligibility ===

==== Hitters ====
A player is eligible for an offensive position if (1) that player made 17 appearances in that position during the previous season or (2) the player appeared at that position for 50% of games in April of the current season, or, after April, appeared at that position a total of 12 times during the season. Until a hitter meets one of these thresholds, he may bat as a designated hitter only.

==== Pitchers ====
To be eligible as a starting pitcher, a player must have appeared as a starting pitcher in one game during the previous or current season. To be eligible as a relief pitcher, a player must have appeared as a relief pitcher in one game during the previous or current season.

However, if CBS allows a team to start a pitcher in a SP or RP slot who does not have eligibility under the rules above,<ref>Occurring most often in the event of an MLB debut or if a pitcher has not pitched in the current or previous season.</ref> teams may nevertheless start those pitchers as allowed by CBS if such players are slotted in positions that correspond with their actual MLB role (i.e., SPs must be used as SPs, and RPs must be used as RPs). Any players in this situation started in positions that do not correspond to their actual MLB roles will result in those players’ stats being voided.

== Injured, Suspended, and Other Lists==
In addition to its 31-man roster, each team may have up to six players on its injured list (IL). See [[Internal Transactions]] for rules related to IL transactions.

Players on the bereavement, paternity, disqualified (suspended), or any other "MLB Status List" other than injured will not count against the LDB 31-man roster. Suspended players may be placed in the LDB team's minor league without being subject to waivers. They must return to the active 31-man roster immediately upon conclusion of the MLB suspension.

== AA ==

The AA tier is a roster of unlimited rookie players signed in the AA draft. See [[Internal Transactions]] for rules relating to the consequences of promoting a player out of AA.

== League Calendar ==

LDB Years are standardized as follows. However, the Commissioner(s) may adjust these dates as necessary to effectuate league business:

* Monday after Thanksgiving: First Day of league business. Transactions begin processing.
* December 15-January 31: Rule Change Period (vote completed by January 31 each year)
* The last Monday in February: AA Draft begins at 12:00 PM EST
* Two Fridays before the LDB Auction: Keeper Deadline at 11:59 PM EST
* One of the two Saturdays immediately preceding MLB Opening Day (excluding early international series): LDB Auction at 10:00 AM EST
* First Waiver Process through the first pitcher of the first MLB game after the auction: MS players may be deemed keepers.
* The first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction: Rosters must be legal (31 active players, 6 IR players total)
* End of Week 10: Players may be promoted as Super-twos
* End of Week 15: LDB Trade Deadline
* End of Week 20: End of the Regular Season
* Week 21: Wild Card Week
* Week 22: Lucid Division Series
* Week 23: Lucid Championship Series
* Week 24: Lucid Dream Series
* Conclusion of the Lucid Dream Series: Luxury taxes, fines, and penalties assessed, and then a new LDB Year begins. However, the league is closed for business, and no transactions will be processed.

<references/>

Keepers and Drafts

2025-02-21T18:35:09Z

Ldbrules: /* Rule V Draft */

== Keepers ==

LDB has several types of players who may be retained ("kept") from one season to the next. The Commissioner(s) will announce deadlines for teams to publicly declare their keepers for a given season.

=== Majors ===
In the off-season GMs may designate five players on their [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] rosters as keepers. Only players signed to long-term deals (i.e., contract status of K1 or K2) are eligible to be kept. These players are retained for the next year at their auction price, less a 10% signing bonus. However, no player can be paid less than the [[Finances#Payroll|league minimum]]). A player may be kept twice, for a total of three seasons with a team, and then become a [[#Restricted Free Agents|restricted free agent]].

==== Restricted Free Agents ====
After players have served three seasons under a contract, they become restricted free agents (RFAs). RFAs are up for auction during the following [[#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]]. However, the GM owning RFA rights has the option to match the winning bid for that player. The team with RFA rights is generally the previous owner, unless the RFA rights were previously [[External Transactions#Trades|traded]] to another team.

====Hometown Heroes====
Mid-season free agents are automatically free agents after the season ends. However, each team may designate one of its mid-season free agents, mid-season free agents claimed from waivers, and players traded with mid-season contracts as its "hometown hero" (HTH). K-, H-, S-, RFA, and NG waiver pickups are not eligible; the player must clear waivers if he was on one of these contracts. The HTH must be a player who logged non-September call-up time in the Majors and is no longer LDB rookie-eligible. The HTH must also have accrued positive fantasy statistics on an active roster of an LDB team during the regular season after he was picked up on an MS contract for the final time in order to grant HTH status the following season.

The HTH gets a one-year contract extension at six million dollars. However, RPs get one-year extensions for two million dollars, and catchers get one-year extensions for three million for catchers. The HTH contract cannot be extended beyond that one year. To qualify as a Relief Pitcher, a player must have pitched the majority of innings in the prior season as a reliever.

Teams have the option to expand the number of HTH contracts allowed each year beyond the one provided by substituting for a commensurate number of keeper contracts.

In addition, teams have the option of converting one HTH-eligible MS player into an RFA for the following Majors Draft. The designated HTH-to-RFA contract must be declared to the league by the keeper deadline. The resulting RFA rights are not tradable to another team.

=== Homegrown and Super-twos ===

Homegrown players are players drafted into [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]] (and possibly promoted). Homegrown players do not count against the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors keeper total]]. After AA players' promotion to the Majors, they are subject to the following salary schedule:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! colspan="2" | Homegrown Salary Structure
|-
| Year 1
| $0.5 million
|-
| Year 2
| $1.0 million
|-
| Year 3
| $1.5 million
|-
| Year 4
| $4.0 million
|}

If a homegrown player is traded, they remain on the same salary structure when they join their new team unless released and not claimed on waivers.

Teams may promote a homegrown player in the second half of the LDB season (after the final roster lock in Week 10) without starting the four-year clock on their homegrown status. These players are "super-twos" and are treated exactly as homegrown players for keeper purposes, but they follow an accelerated salary promotion scale:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! colspan="3" | Super-two Salary Structure
|-
| Year 0 (promotion year)
| $0.5 million
|-
| Year 1
| $1.0 million
|-
| Year 2
| $1.5 million
|-
| Year 3
| $4.0 million
|-
| Year 4
| $7.5 million
|}

Teams may decide upon promotion whether they want they player to use up a year of eligibility or to be a super-two at promotion time through notice to the Commissioner(s).

===Injured Keepers===
After the keeper deadline, but prior to the start of the auction, a team may release any keeper, H4, S4 or HTH and receive their salary in full for use at the upcoming auction if: (1) a player is injured or (2) a player's injury or the extent of an injury is reported after the keeper deadline. If a team releases a keeper or HTH under this rule, they may not designate a replacement keeper or HTH.

== AA Draft ==

The first phase of a season's draft will be the AA Draft, the only means for adding to a team's [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA Roster]] besides trades. At the start of each LDB Year, each team will be given three or four AA draft picks, depending on the availability of prospects, as determined by the Commissioner(s), for the AA Draft occurring two calendar years later. Picks beyond those presently owned cannot be traded in any capacity or included as 'player to be named later' in a trade. These draft picks are tradable. The Commissioner(s) may award new picks at their discretion to teams inherited by a new GM that sold off an abundance of prospects and AA draft picks during the season prior.

To draft a player in the AA Draft, the player must be LDB rookie-eligible, meaning the player has accrued less than 131 AB or 50 IP and the player is not an eligible keeper.

The AA Draft will be held prior to a new season as the Commissioner(s) see fit, subject to the requirements herein. For teams that do not make playoffs, the AA draft order will be in ascending order by wins from the previous season. Wins are used rather than the winning percentage to remove any advantage from intentionally forfeiting games by missing the innings requirement. The order for teams missing playoffs is then followed by teams making playoff appearances in ascending order of finishing places. The draft position of a traded draft pick corresponds to the original owner, not the owner at the time of the AA Draft.

=== Logistics and Requirements ===

Once a team is on the clock to draft an AA player and has not picked for one full day (24 hours), that team will incur a $2 million fine, subject to the provisions below, and the draft may continue on as if he has picked. Such a team may jump back in and pick at any time. A team may assign another GM to make the pick on its behalf.

If the draft is not complete by 10:00 PM EST on the Friday prior to the auction, two penalties are assessed: (1) the $2 million fines above and (2) the three teams who have caused the longest delay between picks, counting only the hours between noon and 10:00 PM EST, will each be fined $1 million for each pick remaining in the draft. The delay must be at least 3 hours to qualify for this fine. In this situation the AA draft will be completed on the morning of the Majors Draft before the auction commences.

== Majors Draft ==

[[File:Place_your_bids.jpg|border|right|250px|]]After the AA Draft, LDB will draft [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors players]]. The draft will be in an auction format. The Majors draft will take place at a time determined by the Commissioner(s).

At the draft, teams will nominate players in an order determined by the Commissioner(s). A nominating team will name a player and an opening bid for that player. The bid must be at least the minimum league salary. Other owners may choose to raise the bid on that player. The team that turns in the highest bid will be awarded the player.

Bidding prices are subject to these increments:
* $0.5 million - $9.5 million: $0.5 million
* More than $9.5 million: $1 million

In the event of a tie, deference is afforded to bidders drafting remotely. In the event the tie is between two remote or two present GMs, the tiebreaker will go to the team that comes first in the nomination order after the GM who nominated the player. If a GM is involved in a tiebreaker, they will win the next tiebreaker in which they are involved.

If a player being drafted is an RFA, the team holding RFA rights will be afforded an opportunity to match the final bid once it is determined.

Teams may draft until: (1) they have signed 26 players, (2) run out of money, or (3) pass their turn to nominate a player. The Majors draft ends when no GM can nominate a player for auction. However, if a team reaches the 26-player limit and subsequently drops or trades a player, that team may rejoin the Majors Draft.

===Blind Auction Option===
The Commissioner(s) may timely announce that any number of rounds will be conducted by blind auction. In a blind auction, teams take turns nominating players as they do above. Nominating a player requires the nominating team to post at least a minimum salary bid. Teams then simultaneously make a single bid. Bids under $10 million must be rounded to the nearest $0.5 million, and bids $10 million or higher must be rounded to the nearest $1 million. The highest bid wins the player. Ties are resolved by: (1) deferral, (2) an open "bidding war" process that resembles the Majors Draft, or (3) draft nomination order in the event that nobody defers or offers a higher bid.

== Snake Draft ==

The final component of a season's draft is the Snake Draft, during which time each team may draft up to five additional players for their Majors roster. Players with H1, H2, S1, or S2 contract statuses may fill Snake round draft spots, but must be announced before the Majors Draft starts. Players may not move up or down from Snake Draft slots once the Majors Draft begins.

Every player chosen in the Snake Draft receives the league minimum salary. Up to three Snake draftees may be given non-guaranteed (NG) contracts, which the drafting team must declare as the player is drafted. See [[External Transactions]] for the benefits and limitations of NG contracts. Players drafted as NGs during the auction must remain NGs cannot be converted to K1s prior to Opening Day, except for eligible conversions in lieu of acquiring post-auction K1s, as set out under [[External Transactions]].

== Rule V Draft ==

In order to dissuade teams from retaining players in AA that are performing well in MLB, LDB will hold an MLB Rule V-style draft during each year's All-Star Break. In that draft, teams may poach such players from other teams' farm systems. To be eligible for the Rule V Draft, a player must:
* Currently be in LDB AA,
* Not be a team's designated protected player,
* Be age 23 or above as of the date of the Rule V Draft (birthday on draft day counts),
* Have accumulated 900 PA, 225 IP, or 50 pitching appearances over his career, and
* Currently be on an MLB team's 26-man roster.

The Rule V draft will take place over the All-Star Break each season. During that week, and before the draft begins, teams will be afforded an opportunity to announce one protected player that cannot be drafted and to promote AA players subject to the Rule V draft before the draft. A player may not be designated as a "protected player" in consecutive years. The draft will last until each team passes. Once a team passes, the team may still participate further in the draft. There are no restrictions on the number of players one team may take or have taken from them. The draft order will be non-serpentine, with the order being in reverse order of the then-current standings at the close of the LDB week preceding the All-Star Game. The Commissioner(s) will conduct the Rule V Draft by means they determine. If there is only one player eligible for the Rule V draft, the Commissioner(s) may simply subject the player to waivers instead of holding a formal draft; Rule V players drafted through waivers otherwise carry all the same rights and responsibilities of any other Rule V draftee.

Teams drafting players by Rule V will be required to keep them on their LDB Majors roster for the following one and one half seasons. Teams may place Rule V draftees on the IL. However, spending a half season on the IL (10 weeks, aggregated over all IL stints) does not count toward the one and one half seasons. Owners will not be required to include Rule V draftees on their playoff roster.

A team that drafts a player in the Rule V Draft and drops that player in the off-season is still accountable for the player’s salary if unclaimed.

Rule V draftees may be traded. Traded Rule V draftees or draftees claimed off of waivers will remain under the same restrictions for teams acquiring them.

If a team is unable to maintain the player in LDB Majors or the IL and cannot move him by trade, the player must be offered back to his original team for $0.2 million. If the original team declines to take the player, he enters general waivers. When an original owner acquires a player back before they have cleared waivers, the original team is under Rule V restrictions described here.

Teams may not change their protected player once the draft begins without either promoting that player or subjecting him to waivers.

<references/>

The Game

2025-02-21T18:34:00Z

Ldbrules: /* Pitching Penalties */

LDB is divided into two subsidiary leagues: the Federal League and the Union Association. Each league has two four-team divisions. During the regular season, each team will play another team for one week at a time (Monday to Sunday)<ref>With the exception of the first and eleventh weeks, which may extend beyond seven days.</ref> for a total of 20 weeks, with each statistical category representing one game, meaning 12 games are in play each week. After the regular season, top-performing teams advance to the playoffs.

== Schedule ==
Scheduling will be announced by the Commissioner(s) before the [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]] each year. During the regular season, each team will play the other three teams in their own division twice (6 games), each other team once (12 games), and each team will have two additional non-division intraleague matchups (2 games). Matchups for the extra two intraleague matchups will be determined by the prior season's records. Teams with the two best records in one division in a league will face the teams with the two best records in the other division in that league, and vice versa for the two teams with the worst records in their divisions.

The Commissioner(s) will implement "road trips" where teams play out of their divisions multiple weeks in a row. However, road trips may not be so long that they create a competitive imbalance for teams on long away stretches (as a result of being disfavored in weekly tiebreakers for such periods).

== Scoring ==
Lucid Dream Baseball scores the ten active batters and up to eleven active pitchers each day on the following statistics:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" width="500"
|-
! colspan="2" | LDB Scoring
|-
! width="200" | Batters
! Pitchers
|-
| On-Base Percentage (OBP)
| Modified Game Starts (MGS): 3*IP + 2(IP-4) + K - 2H - 4ER - 2(R-ER) - BB
|-
| On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage (OPS): OBP + SLG
| Adjusted WHIP (aWHIP): (H + BB + HBP)/INN
|-
| Runs Scored (R)
| VIJAY: (RIP+3*SV+3*HLD-8*BS-8*RL)/4
|-
| Adjusted Runs Batted In (aRBI) = RBI - GIDP
| Home Runs Allowed (HRA)
|-
| Home Runs (HR)
| Pitcher Strikeouts (K)
|-
| Adjusted Stolen Bases (ASB): SB - CS/2
| Earned Run Average (ERA)
|}

As in baseball, there can be no ties. If a statistical category ends in a tie at the conclusion of a week, the home team will win all such categories. However, any margin of victory in any statistical category, however small, is a victory and not a tie.

== Roster Requirements ==
Each week, each team must meet: the league minimum innings pitched requirement (IP) of 44 innings per week; have an eligible player in each positional roster spot (except designated hitter spots) each day; accumulate a minimum of 50 plate appearances per week; and maintain a roster of 31 players or less (or 26 during playoff matches).

If a team fails to meet these minimum requirements, the following penalties are applied:

=== Batting and Fielding Penalties ===
For every batter missing from a team's lineup on a game day, that team receives one "AAA start" for each missing player, which is 0H, 5 AB with 2 GIDP. After three separate days of batting roster violations, the team is penalized $0.5 million per player per day. The ﬁnes will be deducted from the following season’s payroll.

Teams that fail to accumulate 50 plate appearances in a week will forfeit all offensive categories in that matchup.

=== Pitching Penalties ===
If a team fails to reach the required 44 innings pitched in a given week, that team will automatically lose the following categories: MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA, and VIJAY. These losses will count as losses in the standings and will be known throughout the league as FUs,<ref>Fuck-ups</ref>. In the event two teams playing each other both miss the 44-inning requirement, both will be assigned FUs. Should a team miss the innings requirement more than once, teams will be assessed penalties for each infraction as follows:

* First infraction: warning
* Second infraction: $1 million fine
* Third infraction: $3 million fine
* Fourth infraction: $5 million fine
* Fifth infraction: loss of team's next AA draft pick in possession at the time of the infraction

=== Roster Penalties ===

====Regular Season====
If a team has a roster in excess of the 31-man limit there are potential penalties. At the conclusion of the league year, the Commissioner(s) will run a report on each team's roster for the season recently completed. If teams were over the 31-man limit, they will be penalized as follows: 1) no fine for only one day over the limit; 2) $0.25M per player over the limit for two consecutive days; 3) $0.5M per player per day in violation starting on the third consecutive day. If a team has more than 5 one-day violations, it will be fined $1.0M for each additional instance after the first five. Only days where at least one regular-season MLB game is played will the financial penalties apply (e.g., the All Star Break is excluded from a consecutive days analysis).
If a team is discovered to have a roster in excess of the 31-man limit in-season, the team must play with a roster below the 31-man roster limit for the number of days and players the team was above the limit for (e.g., if a team was discovered to be over the limit by 1 player for 3 days, it must play the next 3 days with only 30 players on their roster, etc.) This will be known as a "Sloppy Roster" penalty. A team must institute a Sloppy Roster immediately upon discovery by the Commissioner(s). As with the fines, Sloppy Roster penalties will only be applied on days where there is at least one regular season MLB game.

Once the end-of-season audit is complete, owners will be given a 2-week period to review any financial penalties, and to seek Commissioner Relief from penalties. Relief will be decided pursuant to the rules on [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]].

====Playoffs====
If an owner fails to set a legal playoff roster before rosters lock on the first day of a playoff week, all active players will automatically be considered part of the 26 man playoff roster. The remaining spots will be assigned to bench players in the order that they appear in MLB games until a team reaches 26 players. If a team starts players such that its roster exceeds the 26-man limit and the violation is discovered during the same playoff period in which it occurred, the team will be: (1) penalized the same as if it had violated the roster limit during the regular season and (2) have any stats accrued by such players removed from the current playoff matchup without another player’s stats being substituted. For any such violations discovered after a playoff period closes, a team will incur financial penalties the same as if it violated the roster limit during the regular season, except that the financial penalty will be five times the regular season penalty.

Teams on bye weeks in both the Championship and McQueeney brackets must abide by the regular season 31-man roster plus 6-man IL rules. Teams on byes in the Championship brackets must follow the same rules as if they are playing that week in the LDB playoffs, and all relevant rules will apply. Teams in the McQueeney bracket will not be fined for violations of the 31-man roster rule, but will still be subject to the "Sloppy Roster" penalty, including on bye weeks. Sloppy Roster penalties incurred during bye weeks will be applied once teams are no longer on byes.

====Offseason====
During the offseason, teams carry more than 31 players on its active roster. However, each team's rosters must be legal by the first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction. If a team's roster is "sloppy" to start the season, it will be fined $1M.

== McQueeney Performance Penalties <ref>Known as "McQueeneys"</ref>==
The McQueeney Performance Penalty deducts LDB cash from a team's subsequent yearly budget when that team finishes the regular season with a sub-.400 winning percentage (including any FU losses and excluding any FU wins where the team would have lost the category but for their opponent's FU loss) in the second half of the regular season. The "McQueeneys" will be assessed according to the following formula:

:In the first half, each win below 48 carries a penalty of $500K. In the second half, each win below 48 carries a penalty of $750K. The maximum penalty for each half is set at 32 losses (i.e., $8M for the first half, and $12M for the second half). The maximum total penalty will be set at $20M. This formula will be adjusted as appropriate if LDB moves to a schedule that does not include exactly 120 second-half games.

Additionally:

*The McQueeney Penalties shall be capped at a $20 million maximum potential fine.
*The Commissioner(s) may, at their discretion, grant an exemption from the penalties for any team that actively and competently manages its roster throughout the season and does not make a concerted effort to sell players on its active major league roster for future value (i.e., draft picks, cash, or AA players).

For example, a team with 47 second-half wins would incur a $1.25 million penalty, a team with 46 second-half wins would incur a $2.5 million penalty, etc. A team with 32 or fewer second-half wins would incur the maximum penalty of $20 million.

McQueeney penalties for missed innings belong to owners, not teams. When an owner leaves LDB, their McQueeney penalties go with them. A new owner is not responsible for paying the McQueeney penalties that team's previous owner incurred.

However, a new owner can choose to pay the previous owner’s McQueeney penalties and instead opt to be exempt from McQueeney penalties during the new owner's first year of ownership. A team who chooses this option must still actively and competently manage his team, however, or else the Commissioner(s) may override the exemption and impose the fines in full or in part at their discretion. Additionally, this exemption is only available in the event a departing owner leaves with an outstanding fine of $5 million or more. These provisions apply equally to owners who have and have not owned an LDB team previously.

== All-Star Break ==
LDB will not hold regular games during the week of the MLB All-Star Game. That week, at the option of the Commissioner(s), LDB will: (1) hold an LDB All-Star Game and, (2) if easily accomplished, fold any official MLB stats accrued that week into the subsequent week.

The All-Star Game will be held between the Federal League and the Union Association and use official MLB statistics accrued during the week of the MLB All-Star Break. The Commissioner(s) will announce the logistics for such a game, and each of the divisions will select and announce players for the game. All-Star teams can list starting pitcher alternates in case their starters do not pitch at all.

The league that wins the LDB All-Star Game will have home field advantage in the Lucid Dream Series and McQueeney Cup final.

Each league's team will be managed by the owner of the prior season's league champion. The manager will be in charge of conducting the voting for his league's players and tracking their stats. All-Star teams will consist of a full lineup, three starting pitchers, and two relievers. There will be no alternates or lineup changes; if a player goes on the IL or misses the weekend, their spot remains empty. Every team in the league must have at least one player on their league's All-star team. The All-Star Game will use regular season scoring categories. The manager must report the final stats on the Monday following the All-star break and should report the daily stats on Saturday and Sunday.<ref>An easy way to track such scores is to use CBS's "Scout Team" page using the "Last 7 Days" viewing option. The manager may need to calculate rate stats separately.</ref>

There is no home field advantage in the All-Star Game; category ties are treated as ties. If the final score is tied, tiebreakers will be as follows: HR, aSB, Ka, R, RBI, OPS, VIJAY, OBP, WHIP, ERA, MGS.

The Commissioner(s) have discretion to adjust these rules unilaterally prior to the LDB All-Star Game if they deem it necessary. Changes after the All-Star Game has begun require a majority vote.

== Playoffs ==

=== Advancing to the Playoffs ===
LDB Playoffs occur after the regular season concludes. Eight teams make the playoffs: the four division winners and four wild card teams, two from each league. The wild card teams from each league first play each other in a wild card round. The winners of the wild card round advance to the Lucid Division series, where they will play the division winner in their respective leagues with the second best league record (that division winner therefore gets a one-round bye). The winner of the Lucid Division Series advances to the Lucid Championship Series, where they face the team with the best record in their league (the league winner therefore gets a double bye). The home team in the Lucid Dream Series is determined by the winner of the [[#All-Star_Break|All-Star Game]]. The tiebreakers to determine which teams make the playoffs, determine seeding, and home field advantage in the event no LDB All-Star Game takes place are as follows:

# Overall Points
# Head-to-head Record
# Head-to-head Record Excluding Tie Wins
# Wins (excluding tie wins from standings points)
# Intra-division Record
# Overall Roto Performance
# Commissioner(s)’s Coin Flip (with witnesses)

In case three teams are tied in overall points, a three team head-to-head tiebreaker is resolved by independent pairwise comparisons. For example:

:Consider 3 teams: A, B, and C:
:* A beat B in Week 1, 9-5
:* A beat C in Week 2, 10-4
:* B beat A in Week 3, 13-1
:* B tied C in Week 4, 7-7
:* B beat C in Week 5, 8-6
:* C beat A in Week 6, 11-3

:Therefore, head-to-head:
:A vs. B = (9+1) vs. (5+13) = 10 vs. 18.
:So B > A

:A vs. C = (10+3) vs. (4+11) = 13 vs. 15.
:So C > A

:B vs. C = (7+8) vs (7+6) = 15 vs. 13
:So B > C

:Therefore, B>C>A, and so B and C make the playoffs. Theoretically, if A = C in head-to-head, we would have to go to the normal tie-breaking regime above.

In the event pairwise comparison of head-to-head points is circular, then pairwise comparisons of totals runs scored in head-to-head matchups is the next category used. If this is also circular, then total head-to-head HR then K then aRBI are applied (in that order). If still tied, then tiebreaker is determined by fiat by the LDB Commissioner(s)’s preferred method (rock-paper-scissors suggested but not required).

=== Playoff Rosters ===
Once playoff rosters lock for the first time, player adds and drops may only be made by teams that have not been eliminated from their respective post-season brackets. The league will run waivers on Monday morning of each playoff week, and the waiver order will be randomized each week as follows: first, the order of the remaining playoff teams will be randomized, and then subsequently the order of the remaining teams in the McQueeney bracket will be randomized, and will follow the last playoff team. Once waivers have run, additional players may be added until the first MLB game begins on Monday. However, in the event a player comes off the IL after rosters lock, there is no roster violation, but the owner must drop a player within 24 hours or prior to the start of their next matchup, whichever comes first.

Playoff rosters contain 26 players and lock at the start of each playoff round. The 26-man playoff roster consists of: active position players, reserve position players, active pitchers, reserve pitchers, and players potentially activated from the IL. Once rosters lock on Monday of each playoff week, players cannot be promoted from AA until the following Monday. However:

* Players on the IL may be added to the 26-man roster after rosters lock if there is a space reserved for their potential activation.
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster is placed on the IL at any point during the week, an owner may add another player from their 31-man roster to their 26-man roster
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster has not yet played in an MLB game during the playoff week, that player may be swapped out for another player on a team's 31-man roster at any time.

Once a player has been moved off the 26-man roster, he cannot be re-added to the roster. For convenience, teams may place any player who is not on their 26-man roster on any minor league roster.

Players within the 26-man roster may be freely subbed in and out during the playoffs. Each playoff team must accumulate at least 30 IP per playoff week or else they will lose MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA and VIJAY, just as they would in the regular season.

=== Playoff Scoring ===

Scoring stats for playoff matchups are identical to the regular season's scoring stats.

In the event of a tied category, ties are not awarded to the home team as in the regular season, except in the first round of the postseason, where the home team will receive credit for a win in one tied category. The team with more wins advances except in situations where there are more ties than wins for either team, in which case a tie results.

In the event of a playoff tie in points, such games will be decided by a tiebreaker pairing offensive and pitching categories, in the following ranked order:

:OPS/ERA
:OBP/aWHIP
:HR/K
:aRBI/HRA
:R/MGS
:aSB/VIJAY

The team that wins the highest ranked pair of categories shall be declared the winner. If all category pairs are split, then the team with the greatest margin of victory in the highest ranked category shall be declared the winner.

:Example 1 (simple tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and ERA. Team A is declared the winner.

:Example 2 (third pair tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and OBP. Team B wins ERA, aWHIP, HR, and K. Team B is declared the winner.

:Example 3 (margin of victory tiebreaker): Team A wins all offensive categories. Team B wins all pitching categories. Team A wins OPS .850 to .790 (60 point delta). Team B wins ERA 3.50 to 3.00 (50 point delta). Team A is declared the winner (60 point delta to 50 point delta).

=== The McQueeney Cup ===
LDB will award the McQueeney Cup each season to the non-playoff team that wins the McQueeney Cup bracket, which will be played over three rounds in parallel to LDB playoffs. Union and Federal ladders are composed of each divisions' respective four non-playoff teams, seeded in order of regular season finish. The final round includes the winners of the Union and Federal portions of the bracket. The winner of the McQueeney Cup will receive a AA draft pick in the following season's AA Draft that is sandwiched between the first and second round of that draft. In all other respects, McQueeney Cup games are decided as a regular playoff game. The winner of the McQueeney Cup may choose to either take the sandwich round pick or forfeit that pick in exchange for wiping McQueeney penalties to $0, should the team have any.

<references/>

External Transactions

2025-02-21T18:32:34Z

Ldbrules: /* Mid-Season Free Agents */

== Designation for Assignment ==
Cut players are designated for assignment. Designation immediately removes the player from the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] and subjects him to a 2-3 day waiver process. Waivers run for at least two days but are processed during the middle of the night following expiration of the 48-hour period. Such players are available to trade during that period if the trade deadline has not passed. If they are not traded during that period, they are given to the highest waiver claimant. If the player is not claimed on waivers, the player is cut. Designation is not revocable. Salary refunds are not applicable to players unclaimed on waivers. See the [[Finances#Payroll|Payroll]] section for more information.

== Mid-Season Free Agents ==
Any unsigned player can be acquired mid-season. Players who are acquired mid-season are MS-contract players, paid a prorated [[Finances#Payroll|league minimum]].

Players drafted in the [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|Snake Draft]] with non-guaranteed contracts may be freely swapped for a replacement player who is of the same type (i.e. position player or pitcher) until the end of April. Replacement players cannot subsequently be swapped for other replacement players. When a team swaps an NG player for a replacement player, it cannot execute a waiver trade of the NG player and receives no salary relief if they are claimed on waivers. Players dropped with NG status do not confer NG contract status when signed by a new team; such player has MS contract status. Players with NG contracts cannot be kept at the conclusion of the season.

== Waiver Claims ==
All dropped players will be placed on waivers, as described above, for 2-3 days. Any team may put in a claim for a player on waivers, and the player will be awarded to the team that is highest in the waiver order at the time the claim is processed. During the offseason and Week 1 of a new season, the waiver order will mirror the AA Draft order but will not reset until the conclusion of Week 1 of the new season. Starting in Week 2 of the season, the waiver order will be reset at the start of each week to the inverse of the LDB standings. If a team claims a player, they will temporarily drop to the bottom of the waiver order until the order resets. Tiebreakers on waiver claims for teams with identical records will be determined by whatever method CBS utilizes.

Awarding a player results in the acquisition of that player, pending roster space being made available for the new player. The claiming team assumes the remaining salary burden of the player, calculated by remaining weeks in the LDB regular season.

Teams may not claim players that they themselves dropped. Teams must wait until a player clears waivers to reacquire such players.

== Trades ==
Trades may occur at any point in the offseason and regular season, until the league trade deadline. The trade deadline is the end of week 15. All trades must have timestamp of 11:59 PM EST<ref>The standard time zone for LDB is Eastern Standard Time.</ref> on Sunday of week 15 or earlier, or have been announced to the league in a reasonable manner before that deadline.

Trades will be subject to approval by a vote of the other managers in the league. If greater than one-half of the non-involved managers veto a trade, the trade will be cancelled. The veto window is three days. All trades are immediate. A veto of a trade will be prospective; if vetoed, the players traded will have their stats count for their teams that temporarily held them.

Trades may involve players, cash, and other assets, such as, but not limited to, future [[Keepers_and_Drafts#AA_Draft|draft picks]], [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Restricted_Free_Agents|RFA rights]], etc. Trades may include a "player to be named later" so long as that player has not accumulated any LDB stats between the trade and the player changing hands. As a general policy, trades are looked upon favorably, regardless of the types of assets involved. The full terms of a trade need not be fully disclosed to the league and may involve gentlemen agreements and other conditions. However, trades are subject to the following restrictions:

* No trade may involve an agreement to temporarily hold or "rent" a player. Any trade that attempts to work around the ban on renting players is also prohibited. For example, a trade involving an agreement to later send back a player of similar value could be considered a workaround. Whether a trade constitutes a rental or an attempted workaround will be determined by the Commissioner(s).
* Transfer of a player's RFA rights is prohibited once that player is nominated in the [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Majors_Draft|Majors Draft]] or selected in the [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Snake_Draft|Snake Draft]].
* Injury contingencies may be included in trades, but the conditions of the contingencies must be clear to be enforceable. Injury contingencies with ambiguities will not be enforced by the league. Injury contingencies need not be disclosed to the league. But unless there is clear, unambiguous, written documentation of a contingency between the trading parties, a contingency will not be enforced.

In any trade made after the Majors Draft, it is assumed that teams trading away a player pays the salary of such players. However, in any trade made in the offseason or mid-auction, it is assumed that teams receiving players pay the full salary of such players.

==Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")==
"Friendly wagers" are the only class of transactions that can include yet-unrealized future assets (money, AA picks past the 2-year allocation window, yet-unborn naming rights to sons/daughters, etc). Friendly wagers cannot adversely impact the competitiveness of the league. If there is question about whether a wager will affect the competitive balance of the league, the Commissioner(s) will determine whether such wager will. All assets involved in friendly wagers will be held in escrow, a spreadsheet that will spell out the parties, terms, timeline, and payouts of the friendly wager. Friendly wagers are bound to the team, rather than the owner, such that a owner's departure does not invalidate the wager (unless specified in the terms of the wager). In the event a team's owner leaves the league, new prospective owners should be made aware of the team's wagered obligations before agreeing to take control of a team, as the assets are held in escrow and will only be released pursuant to the terms of the wager.

<references/>

The Game

2025-02-21T18:31:26Z

Ldbrules: /* Playoff Scoring */

LDB is divided into two subsidiary leagues: the Federal League and the Union Association. Each league has two four-team divisions. During the regular season, each team will play another team for one week at a time (Monday to Sunday)<ref>With the exception of the first and eleventh weeks, which may extend beyond seven days.</ref> for a total of 20 weeks, with each statistical category representing one game, meaning 12 games are in play each week. After the regular season, top-performing teams advance to the playoffs.

== Schedule ==
Scheduling will be announced by the Commissioner(s) before the [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]] each year. During the regular season, each team will play the other three teams in their own division twice (6 games), each other team once (12 games), and each team will have two additional non-division intraleague matchups (2 games). Matchups for the extra two intraleague matchups will be determined by the prior season's records. Teams with the two best records in one division in a league will face the teams with the two best records in the other division in that league, and vice versa for the two teams with the worst records in their divisions.

The Commissioner(s) will implement "road trips" where teams play out of their divisions multiple weeks in a row. However, road trips may not be so long that they create a competitive imbalance for teams on long away stretches (as a result of being disfavored in weekly tiebreakers for such periods).

== Scoring ==
Lucid Dream Baseball scores the ten active batters and up to eleven active pitchers each day on the following statistics:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" width="500"
|-
! colspan="2" | LDB Scoring
|-
! width="200" | Batters
! Pitchers
|-
| On-Base Percentage (OBP)
| Modified Game Starts (MGS): 3*IP + 2(IP-4) + K - 2H - 4ER - 2(R-ER) - BB
|-
| On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage (OPS): OBP + SLG
| Adjusted WHIP (aWHIP): (H + BB + HBP)/INN
|-
| Runs Scored (R)
| VIJAY: (RIP+3*SV+3*HLD-8*BS-8*RL)/4
|-
| Adjusted Runs Batted In (aRBI) = RBI - GIDP
| Home Runs Allowed (HRA)
|-
| Home Runs (HR)
| Pitcher Strikeouts (K)
|-
| Adjusted Stolen Bases (ASB): SB - CS/2
| Earned Run Average (ERA)
|}

As in baseball, there can be no ties. If a statistical category ends in a tie at the conclusion of a week, the home team will win all such categories. However, any margin of victory in any statistical category, however small, is a victory and not a tie.

== Roster Requirements ==
Each week, each team must meet: the league minimum innings pitched requirement (IP) of 44 innings per week; have an eligible player in each positional roster spot (except designated hitter spots) each day; accumulate a minimum of 50 plate appearances per week; and maintain a roster of 31 players or less (or 26 during playoff matches).

If a team fails to meet these minimum requirements, the following penalties are applied:

=== Batting and Fielding Penalties ===
For every batter missing from a team's lineup on a game day, that team receives one "AAA start" for each missing player, which is 0H, 5 AB with 2 GIDP. After three separate days of batting roster violations, the team is penalized $0.5 million per player per day. The ﬁnes will be deducted from the following season’s payroll.

Teams that fail to accumulate 50 plate appearances in a week will forfeit all offensive categories in that matchup.

=== Pitching Penalties ===
If a team fails to reach the required 44 innings pitched in a given week, that team will automatically lose the following categories: MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA, and VIJAY. These losses will count as losses in the standings and will be known throughout the league as FUs,<ref>Fuck-ups</ref>. In the event two teams playing each other both miss the 44-inning requirement, both will be assigned FUs. Should a team miss the innings requirement more than once, there will be an increasing penalty scale as follows:

* First infraction: warning
* Second infraction: $1 million fine
* Third infraction: $3 million fine
* Fourth infraction: $5 million fine
* Fifth infraction: loss of team's next AA draft pick in possession at the time of the infraction

=== Roster Penalties ===

====Regular Season====
If a team has a roster in excess of the 31-man limit there are potential penalties. At the conclusion of the league year, the Commissioner(s) will run a report on each team's roster for the season recently completed. If teams were over the 31-man limit, they will be penalized as follows: 1) no fine for only one day over the limit; 2) $0.25M per player over the limit for two consecutive days; 3) $0.5M per player per day in violation starting on the third consecutive day. If a team has more than 5 one-day violations, it will be fined $1.0M for each additional instance after the first five. Only days where at least one regular-season MLB game is played will the financial penalties apply (e.g., the All Star Break is excluded from a consecutive days analysis).
If a team is discovered to have a roster in excess of the 31-man limit in-season, the team must play with a roster below the 31-man roster limit for the number of days and players the team was above the limit for (e.g., if a team was discovered to be over the limit by 1 player for 3 days, it must play the next 3 days with only 30 players on their roster, etc.) This will be known as a "Sloppy Roster" penalty. A team must institute a Sloppy Roster immediately upon discovery by the Commissioner(s). As with the fines, Sloppy Roster penalties will only be applied on days where there is at least one regular season MLB game.

Once the end-of-season audit is complete, owners will be given a 2-week period to review any financial penalties, and to seek Commissioner Relief from penalties. Relief will be decided pursuant to the rules on [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]].

====Playoffs====
If an owner fails to set a legal playoff roster before rosters lock on the first day of a playoff week, all active players will automatically be considered part of the 26 man playoff roster. The remaining spots will be assigned to bench players in the order that they appear in MLB games until a team reaches 26 players. If a team starts players such that its roster exceeds the 26-man limit and the violation is discovered during the same playoff period in which it occurred, the team will be: (1) penalized the same as if it had violated the roster limit during the regular season and (2) have any stats accrued by such players removed from the current playoff matchup without another player’s stats being substituted. For any such violations discovered after a playoff period closes, a team will incur financial penalties the same as if it violated the roster limit during the regular season, except that the financial penalty will be five times the regular season penalty.

Teams on bye weeks in both the Championship and McQueeney brackets must abide by the regular season 31-man roster plus 6-man IL rules. Teams on byes in the Championship brackets must follow the same rules as if they are playing that week in the LDB playoffs, and all relevant rules will apply. Teams in the McQueeney bracket will not be fined for violations of the 31-man roster rule, but will still be subject to the "Sloppy Roster" penalty, including on bye weeks. Sloppy Roster penalties incurred during bye weeks will be applied once teams are no longer on byes.

====Offseason====
During the offseason, teams carry more than 31 players on its active roster. However, each team's rosters must be legal by the first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction. If a team's roster is "sloppy" to start the season, it will be fined $1M.

== McQueeney Performance Penalties <ref>Known as "McQueeneys"</ref>==
The McQueeney Performance Penalty deducts LDB cash from a team's subsequent yearly budget when that team finishes the regular season with a sub-.400 winning percentage (including any FU losses and excluding any FU wins where the team would have lost the category but for their opponent's FU loss) in the second half of the regular season. The "McQueeneys" will be assessed according to the following formula:

:In the first half, each win below 48 carries a penalty of $500K. In the second half, each win below 48 carries a penalty of $750K. The maximum penalty for each half is set at 32 losses (i.e., $8M for the first half, and $12M for the second half). The maximum total penalty will be set at $20M. This formula will be adjusted as appropriate if LDB moves to a schedule that does not include exactly 120 second-half games.

Additionally:

*The McQueeney Penalties shall be capped at a $20 million maximum potential fine.
*The Commissioner(s) may, at their discretion, grant an exemption from the penalties for any team that actively and competently manages its roster throughout the season and does not make a concerted effort to sell players on its active major league roster for future value (i.e., draft picks, cash, or AA players).

For example, a team with 47 second-half wins would incur a $1.25 million penalty, a team with 46 second-half wins would incur a $2.5 million penalty, etc. A team with 32 or fewer second-half wins would incur the maximum penalty of $20 million.

McQueeney penalties for missed innings belong to owners, not teams. When an owner leaves LDB, their McQueeney penalties go with them. A new owner is not responsible for paying the McQueeney penalties that team's previous owner incurred.

However, a new owner can choose to pay the previous owner’s McQueeney penalties and instead opt to be exempt from McQueeney penalties during the new owner's first year of ownership. A team who chooses this option must still actively and competently manage his team, however, or else the Commissioner(s) may override the exemption and impose the fines in full or in part at their discretion. Additionally, this exemption is only available in the event a departing owner leaves with an outstanding fine of $5 million or more. These provisions apply equally to owners who have and have not owned an LDB team previously.

== All-Star Break ==
LDB will not hold regular games during the week of the MLB All-Star Game. That week, at the option of the Commissioner(s), LDB will: (1) hold an LDB All-Star Game and, (2) if easily accomplished, fold any official MLB stats accrued that week into the subsequent week.

The All-Star Game will be held between the Federal League and the Union Association and use official MLB statistics accrued during the week of the MLB All-Star Break. The Commissioner(s) will announce the logistics for such a game, and each of the divisions will select and announce players for the game. All-Star teams can list starting pitcher alternates in case their starters do not pitch at all.

The league that wins the LDB All-Star Game will have home field advantage in the Lucid Dream Series and McQueeney Cup final.

Each league's team will be managed by the owner of the prior season's league champion. The manager will be in charge of conducting the voting for his league's players and tracking their stats. All-Star teams will consist of a full lineup, three starting pitchers, and two relievers. There will be no alternates or lineup changes; if a player goes on the IL or misses the weekend, their spot remains empty. Every team in the league must have at least one player on their league's All-star team. The All-Star Game will use regular season scoring categories. The manager must report the final stats on the Monday following the All-star break and should report the daily stats on Saturday and Sunday.<ref>An easy way to track such scores is to use CBS's "Scout Team" page using the "Last 7 Days" viewing option. The manager may need to calculate rate stats separately.</ref>

There is no home field advantage in the All-Star Game; category ties are treated as ties. If the final score is tied, tiebreakers will be as follows: HR, aSB, Ka, R, RBI, OPS, VIJAY, OBP, WHIP, ERA, MGS.

The Commissioner(s) have discretion to adjust these rules unilaterally prior to the LDB All-Star Game if they deem it necessary. Changes after the All-Star Game has begun require a majority vote.

== Playoffs ==

=== Advancing to the Playoffs ===
LDB Playoffs occur after the regular season concludes. Eight teams make the playoffs: the four division winners and four wild card teams, two from each league. The wild card teams from each league first play each other in a wild card round. The winners of the wild card round advance to the Lucid Division series, where they will play the division winner in their respective leagues with the second best league record (that division winner therefore gets a one-round bye). The winner of the Lucid Division Series advances to the Lucid Championship Series, where they face the team with the best record in their league (the league winner therefore gets a double bye). The home team in the Lucid Dream Series is determined by the winner of the [[#All-Star_Break|All-Star Game]]. The tiebreakers to determine which teams make the playoffs, determine seeding, and home field advantage in the event no LDB All-Star Game takes place are as follows:

# Overall Points
# Head-to-head Record
# Head-to-head Record Excluding Tie Wins
# Wins (excluding tie wins from standings points)
# Intra-division Record
# Overall Roto Performance
# Commissioner(s)’s Coin Flip (with witnesses)

In case three teams are tied in overall points, a three team head-to-head tiebreaker is resolved by independent pairwise comparisons. For example:

:Consider 3 teams: A, B, and C:
:* A beat B in Week 1, 9-5
:* A beat C in Week 2, 10-4
:* B beat A in Week 3, 13-1
:* B tied C in Week 4, 7-7
:* B beat C in Week 5, 8-6
:* C beat A in Week 6, 11-3

:Therefore, head-to-head:
:A vs. B = (9+1) vs. (5+13) = 10 vs. 18.
:So B > A

:A vs. C = (10+3) vs. (4+11) = 13 vs. 15.
:So C > A

:B vs. C = (7+8) vs (7+6) = 15 vs. 13
:So B > C

:Therefore, B>C>A, and so B and C make the playoffs. Theoretically, if A = C in head-to-head, we would have to go to the normal tie-breaking regime above.

In the event pairwise comparison of head-to-head points is circular, then pairwise comparisons of totals runs scored in head-to-head matchups is the next category used. If this is also circular, then total head-to-head HR then K then aRBI are applied (in that order). If still tied, then tiebreaker is determined by fiat by the LDB Commissioner(s)’s preferred method (rock-paper-scissors suggested but not required).

=== Playoff Rosters ===
Once playoff rosters lock for the first time, player adds and drops may only be made by teams that have not been eliminated from their respective post-season brackets. The league will run waivers on Monday morning of each playoff week, and the waiver order will be randomized each week as follows: first, the order of the remaining playoff teams will be randomized, and then subsequently the order of the remaining teams in the McQueeney bracket will be randomized, and will follow the last playoff team. Once waivers have run, additional players may be added until the first MLB game begins on Monday. However, in the event a player comes off the IL after rosters lock, there is no roster violation, but the owner must drop a player within 24 hours or prior to the start of their next matchup, whichever comes first.

Playoff rosters contain 26 players and lock at the start of each playoff round. The 26-man playoff roster consists of: active position players, reserve position players, active pitchers, reserve pitchers, and players potentially activated from the IL. Once rosters lock on Monday of each playoff week, players cannot be promoted from AA until the following Monday. However:

* Players on the IL may be added to the 26-man roster after rosters lock if there is a space reserved for their potential activation.
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster is placed on the IL at any point during the week, an owner may add another player from their 31-man roster to their 26-man roster
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster has not yet played in an MLB game during the playoff week, that player may be swapped out for another player on a team's 31-man roster at any time.

Once a player has been moved off the 26-man roster, he cannot be re-added to the roster. For convenience, teams may place any player who is not on their 26-man roster on any minor league roster.

Players within the 26-man roster may be freely subbed in and out during the playoffs. Each playoff team must accumulate at least 30 IP per playoff week or else they will lose MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA and VIJAY, just as they would in the regular season.

=== Playoff Scoring ===

Scoring stats for playoff matchups are identical to the regular season's scoring stats.

In the event of a tied category, ties are not awarded to the home team as in the regular season, except in the first round of the postseason, where the home team will receive credit for a win in one tied category. The team with more wins advances except in situations where there are more ties than wins for either team, in which case a tie results.

In the event of a playoff tie in points, such games will be decided by a tiebreaker pairing offensive and pitching categories, in the following ranked order:

:OPS/ERA
:OBP/aWHIP
:HR/K
:aRBI/HRA
:R/MGS
:aSB/VIJAY

The team that wins the highest ranked pair of categories shall be declared the winner. If all category pairs are split, then the team with the greatest margin of victory in the highest ranked category shall be declared the winner.

:Example 1 (simple tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and ERA. Team A is declared the winner.

:Example 2 (third pair tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and OBP. Team B wins ERA, aWHIP, HR, and K. Team B is declared the winner.

:Example 3 (margin of victory tiebreaker): Team A wins all offensive categories. Team B wins all pitching categories. Team A wins OPS .850 to .790 (60 point delta). Team B wins ERA 3.50 to 3.00 (50 point delta). Team A is declared the winner (60 point delta to 50 point delta).

=== The McQueeney Cup ===
LDB will award the McQueeney Cup each season to the non-playoff team that wins the McQueeney Cup bracket, which will be played over three rounds in parallel to LDB playoffs. Union and Federal ladders are composed of each divisions' respective four non-playoff teams, seeded in order of regular season finish. The final round includes the winners of the Union and Federal portions of the bracket. The winner of the McQueeney Cup will receive a AA draft pick in the following season's AA Draft that is sandwiched between the first and second round of that draft. In all other respects, McQueeney Cup games are decided as a regular playoff game. The winner of the McQueeney Cup may choose to either take the sandwich round pick or forfeit that pick in exchange for wiping McQueeney penalties to $0, should the team have any.

<references/>

The Game

2025-02-21T18:30:33Z

Ldbrules: /* McQueeney Performance Penalties Known as "McQueeneys" */

LDB is divided into two subsidiary leagues: the Federal League and the Union Association. Each league has two four-team divisions. During the regular season, each team will play another team for one week at a time (Monday to Sunday)<ref>With the exception of the first and eleventh weeks, which may extend beyond seven days.</ref> for a total of 20 weeks, with each statistical category representing one game, meaning 12 games are in play each week. After the regular season, top-performing teams advance to the playoffs.

== Schedule ==
Scheduling will be announced by the Commissioner(s) before the [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]] each year. During the regular season, each team will play the other three teams in their own division twice (6 games), each other team once (12 games), and each team will have two additional non-division intraleague matchups (2 games). Matchups for the extra two intraleague matchups will be determined by the prior season's records. Teams with the two best records in one division in a league will face the teams with the two best records in the other division in that league, and vice versa for the two teams with the worst records in their divisions.

The Commissioner(s) will implement "road trips" where teams play out of their divisions multiple weeks in a row. However, road trips may not be so long that they create a competitive imbalance for teams on long away stretches (as a result of being disfavored in weekly tiebreakers for such periods).

== Scoring ==
Lucid Dream Baseball scores the ten active batters and up to eleven active pitchers each day on the following statistics:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" width="500"
|-
! colspan="2" | LDB Scoring
|-
! width="200" | Batters
! Pitchers
|-
| On-Base Percentage (OBP)
| Modified Game Starts (MGS): 3*IP + 2(IP-4) + K - 2H - 4ER - 2(R-ER) - BB
|-
| On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage (OPS): OBP + SLG
| Adjusted WHIP (aWHIP): (H + BB + HBP)/INN
|-
| Runs Scored (R)
| VIJAY: (RIP+3*SV+3*HLD-8*BS-8*RL)/4
|-
| Adjusted Runs Batted In (aRBI) = RBI - GIDP
| Home Runs Allowed (HRA)
|-
| Home Runs (HR)
| Pitcher Strikeouts (K)
|-
| Adjusted Stolen Bases (ASB): SB - CS/2
| Earned Run Average (ERA)
|}

As in baseball, there can be no ties. If a statistical category ends in a tie at the conclusion of a week, the home team will win all such categories. However, any margin of victory in any statistical category, however small, is a victory and not a tie.

== Roster Requirements ==
Each week, each team must meet: the league minimum innings pitched requirement (IP) of 44 innings per week; have an eligible player in each positional roster spot (except designated hitter spots) each day; accumulate a minimum of 50 plate appearances per week; and maintain a roster of 31 players or less (or 26 during playoff matches).

If a team fails to meet these minimum requirements, the following penalties are applied:

=== Batting and Fielding Penalties ===
For every batter missing from a team's lineup on a game day, that team receives one "AAA start" for each missing player, which is 0H, 5 AB with 2 GIDP. After three separate days of batting roster violations, the team is penalized $0.5 million per player per day. The ﬁnes will be deducted from the following season’s payroll.

Teams that fail to accumulate 50 plate appearances in a week will forfeit all offensive categories in that matchup.

=== Pitching Penalties ===
If a team fails to reach the required 44 innings pitched in a given week, that team will automatically lose the following categories: MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA, and VIJAY. These losses will count as losses in the standings and will be known throughout the league as FUs,<ref>Fuck-ups</ref>. In the event two teams playing each other both miss the 44-inning requirement, both will be assigned FUs. Should a team miss the innings requirement more than once, there will be an increasing penalty scale as follows:

* First infraction: warning
* Second infraction: $1 million fine
* Third infraction: $3 million fine
* Fourth infraction: $5 million fine
* Fifth infraction: loss of team's next AA draft pick in possession at the time of the infraction

=== Roster Penalties ===

====Regular Season====
If a team has a roster in excess of the 31-man limit there are potential penalties. At the conclusion of the league year, the Commissioner(s) will run a report on each team's roster for the season recently completed. If teams were over the 31-man limit, they will be penalized as follows: 1) no fine for only one day over the limit; 2) $0.25M per player over the limit for two consecutive days; 3) $0.5M per player per day in violation starting on the third consecutive day. If a team has more than 5 one-day violations, it will be fined $1.0M for each additional instance after the first five. Only days where at least one regular-season MLB game is played will the financial penalties apply (e.g., the All Star Break is excluded from a consecutive days analysis).
If a team is discovered to have a roster in excess of the 31-man limit in-season, the team must play with a roster below the 31-man roster limit for the number of days and players the team was above the limit for (e.g., if a team was discovered to be over the limit by 1 player for 3 days, it must play the next 3 days with only 30 players on their roster, etc.) This will be known as a "Sloppy Roster" penalty. A team must institute a Sloppy Roster immediately upon discovery by the Commissioner(s). As with the fines, Sloppy Roster penalties will only be applied on days where there is at least one regular season MLB game.

Once the end-of-season audit is complete, owners will be given a 2-week period to review any financial penalties, and to seek Commissioner Relief from penalties. Relief will be decided pursuant to the rules on [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]].

====Playoffs====
If an owner fails to set a legal playoff roster before rosters lock on the first day of a playoff week, all active players will automatically be considered part of the 26 man playoff roster. The remaining spots will be assigned to bench players in the order that they appear in MLB games until a team reaches 26 players. If a team starts players such that its roster exceeds the 26-man limit and the violation is discovered during the same playoff period in which it occurred, the team will be: (1) penalized the same as if it had violated the roster limit during the regular season and (2) have any stats accrued by such players removed from the current playoff matchup without another player’s stats being substituted. For any such violations discovered after a playoff period closes, a team will incur financial penalties the same as if it violated the roster limit during the regular season, except that the financial penalty will be five times the regular season penalty.

Teams on bye weeks in both the Championship and McQueeney brackets must abide by the regular season 31-man roster plus 6-man IL rules. Teams on byes in the Championship brackets must follow the same rules as if they are playing that week in the LDB playoffs, and all relevant rules will apply. Teams in the McQueeney bracket will not be fined for violations of the 31-man roster rule, but will still be subject to the "Sloppy Roster" penalty, including on bye weeks. Sloppy Roster penalties incurred during bye weeks will be applied once teams are no longer on byes.

====Offseason====
During the offseason, teams carry more than 31 players on its active roster. However, each team's rosters must be legal by the first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction. If a team's roster is "sloppy" to start the season, it will be fined $1M.

== McQueeney Performance Penalties <ref>Known as "McQueeneys"</ref>==
The McQueeney Performance Penalty deducts LDB cash from a team's subsequent yearly budget when that team finishes the regular season with a sub-.400 winning percentage (including any FU losses and excluding any FU wins where the team would have lost the category but for their opponent's FU loss) in the second half of the regular season. The "McQueeneys" will be assessed according to the following formula:

:In the first half, each win below 48 carries a penalty of $500K. In the second half, each win below 48 carries a penalty of $750K. The maximum penalty for each half is set at 32 losses (i.e., $8M for the first half, and $12M for the second half). The maximum total penalty will be set at $20M. This formula will be adjusted as appropriate if LDB moves to a schedule that does not include exactly 120 second-half games.

Additionally:

*The McQueeney Penalties shall be capped at a $20 million maximum potential fine.
*The Commissioner(s) may, at their discretion, grant an exemption from the penalties for any team that actively and competently manages its roster throughout the season and does not make a concerted effort to sell players on its active major league roster for future value (i.e., draft picks, cash, or AA players).

For example, a team with 47 second-half wins would incur a $1.25 million penalty, a team with 46 second-half wins would incur a $2.5 million penalty, etc. A team with 32 or fewer second-half wins would incur the maximum penalty of $20 million.

McQueeney penalties for missed innings belong to owners, not teams. When an owner leaves LDB, their McQueeney penalties go with them. A new owner is not responsible for paying the McQueeney penalties that team's previous owner incurred.

However, a new owner can choose to pay the previous owner’s McQueeney penalties and instead opt to be exempt from McQueeney penalties during the new owner's first year of ownership. A team who chooses this option must still actively and competently manage his team, however, or else the Commissioner(s) may override the exemption and impose the fines in full or in part at their discretion. Additionally, this exemption is only available in the event a departing owner leaves with an outstanding fine of $5 million or more. These provisions apply equally to owners who have and have not owned an LDB team previously.

== All-Star Break ==
LDB will not hold regular games during the week of the MLB All-Star Game. That week, at the option of the Commissioner(s), LDB will: (1) hold an LDB All-Star Game and, (2) if easily accomplished, fold any official MLB stats accrued that week into the subsequent week.

The All-Star Game will be held between the Federal League and the Union Association and use official MLB statistics accrued during the week of the MLB All-Star Break. The Commissioner(s) will announce the logistics for such a game, and each of the divisions will select and announce players for the game. All-Star teams can list starting pitcher alternates in case their starters do not pitch at all.

The league that wins the LDB All-Star Game will have home field advantage in the Lucid Dream Series and McQueeney Cup final.

Each league's team will be managed by the owner of the prior season's league champion. The manager will be in charge of conducting the voting for his league's players and tracking their stats. All-Star teams will consist of a full lineup, three starting pitchers, and two relievers. There will be no alternates or lineup changes; if a player goes on the IL or misses the weekend, their spot remains empty. Every team in the league must have at least one player on their league's All-star team. The All-Star Game will use regular season scoring categories. The manager must report the final stats on the Monday following the All-star break and should report the daily stats on Saturday and Sunday.<ref>An easy way to track such scores is to use CBS's "Scout Team" page using the "Last 7 Days" viewing option. The manager may need to calculate rate stats separately.</ref>

There is no home field advantage in the All-Star Game; category ties are treated as ties. If the final score is tied, tiebreakers will be as follows: HR, aSB, Ka, R, RBI, OPS, VIJAY, OBP, WHIP, ERA, MGS.

The Commissioner(s) have discretion to adjust these rules unilaterally prior to the LDB All-Star Game if they deem it necessary. Changes after the All-Star Game has begun require a majority vote.

== Playoffs ==

=== Advancing to the Playoffs ===
LDB Playoffs occur after the regular season concludes. Eight teams make the playoffs: the four division winners and four wild card teams, two from each league. The wild card teams from each league first play each other in a wild card round. The winners of the wild card round advance to the Lucid Division series, where they will play the division winner in their respective leagues with the second best league record (that division winner therefore gets a one-round bye). The winner of the Lucid Division Series advances to the Lucid Championship Series, where they face the team with the best record in their league (the league winner therefore gets a double bye). The home team in the Lucid Dream Series is determined by the winner of the [[#All-Star_Break|All-Star Game]]. The tiebreakers to determine which teams make the playoffs, determine seeding, and home field advantage in the event no LDB All-Star Game takes place are as follows:

# Overall Points
# Head-to-head Record
# Head-to-head Record Excluding Tie Wins
# Wins (excluding tie wins from standings points)
# Intra-division Record
# Overall Roto Performance
# Commissioner(s)’s Coin Flip (with witnesses)

In case three teams are tied in overall points, a three team head-to-head tiebreaker is resolved by independent pairwise comparisons. For example:

:Consider 3 teams: A, B, and C:
:* A beat B in Week 1, 9-5
:* A beat C in Week 2, 10-4
:* B beat A in Week 3, 13-1
:* B tied C in Week 4, 7-7
:* B beat C in Week 5, 8-6
:* C beat A in Week 6, 11-3

:Therefore, head-to-head:
:A vs. B = (9+1) vs. (5+13) = 10 vs. 18.
:So B > A

:A vs. C = (10+3) vs. (4+11) = 13 vs. 15.
:So C > A

:B vs. C = (7+8) vs (7+6) = 15 vs. 13
:So B > C

:Therefore, B>C>A, and so B and C make the playoffs. Theoretically, if A = C in head-to-head, we would have to go to the normal tie-breaking regime above.

In the event pairwise comparison of head-to-head points is circular, then pairwise comparisons of totals runs scored in head-to-head matchups is the next category used. If this is also circular, then total head-to-head HR then K then aRBI are applied (in that order). If still tied, then tiebreaker is determined by fiat by the LDB Commissioner(s)’s preferred method (rock-paper-scissors suggested but not required).

=== Playoff Rosters ===
Once playoff rosters lock for the first time, player adds and drops may only be made by teams that have not been eliminated from their respective post-season brackets. The league will run waivers on Monday morning of each playoff week, and the waiver order will be randomized each week as follows: first, the order of the remaining playoff teams will be randomized, and then subsequently the order of the remaining teams in the McQueeney bracket will be randomized, and will follow the last playoff team. Once waivers have run, additional players may be added until the first MLB game begins on Monday. However, in the event a player comes off the IL after rosters lock, there is no roster violation, but the owner must drop a player within 24 hours or prior to the start of their next matchup, whichever comes first.

Playoff rosters contain 26 players and lock at the start of each playoff round. The 26-man playoff roster consists of: active position players, reserve position players, active pitchers, reserve pitchers, and players potentially activated from the IL. Once rosters lock on Monday of each playoff week, players cannot be promoted from AA until the following Monday. However:

* Players on the IL may be added to the 26-man roster after rosters lock if there is a space reserved for their potential activation.
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster is placed on the IL at any point during the week, an owner may add another player from their 31-man roster to their 26-man roster
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster has not yet played in an MLB game during the playoff week, that player may be swapped out for another player on a team's 31-man roster at any time.

Once a player has been moved off the 26-man roster, he cannot be re-added to the roster. For convenience, teams may place any player who is not on their 26-man roster on any minor league roster.

Players within the 26-man roster may be freely subbed in and out during the playoffs. Each playoff team must accumulate at least 30 IP per playoff week or else they will lose MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA and VIJAY, just as they would in the regular season.

=== Playoff Scoring ===

Scoring stats for playoff matchups are identical to the regular season's scoring stats.

In the event of a tied category, ties are not awarded to the home team as in the regular season. The team with more wins advances except in situations where there are more ties than wins for either team, in which case a tie results.

In the event of a playoff tie in points, such games will be decided by a tiebreaker pairing offensive and pitching categories, in the following ranked order:

:OPS/ERA
:OBP/aWHIP
:HR/K
:aRBI/HRA
:R/MGS
:aSB/VIJAY

The team that wins the highest ranked pair of categories shall be declared the winner. If all category pairs are split, then the team with the greatest margin of victory in the highest ranked category shall be declared the winner.

:Example 1 (simple tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and ERA. Team A is declared the winner.

:Example 2 (third pair tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and OBP. Team B wins ERA, aWHIP, HR, and K. Team B is declared the winner.

:Example 3 (margin of victory tiebreaker): Team A wins all offensive categories. Team B wins all pitching categories. Team A wins OPS .850 to .790 (60 point delta). Team B wins ERA 3.50 to 3.00 (50 point delta). Team A is declared the winner (60 point delta to 50 point delta).

=== The McQueeney Cup ===
LDB will award the McQueeney Cup each season to the non-playoff team that wins the McQueeney Cup bracket, which will be played over three rounds in parallel to LDB playoffs. Union and Federal ladders are composed of each divisions' respective four non-playoff teams, seeded in order of regular season finish. The final round includes the winners of the Union and Federal portions of the bracket. The winner of the McQueeney Cup will receive a AA draft pick in the following season's AA Draft that is sandwiched between the first and second round of that draft. In all other respects, McQueeney Cup games are decided as a regular playoff game. The winner of the McQueeney Cup may choose to either take the sandwich round pick or forfeit that pick in exchange for wiping McQueeney penalties to $0, should the team have any.

<references/>

The Game

2025-02-21T18:29:55Z

Ldbrules: /* McQueeney Performance Penalties Known as "McQueeneys" */

LDB is divided into two subsidiary leagues: the Federal League and the Union Association. Each league has two four-team divisions. During the regular season, each team will play another team for one week at a time (Monday to Sunday)<ref>With the exception of the first and eleventh weeks, which may extend beyond seven days.</ref> for a total of 20 weeks, with each statistical category representing one game, meaning 12 games are in play each week. After the regular season, top-performing teams advance to the playoffs.

== Schedule ==
Scheduling will be announced by the Commissioner(s) before the [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]] each year. During the regular season, each team will play the other three teams in their own division twice (6 games), each other team once (12 games), and each team will have two additional non-division intraleague matchups (2 games). Matchups for the extra two intraleague matchups will be determined by the prior season's records. Teams with the two best records in one division in a league will face the teams with the two best records in the other division in that league, and vice versa for the two teams with the worst records in their divisions.

The Commissioner(s) will implement "road trips" where teams play out of their divisions multiple weeks in a row. However, road trips may not be so long that they create a competitive imbalance for teams on long away stretches (as a result of being disfavored in weekly tiebreakers for such periods).

== Scoring ==
Lucid Dream Baseball scores the ten active batters and up to eleven active pitchers each day on the following statistics:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" width="500"
|-
! colspan="2" | LDB Scoring
|-
! width="200" | Batters
! Pitchers
|-
| On-Base Percentage (OBP)
| Modified Game Starts (MGS): 3*IP + 2(IP-4) + K - 2H - 4ER - 2(R-ER) - BB
|-
| On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage (OPS): OBP + SLG
| Adjusted WHIP (aWHIP): (H + BB + HBP)/INN
|-
| Runs Scored (R)
| VIJAY: (RIP+3*SV+3*HLD-8*BS-8*RL)/4
|-
| Adjusted Runs Batted In (aRBI) = RBI - GIDP
| Home Runs Allowed (HRA)
|-
| Home Runs (HR)
| Pitcher Strikeouts (K)
|-
| Adjusted Stolen Bases (ASB): SB - CS/2
| Earned Run Average (ERA)
|}

As in baseball, there can be no ties. If a statistical category ends in a tie at the conclusion of a week, the home team will win all such categories. However, any margin of victory in any statistical category, however small, is a victory and not a tie.

== Roster Requirements ==
Each week, each team must meet: the league minimum innings pitched requirement (IP) of 44 innings per week; have an eligible player in each positional roster spot (except designated hitter spots) each day; accumulate a minimum of 50 plate appearances per week; and maintain a roster of 31 players or less (or 26 during playoff matches).

If a team fails to meet these minimum requirements, the following penalties are applied:

=== Batting and Fielding Penalties ===
For every batter missing from a team's lineup on a game day, that team receives one "AAA start" for each missing player, which is 0H, 5 AB with 2 GIDP. After three separate days of batting roster violations, the team is penalized $0.5 million per player per day. The ﬁnes will be deducted from the following season’s payroll.

Teams that fail to accumulate 50 plate appearances in a week will forfeit all offensive categories in that matchup.

=== Pitching Penalties ===
If a team fails to reach the required 44 innings pitched in a given week, that team will automatically lose the following categories: MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA, and VIJAY. These losses will count as losses in the standings and will be known throughout the league as FUs,<ref>Fuck-ups</ref>. In the event two teams playing each other both miss the 44-inning requirement, both will be assigned FUs. Should a team miss the innings requirement more than once, there will be an increasing penalty scale as follows:

* First infraction: warning
* Second infraction: $1 million fine
* Third infraction: $3 million fine
* Fourth infraction: $5 million fine
* Fifth infraction: loss of team's next AA draft pick in possession at the time of the infraction

=== Roster Penalties ===

====Regular Season====
If a team has a roster in excess of the 31-man limit there are potential penalties. At the conclusion of the league year, the Commissioner(s) will run a report on each team's roster for the season recently completed. If teams were over the 31-man limit, they will be penalized as follows: 1) no fine for only one day over the limit; 2) $0.25M per player over the limit for two consecutive days; 3) $0.5M per player per day in violation starting on the third consecutive day. If a team has more than 5 one-day violations, it will be fined $1.0M for each additional instance after the first five. Only days where at least one regular-season MLB game is played will the financial penalties apply (e.g., the All Star Break is excluded from a consecutive days analysis).
If a team is discovered to have a roster in excess of the 31-man limit in-season, the team must play with a roster below the 31-man roster limit for the number of days and players the team was above the limit for (e.g., if a team was discovered to be over the limit by 1 player for 3 days, it must play the next 3 days with only 30 players on their roster, etc.) This will be known as a "Sloppy Roster" penalty. A team must institute a Sloppy Roster immediately upon discovery by the Commissioner(s). As with the fines, Sloppy Roster penalties will only be applied on days where there is at least one regular season MLB game.

Once the end-of-season audit is complete, owners will be given a 2-week period to review any financial penalties, and to seek Commissioner Relief from penalties. Relief will be decided pursuant to the rules on [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]].

====Playoffs====
If an owner fails to set a legal playoff roster before rosters lock on the first day of a playoff week, all active players will automatically be considered part of the 26 man playoff roster. The remaining spots will be assigned to bench players in the order that they appear in MLB games until a team reaches 26 players. If a team starts players such that its roster exceeds the 26-man limit and the violation is discovered during the same playoff period in which it occurred, the team will be: (1) penalized the same as if it had violated the roster limit during the regular season and (2) have any stats accrued by such players removed from the current playoff matchup without another player’s stats being substituted. For any such violations discovered after a playoff period closes, a team will incur financial penalties the same as if it violated the roster limit during the regular season, except that the financial penalty will be five times the regular season penalty.

Teams on bye weeks in both the Championship and McQueeney brackets must abide by the regular season 31-man roster plus 6-man IL rules. Teams on byes in the Championship brackets must follow the same rules as if they are playing that week in the LDB playoffs, and all relevant rules will apply. Teams in the McQueeney bracket will not be fined for violations of the 31-man roster rule, but will still be subject to the "Sloppy Roster" penalty, including on bye weeks. Sloppy Roster penalties incurred during bye weeks will be applied once teams are no longer on byes.

====Offseason====
During the offseason, teams carry more than 31 players on its active roster. However, each team's rosters must be legal by the first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction. If a team's roster is "sloppy" to start the season, it will be fined $1M.

== McQueeney Performance Penalties <ref>Known as "McQueeneys"</ref>==
The McQueeney Performance Penalty deducts LDB cash from a team's subsequent yearly budget when that team finishes the regular season with a sub-.400 winning percentage (including any FU losses and excluding any FU wins where the team would have lost the category but for their opponent's FU loss) in the second half of the regular season. The "McQueeneys" will be assessed according to the following formula:

:For a team with x second-half wins, (48-x)*LDB$1.25 million. This formula will be adjusted as appropriate if LDB moves to a schedule that does not include exactly 120 second-half games.

Additionally:

*The McQueeney Penalties shall be capped at a $20 million maximum potential fine.
*The Commissioner(s) may, at their discretion, grant an exemption from the penalties for any team that actively and competently manages its roster throughout the season and does not make a concerted effort to sell players on its active major league roster for future value (i.e., draft picks, cash, or AA players).

For example, a team with 47 second-half wins would incur a $1.25 million penalty, a team with 46 second-half wins would incur a $2.5 million penalty, etc. A team with 32 or fewer second-half wins would incur the maximum penalty of $20 million.

McQueeney penalties for missed innings belong to owners, not teams. When an owner leaves LDB, their McQueeney penalties go with them. A new owner is not responsible for paying the McQueeney penalties that team's previous owner incurred.

However, a new owner can choose to pay the previous owner’s McQueeney penalties and instead opt to be exempt from McQueeney penalties during the new owner's first year of ownership. A team who chooses this option must still actively and competently manage his team, however, or else the Commissioner(s) may override the exemption and impose the fines in full or in part at their discretion. Additionally, this exemption is only available in the event a departing owner leaves with an outstanding fine of $5 million or more. These provisions apply equally to owners who have and have not owned an LDB team previously.

== All-Star Break ==
LDB will not hold regular games during the week of the MLB All-Star Game. That week, at the option of the Commissioner(s), LDB will: (1) hold an LDB All-Star Game and, (2) if easily accomplished, fold any official MLB stats accrued that week into the subsequent week.

The All-Star Game will be held between the Federal League and the Union Association and use official MLB statistics accrued during the week of the MLB All-Star Break. The Commissioner(s) will announce the logistics for such a game, and each of the divisions will select and announce players for the game. All-Star teams can list starting pitcher alternates in case their starters do not pitch at all.

The league that wins the LDB All-Star Game will have home field advantage in the Lucid Dream Series and McQueeney Cup final.

Each league's team will be managed by the owner of the prior season's league champion. The manager will be in charge of conducting the voting for his league's players and tracking their stats. All-Star teams will consist of a full lineup, three starting pitchers, and two relievers. There will be no alternates or lineup changes; if a player goes on the IL or misses the weekend, their spot remains empty. Every team in the league must have at least one player on their league's All-star team. The All-Star Game will use regular season scoring categories. The manager must report the final stats on the Monday following the All-star break and should report the daily stats on Saturday and Sunday.<ref>An easy way to track such scores is to use CBS's "Scout Team" page using the "Last 7 Days" viewing option. The manager may need to calculate rate stats separately.</ref>

There is no home field advantage in the All-Star Game; category ties are treated as ties. If the final score is tied, tiebreakers will be as follows: HR, aSB, Ka, R, RBI, OPS, VIJAY, OBP, WHIP, ERA, MGS.

The Commissioner(s) have discretion to adjust these rules unilaterally prior to the LDB All-Star Game if they deem it necessary. Changes after the All-Star Game has begun require a majority vote.

== Playoffs ==

=== Advancing to the Playoffs ===
LDB Playoffs occur after the regular season concludes. Eight teams make the playoffs: the four division winners and four wild card teams, two from each league. The wild card teams from each league first play each other in a wild card round. The winners of the wild card round advance to the Lucid Division series, where they will play the division winner in their respective leagues with the second best league record (that division winner therefore gets a one-round bye). The winner of the Lucid Division Series advances to the Lucid Championship Series, where they face the team with the best record in their league (the league winner therefore gets a double bye). The home team in the Lucid Dream Series is determined by the winner of the [[#All-Star_Break|All-Star Game]]. The tiebreakers to determine which teams make the playoffs, determine seeding, and home field advantage in the event no LDB All-Star Game takes place are as follows:

# Overall Points
# Head-to-head Record
# Head-to-head Record Excluding Tie Wins
# Wins (excluding tie wins from standings points)
# Intra-division Record
# Overall Roto Performance
# Commissioner(s)’s Coin Flip (with witnesses)

In case three teams are tied in overall points, a three team head-to-head tiebreaker is resolved by independent pairwise comparisons. For example:

:Consider 3 teams: A, B, and C:
:* A beat B in Week 1, 9-5
:* A beat C in Week 2, 10-4
:* B beat A in Week 3, 13-1
:* B tied C in Week 4, 7-7
:* B beat C in Week 5, 8-6
:* C beat A in Week 6, 11-3

:Therefore, head-to-head:
:A vs. B = (9+1) vs. (5+13) = 10 vs. 18.
:So B > A

:A vs. C = (10+3) vs. (4+11) = 13 vs. 15.
:So C > A

:B vs. C = (7+8) vs (7+6) = 15 vs. 13
:So B > C

:Therefore, B>C>A, and so B and C make the playoffs. Theoretically, if A = C in head-to-head, we would have to go to the normal tie-breaking regime above.

In the event pairwise comparison of head-to-head points is circular, then pairwise comparisons of totals runs scored in head-to-head matchups is the next category used. If this is also circular, then total head-to-head HR then K then aRBI are applied (in that order). If still tied, then tiebreaker is determined by fiat by the LDB Commissioner(s)’s preferred method (rock-paper-scissors suggested but not required).

=== Playoff Rosters ===
Once playoff rosters lock for the first time, player adds and drops may only be made by teams that have not been eliminated from their respective post-season brackets. The league will run waivers on Monday morning of each playoff week, and the waiver order will be randomized each week as follows: first, the order of the remaining playoff teams will be randomized, and then subsequently the order of the remaining teams in the McQueeney bracket will be randomized, and will follow the last playoff team. Once waivers have run, additional players may be added until the first MLB game begins on Monday. However, in the event a player comes off the IL after rosters lock, there is no roster violation, but the owner must drop a player within 24 hours or prior to the start of their next matchup, whichever comes first.

Playoff rosters contain 26 players and lock at the start of each playoff round. The 26-man playoff roster consists of: active position players, reserve position players, active pitchers, reserve pitchers, and players potentially activated from the IL. Once rosters lock on Monday of each playoff week, players cannot be promoted from AA until the following Monday. However:

* Players on the IL may be added to the 26-man roster after rosters lock if there is a space reserved for their potential activation.
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster is placed on the IL at any point during the week, an owner may add another player from their 31-man roster to their 26-man roster
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster has not yet played in an MLB game during the playoff week, that player may be swapped out for another player on a team's 31-man roster at any time.

Once a player has been moved off the 26-man roster, he cannot be re-added to the roster. For convenience, teams may place any player who is not on their 26-man roster on any minor league roster.

Players within the 26-man roster may be freely subbed in and out during the playoffs. Each playoff team must accumulate at least 30 IP per playoff week or else they will lose MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA and VIJAY, just as they would in the regular season.

=== Playoff Scoring ===

Scoring stats for playoff matchups are identical to the regular season's scoring stats.

In the event of a tied category, ties are not awarded to the home team as in the regular season. The team with more wins advances except in situations where there are more ties than wins for either team, in which case a tie results.

In the event of a playoff tie in points, such games will be decided by a tiebreaker pairing offensive and pitching categories, in the following ranked order:

:OPS/ERA
:OBP/aWHIP
:HR/K
:aRBI/HRA
:R/MGS
:aSB/VIJAY

The team that wins the highest ranked pair of categories shall be declared the winner. If all category pairs are split, then the team with the greatest margin of victory in the highest ranked category shall be declared the winner.

:Example 1 (simple tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and ERA. Team A is declared the winner.

:Example 2 (third pair tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and OBP. Team B wins ERA, aWHIP, HR, and K. Team B is declared the winner.

:Example 3 (margin of victory tiebreaker): Team A wins all offensive categories. Team B wins all pitching categories. Team A wins OPS .850 to .790 (60 point delta). Team B wins ERA 3.50 to 3.00 (50 point delta). Team A is declared the winner (60 point delta to 50 point delta).

=== The McQueeney Cup ===
LDB will award the McQueeney Cup each season to the non-playoff team that wins the McQueeney Cup bracket, which will be played over three rounds in parallel to LDB playoffs. Union and Federal ladders are composed of each divisions' respective four non-playoff teams, seeded in order of regular season finish. The final round includes the winners of the Union and Federal portions of the bracket. The winner of the McQueeney Cup will receive a AA draft pick in the following season's AA Draft that is sandwiched between the first and second round of that draft. In all other respects, McQueeney Cup games are decided as a regular playoff game. The winner of the McQueeney Cup may choose to either take the sandwich round pick or forfeit that pick in exchange for wiping McQueeney penalties to $0, should the team have any.

<references/>

The Game

2025-02-21T18:28:17Z

Ldbrules: /* Playoffs */

LDB is divided into two subsidiary leagues: the Federal League and the Union Association. Each league has two four-team divisions. During the regular season, each team will play another team for one week at a time (Monday to Sunday)<ref>With the exception of the first and eleventh weeks, which may extend beyond seven days.</ref> for a total of 20 weeks, with each statistical category representing one game, meaning 12 games are in play each week. After the regular season, top-performing teams advance to the playoffs.

== Schedule ==
Scheduling will be announced by the Commissioner(s) before the [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]] each year. During the regular season, each team will play the other three teams in their own division twice (6 games), each other team once (12 games), and each team will have two additional non-division intraleague matchups (2 games). Matchups for the extra two intraleague matchups will be determined by the prior season's records. Teams with the two best records in one division in a league will face the teams with the two best records in the other division in that league, and vice versa for the two teams with the worst records in their divisions.

The Commissioner(s) will implement "road trips" where teams play out of their divisions multiple weeks in a row. However, road trips may not be so long that they create a competitive imbalance for teams on long away stretches (as a result of being disfavored in weekly tiebreakers for such periods).

== Scoring ==
Lucid Dream Baseball scores the ten active batters and up to eleven active pitchers each day on the following statistics:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" width="500"
|-
! colspan="2" | LDB Scoring
|-
! width="200" | Batters
! Pitchers
|-
| On-Base Percentage (OBP)
| Modified Game Starts (MGS): 3*IP + 2(IP-4) + K - 2H - 4ER - 2(R-ER) - BB
|-
| On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage (OPS): OBP + SLG
| Adjusted WHIP (aWHIP): (H + BB + HBP)/INN
|-
| Runs Scored (R)
| VIJAY: (RIP+3*SV+3*HLD-8*BS-8*RL)/4
|-
| Adjusted Runs Batted In (aRBI) = RBI - GIDP
| Home Runs Allowed (HRA)
|-
| Home Runs (HR)
| Pitcher Strikeouts (K)
|-
| Adjusted Stolen Bases (ASB): SB - CS/2
| Earned Run Average (ERA)
|}

As in baseball, there can be no ties. If a statistical category ends in a tie at the conclusion of a week, the home team will win all such categories. However, any margin of victory in any statistical category, however small, is a victory and not a tie.

== Roster Requirements ==
Each week, each team must meet: the league minimum innings pitched requirement (IP) of 44 innings per week; have an eligible player in each positional roster spot (except designated hitter spots) each day; accumulate a minimum of 50 plate appearances per week; and maintain a roster of 31 players or less (or 26 during playoff matches).

If a team fails to meet these minimum requirements, the following penalties are applied:

=== Batting and Fielding Penalties ===
For every batter missing from a team's lineup on a game day, that team receives one "AAA start" for each missing player, which is 0H, 5 AB with 2 GIDP. After three separate days of batting roster violations, the team is penalized $0.5 million per player per day. The ﬁnes will be deducted from the following season’s payroll.

Teams that fail to accumulate 50 plate appearances in a week will forfeit all offensive categories in that matchup.

=== Pitching Penalties ===
If a team fails to reach the required 44 innings pitched in a given week, that team will automatically lose the following categories: MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA, and VIJAY. These losses will count as losses in the standings and will be known throughout the league as FUs,<ref>Fuck-ups</ref>. In the event two teams playing each other both miss the 44-inning requirement, both will be assigned FUs. Should a team miss the innings requirement more than once, there will be an increasing penalty scale as follows:

* First infraction: warning
* Second infraction: $1 million fine
* Third infraction: $3 million fine
* Fourth infraction: $5 million fine
* Fifth infraction: loss of team's next AA draft pick in possession at the time of the infraction

=== Roster Penalties ===

====Regular Season====
If a team has a roster in excess of the 31-man limit there are potential penalties. At the conclusion of the league year, the Commissioner(s) will run a report on each team's roster for the season recently completed. If teams were over the 31-man limit, they will be penalized as follows: 1) no fine for only one day over the limit; 2) $0.25M per player over the limit for two consecutive days; 3) $0.5M per player per day in violation starting on the third consecutive day. If a team has more than 5 one-day violations, it will be fined $1.0M for each additional instance after the first five. Only days where at least one regular-season MLB game is played will the financial penalties apply (e.g., the All Star Break is excluded from a consecutive days analysis).
If a team is discovered to have a roster in excess of the 31-man limit in-season, the team must play with a roster below the 31-man roster limit for the number of days and players the team was above the limit for (e.g., if a team was discovered to be over the limit by 1 player for 3 days, it must play the next 3 days with only 30 players on their roster, etc.) This will be known as a "Sloppy Roster" penalty. A team must institute a Sloppy Roster immediately upon discovery by the Commissioner(s). As with the fines, Sloppy Roster penalties will only be applied on days where there is at least one regular season MLB game.

Once the end-of-season audit is complete, owners will be given a 2-week period to review any financial penalties, and to seek Commissioner Relief from penalties. Relief will be decided pursuant to the rules on [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]].

====Playoffs====
If an owner fails to set a legal playoff roster before rosters lock on the first day of a playoff week, all active players will automatically be considered part of the 26 man playoff roster. The remaining spots will be assigned to bench players in the order that they appear in MLB games until a team reaches 26 players. If a team starts players such that its roster exceeds the 26-man limit and the violation is discovered during the same playoff period in which it occurred, the team will be: (1) penalized the same as if it had violated the roster limit during the regular season and (2) have any stats accrued by such players removed from the current playoff matchup without another player’s stats being substituted. For any such violations discovered after a playoff period closes, a team will incur financial penalties the same as if it violated the roster limit during the regular season, except that the financial penalty will be five times the regular season penalty.

Teams on bye weeks in both the Championship and McQueeney brackets must abide by the regular season 31-man roster plus 6-man IL rules. Teams on byes in the Championship brackets must follow the same rules as if they are playing that week in the LDB playoffs, and all relevant rules will apply. Teams in the McQueeney bracket will not be fined for violations of the 31-man roster rule, but will still be subject to the "Sloppy Roster" penalty, including on bye weeks. Sloppy Roster penalties incurred during bye weeks will be applied once teams are no longer on byes.

====Offseason====
During the offseason, teams carry more than 31 players on its active roster. However, each team's rosters must be legal by the first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction. If a team's roster is "sloppy" to start the season, it will be fined $1M.

== McQueeney Performance Penalties <ref>Known as "McQueeneys"</ref>==
The McQueeney Performance Penalty deducts LDB cash from a team's subsequent yearly budget when that team finishes the regular season with a sub-.400 winning percentage (including any FU losses and excluding any FU wins) in the second half of the regular season. The "McQueeneys" will be assessed according to the following formula:

:For a team with x second-half wins, (48-x)*LDB$1.25 million. This formula will be adjusted as appropriate if LDB moves to a schedule that does not include exactly 120 second-half games.

Additionally:

*The McQueeney Penalties shall be capped at a $20 million maximum potential fine.
*The Commissioner(s) may, at their discretion, grant an exemption from the penalties for any team that actively and competently manages its roster throughout the season and does not make a concerted effort to sell players on its active major league roster for future value (i.e., draft picks, cash, or AA players).

For example, a team with 47 second-half wins would incur a $1.25 million penalty, a team with 46 second-half wins would incur a $2.5 million penalty, etc. A team with 32 or fewer second-half wins would incur the maximum penalty of $20 million.

McQueeney penalties for missed innings belong to owners, not teams. When an owner leaves LDB, their McQueeney penalties go with them. A new owner is not responsible for paying the McQueeney penalties that team's previous owner incurred.

However, a new owner can choose to pay the previous owner’s McQueeney penalties and instead opt to be exempt from McQueeney penalties during the new owner's first year of ownership. A team who chooses this option must still actively and competently manage his team, however, or else the Commissioner(s) may override the exemption and impose the fines in full or in part at their discretion. Additionally, this exemption is only available in the event a departing owner leaves with an outstanding fine of $5 million or more. These provisions apply equally to owners who have and have not owned an LDB team previously.

== All-Star Break ==
LDB will not hold regular games during the week of the MLB All-Star Game. That week, at the option of the Commissioner(s), LDB will: (1) hold an LDB All-Star Game and, (2) if easily accomplished, fold any official MLB stats accrued that week into the subsequent week.

The All-Star Game will be held between the Federal League and the Union Association and use official MLB statistics accrued during the week of the MLB All-Star Break. The Commissioner(s) will announce the logistics for such a game, and each of the divisions will select and announce players for the game. All-Star teams can list starting pitcher alternates in case their starters do not pitch at all.

The league that wins the LDB All-Star Game will have home field advantage in the Lucid Dream Series and McQueeney Cup final.

Each league's team will be managed by the owner of the prior season's league champion. The manager will be in charge of conducting the voting for his league's players and tracking their stats. All-Star teams will consist of a full lineup, three starting pitchers, and two relievers. There will be no alternates or lineup changes; if a player goes on the IL or misses the weekend, their spot remains empty. Every team in the league must have at least one player on their league's All-star team. The All-Star Game will use regular season scoring categories. The manager must report the final stats on the Monday following the All-star break and should report the daily stats on Saturday and Sunday.<ref>An easy way to track such scores is to use CBS's "Scout Team" page using the "Last 7 Days" viewing option. The manager may need to calculate rate stats separately.</ref>

There is no home field advantage in the All-Star Game; category ties are treated as ties. If the final score is tied, tiebreakers will be as follows: HR, aSB, Ka, R, RBI, OPS, VIJAY, OBP, WHIP, ERA, MGS.

The Commissioner(s) have discretion to adjust these rules unilaterally prior to the LDB All-Star Game if they deem it necessary. Changes after the All-Star Game has begun require a majority vote.

== Playoffs ==

=== Advancing to the Playoffs ===
LDB Playoffs occur after the regular season concludes. Eight teams make the playoffs: the four division winners and four wild card teams, two from each league. The wild card teams from each league first play each other in a wild card round. The winners of the wild card round advance to the Lucid Division series, where they will play the division winner in their respective leagues with the second best league record (that division winner therefore gets a one-round bye). The winner of the Lucid Division Series advances to the Lucid Championship Series, where they face the team with the best record in their league (the league winner therefore gets a double bye). The home team in the Lucid Dream Series is determined by the winner of the [[#All-Star_Break|All-Star Game]]. The tiebreakers to determine which teams make the playoffs, determine seeding, and home field advantage in the event no LDB All-Star Game takes place are as follows:

# Overall Points
# Head-to-head Record
# Head-to-head Record Excluding Tie Wins
# Wins (excluding tie wins from standings points)
# Intra-division Record
# Overall Roto Performance
# Commissioner(s)’s Coin Flip (with witnesses)

In case three teams are tied in overall points, a three team head-to-head tiebreaker is resolved by independent pairwise comparisons. For example:

:Consider 3 teams: A, B, and C:
:* A beat B in Week 1, 9-5
:* A beat C in Week 2, 10-4
:* B beat A in Week 3, 13-1
:* B tied C in Week 4, 7-7
:* B beat C in Week 5, 8-6
:* C beat A in Week 6, 11-3

:Therefore, head-to-head:
:A vs. B = (9+1) vs. (5+13) = 10 vs. 18.
:So B > A

:A vs. C = (10+3) vs. (4+11) = 13 vs. 15.
:So C > A

:B vs. C = (7+8) vs (7+6) = 15 vs. 13
:So B > C

:Therefore, B>C>A, and so B and C make the playoffs. Theoretically, if A = C in head-to-head, we would have to go to the normal tie-breaking regime above.

In the event pairwise comparison of head-to-head points is circular, then pairwise comparisons of totals runs scored in head-to-head matchups is the next category used. If this is also circular, then total head-to-head HR then K then aRBI are applied (in that order). If still tied, then tiebreaker is determined by fiat by the LDB Commissioner(s)’s preferred method (rock-paper-scissors suggested but not required).

=== Playoff Rosters ===
Once playoff rosters lock for the first time, player adds and drops may only be made by teams that have not been eliminated from their respective post-season brackets. The league will run waivers on Monday morning of each playoff week, and the waiver order will be randomized each week as follows: first, the order of the remaining playoff teams will be randomized, and then subsequently the order of the remaining teams in the McQueeney bracket will be randomized, and will follow the last playoff team. Once waivers have run, additional players may be added until the first MLB game begins on Monday. However, in the event a player comes off the IL after rosters lock, there is no roster violation, but the owner must drop a player within 24 hours or prior to the start of their next matchup, whichever comes first.

Playoff rosters contain 26 players and lock at the start of each playoff round. The 26-man playoff roster consists of: active position players, reserve position players, active pitchers, reserve pitchers, and players potentially activated from the IL. Once rosters lock on Monday of each playoff week, players cannot be promoted from AA until the following Monday. However:

* Players on the IL may be added to the 26-man roster after rosters lock if there is a space reserved for their potential activation.
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster is placed on the IL at any point during the week, an owner may add another player from their 31-man roster to their 26-man roster
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster has not yet played in an MLB game during the playoff week, that player may be swapped out for another player on a team's 31-man roster at any time.

Once a player has been moved off the 26-man roster, he cannot be re-added to the roster. For convenience, teams may place any player who is not on their 26-man roster on any minor league roster.

Players within the 26-man roster may be freely subbed in and out during the playoffs. Each playoff team must accumulate at least 30 IP per playoff week or else they will lose MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA and VIJAY, just as they would in the regular season.

=== Playoff Scoring ===

Scoring stats for playoff matchups are identical to the regular season's scoring stats.

In the event of a tied category, ties are not awarded to the home team as in the regular season. The team with more wins advances except in situations where there are more ties than wins for either team, in which case a tie results.

In the event of a playoff tie in points, such games will be decided by a tiebreaker pairing offensive and pitching categories, in the following ranked order:

:OPS/ERA
:OBP/aWHIP
:HR/K
:aRBI/HRA
:R/MGS
:aSB/VIJAY

The team that wins the highest ranked pair of categories shall be declared the winner. If all category pairs are split, then the team with the greatest margin of victory in the highest ranked category shall be declared the winner.

:Example 1 (simple tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and ERA. Team A is declared the winner.

:Example 2 (third pair tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and OBP. Team B wins ERA, aWHIP, HR, and K. Team B is declared the winner.

:Example 3 (margin of victory tiebreaker): Team A wins all offensive categories. Team B wins all pitching categories. Team A wins OPS .850 to .790 (60 point delta). Team B wins ERA 3.50 to 3.00 (50 point delta). Team A is declared the winner (60 point delta to 50 point delta).

=== The McQueeney Cup ===
LDB will award the McQueeney Cup each season to the non-playoff team that wins the McQueeney Cup bracket, which will be played over three rounds in parallel to LDB playoffs. Union and Federal ladders are composed of each divisions' respective four non-playoff teams, seeded in order of regular season finish. The final round includes the winners of the Union and Federal portions of the bracket. The winner of the McQueeney Cup will receive a AA draft pick in the following season's AA Draft that is sandwiched between the first and second round of that draft. In all other respects, McQueeney Cup games are decided as a regular playoff game. The winner of the McQueeney Cup may choose to either take the sandwich round pick or forfeit that pick in exchange for wiping McQueeney penalties to $0, should the team have any.

<references/>

The Game

2025-02-21T18:28:06Z

Ldbrules: /* Roster Penalties */

LDB is divided into two subsidiary leagues: the Federal League and the Union Association. Each league has two four-team divisions. During the regular season, each team will play another team for one week at a time (Monday to Sunday)<ref>With the exception of the first and eleventh weeks, which may extend beyond seven days.</ref> for a total of 20 weeks, with each statistical category representing one game, meaning 12 games are in play each week. After the regular season, top-performing teams advance to the playoffs.

== Schedule ==
Scheduling will be announced by the Commissioner(s) before the [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]] each year. During the regular season, each team will play the other three teams in their own division twice (6 games), each other team once (12 games), and each team will have two additional non-division intraleague matchups (2 games). Matchups for the extra two intraleague matchups will be determined by the prior season's records. Teams with the two best records in one division in a league will face the teams with the two best records in the other division in that league, and vice versa for the two teams with the worst records in their divisions.

The Commissioner(s) will implement "road trips" where teams play out of their divisions multiple weeks in a row. However, road trips may not be so long that they create a competitive imbalance for teams on long away stretches (as a result of being disfavored in weekly tiebreakers for such periods).

== Scoring ==
Lucid Dream Baseball scores the ten active batters and up to eleven active pitchers each day on the following statistics:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" width="500"
|-
! colspan="2" | LDB Scoring
|-
! width="200" | Batters
! Pitchers
|-
| On-Base Percentage (OBP)
| Modified Game Starts (MGS): 3*IP + 2(IP-4) + K - 2H - 4ER - 2(R-ER) - BB
|-
| On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage (OPS): OBP + SLG
| Adjusted WHIP (aWHIP): (H + BB + HBP)/INN
|-
| Runs Scored (R)
| VIJAY: (RIP+3*SV+3*HLD-8*BS-8*RL)/4
|-
| Adjusted Runs Batted In (aRBI) = RBI - GIDP
| Home Runs Allowed (HRA)
|-
| Home Runs (HR)
| Pitcher Strikeouts (K)
|-
| Adjusted Stolen Bases (ASB): SB - CS/2
| Earned Run Average (ERA)
|}

As in baseball, there can be no ties. If a statistical category ends in a tie at the conclusion of a week, the home team will win all such categories. However, any margin of victory in any statistical category, however small, is a victory and not a tie.

== Roster Requirements ==
Each week, each team must meet: the league minimum innings pitched requirement (IP) of 44 innings per week; have an eligible player in each positional roster spot (except designated hitter spots) each day; accumulate a minimum of 50 plate appearances per week; and maintain a roster of 31 players or less (or 26 during playoff matches).

If a team fails to meet these minimum requirements, the following penalties are applied:

=== Batting and Fielding Penalties ===
For every batter missing from a team's lineup on a game day, that team receives one "AAA start" for each missing player, which is 0H, 5 AB with 2 GIDP. After three separate days of batting roster violations, the team is penalized $0.5 million per player per day. The ﬁnes will be deducted from the following season’s payroll.

Teams that fail to accumulate 50 plate appearances in a week will forfeit all offensive categories in that matchup.

=== Pitching Penalties ===
If a team fails to reach the required 44 innings pitched in a given week, that team will automatically lose the following categories: MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA, and VIJAY. These losses will count as losses in the standings and will be known throughout the league as FUs,<ref>Fuck-ups</ref>. In the event two teams playing each other both miss the 44-inning requirement, both will be assigned FUs. Should a team miss the innings requirement more than once, there will be an increasing penalty scale as follows:

* First infraction: warning
* Second infraction: $1 million fine
* Third infraction: $3 million fine
* Fourth infraction: $5 million fine
* Fifth infraction: loss of team's next AA draft pick in possession at the time of the infraction

=== Roster Penalties ===

====Regular Season====
If a team has a roster in excess of the 31-man limit there are potential penalties. At the conclusion of the league year, the Commissioner(s) will run a report on each team's roster for the season recently completed. If teams were over the 31-man limit, they will be penalized as follows: 1) no fine for only one day over the limit; 2) $0.25M per player over the limit for two consecutive days; 3) $0.5M per player per day in violation starting on the third consecutive day. If a team has more than 5 one-day violations, it will be fined $1.0M for each additional instance after the first five. Only days where at least one regular-season MLB game is played will the financial penalties apply (e.g., the All Star Break is excluded from a consecutive days analysis).
If a team is discovered to have a roster in excess of the 31-man limit in-season, the team must play with a roster below the 31-man roster limit for the number of days and players the team was above the limit for (e.g., if a team was discovered to be over the limit by 1 player for 3 days, it must play the next 3 days with only 30 players on their roster, etc.) This will be known as a "Sloppy Roster" penalty. A team must institute a Sloppy Roster immediately upon discovery by the Commissioner(s). As with the fines, Sloppy Roster penalties will only be applied on days where there is at least one regular season MLB game.

Once the end-of-season audit is complete, owners will be given a 2-week period to review any financial penalties, and to seek Commissioner Relief from penalties. Relief will be decided pursuant to the rules on [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]].

====Playoffs====
If an owner fails to set a legal playoff roster before rosters lock on the first day of a playoff week, all active players will automatically be considered part of the 26 man playoff roster. The remaining spots will be assigned to bench players in the order that they appear in MLB games until a team reaches 26 players. If a team starts players such that its roster exceeds the 26-man limit and the violation is discovered during the same playoff period in which it occurred, the team will be: (1) penalized the same as if it had violated the roster limit during the regular season and (2) have any stats accrued by such players removed from the current playoff matchup without another player’s stats being substituted. For any such violations discovered after a playoff period closes, a team will incur financial penalties the same as if it violated the roster limit during the regular season, except that the financial penalty will be five times the regular season penalty.
Teams on bye weeks in both the Championship and McQueeney brackets must abide by the regular season 31-man roster plus 6-man IL rules. Teams on byes in the Championship brackets must follow the same rules as if they are playing that week in the LDB playoffs, and all relevant rules will apply. Teams in the McQueeney bracket will not be fined for violations of the 31-man roster rule, but will still be subject to the "Sloppy Roster" penalty, including on bye weeks. Sloppy Roster penalties incurred during bye weeks will be applied once teams are no longer on byes.

====Offseason====
During the offseason, teams carry more than 31 players on its active roster. However, each team's rosters must be legal by the first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction. If a team's roster is "sloppy" to start the season, it will be fined $1M.

== McQueeney Performance Penalties <ref>Known as "McQueeneys"</ref>==
The McQueeney Performance Penalty deducts LDB cash from a team's subsequent yearly budget when that team finishes the regular season with a sub-.400 winning percentage (including any FU losses and excluding any FU wins) in the second half of the regular season. The "McQueeneys" will be assessed according to the following formula:

:For a team with x second-half wins, (48-x)*LDB$1.25 million. This formula will be adjusted as appropriate if LDB moves to a schedule that does not include exactly 120 second-half games.

Additionally:

*The McQueeney Penalties shall be capped at a $20 million maximum potential fine.
*The Commissioner(s) may, at their discretion, grant an exemption from the penalties for any team that actively and competently manages its roster throughout the season and does not make a concerted effort to sell players on its active major league roster for future value (i.e., draft picks, cash, or AA players).

For example, a team with 47 second-half wins would incur a $1.25 million penalty, a team with 46 second-half wins would incur a $2.5 million penalty, etc. A team with 32 or fewer second-half wins would incur the maximum penalty of $20 million.

McQueeney penalties for missed innings belong to owners, not teams. When an owner leaves LDB, their McQueeney penalties go with them. A new owner is not responsible for paying the McQueeney penalties that team's previous owner incurred.

However, a new owner can choose to pay the previous owner’s McQueeney penalties and instead opt to be exempt from McQueeney penalties during the new owner's first year of ownership. A team who chooses this option must still actively and competently manage his team, however, or else the Commissioner(s) may override the exemption and impose the fines in full or in part at their discretion. Additionally, this exemption is only available in the event a departing owner leaves with an outstanding fine of $5 million or more. These provisions apply equally to owners who have and have not owned an LDB team previously.

== All-Star Break ==
LDB will not hold regular games during the week of the MLB All-Star Game. That week, at the option of the Commissioner(s), LDB will: (1) hold an LDB All-Star Game and, (2) if easily accomplished, fold any official MLB stats accrued that week into the subsequent week.

The All-Star Game will be held between the Federal League and the Union Association and use official MLB statistics accrued during the week of the MLB All-Star Break. The Commissioner(s) will announce the logistics for such a game, and each of the divisions will select and announce players for the game. All-Star teams can list starting pitcher alternates in case their starters do not pitch at all.

The league that wins the LDB All-Star Game will have home field advantage in the Lucid Dream Series and McQueeney Cup final.

Each league's team will be managed by the owner of the prior season's league champion. The manager will be in charge of conducting the voting for his league's players and tracking their stats. All-Star teams will consist of a full lineup, three starting pitchers, and two relievers. There will be no alternates or lineup changes; if a player goes on the IL or misses the weekend, their spot remains empty. Every team in the league must have at least one player on their league's All-star team. The All-Star Game will use regular season scoring categories. The manager must report the final stats on the Monday following the All-star break and should report the daily stats on Saturday and Sunday.<ref>An easy way to track such scores is to use CBS's "Scout Team" page using the "Last 7 Days" viewing option. The manager may need to calculate rate stats separately.</ref>

There is no home field advantage in the All-Star Game; category ties are treated as ties. If the final score is tied, tiebreakers will be as follows: HR, aSB, Ka, R, RBI, OPS, VIJAY, OBP, WHIP, ERA, MGS.

The Commissioner(s) have discretion to adjust these rules unilaterally prior to the LDB All-Star Game if they deem it necessary. Changes after the All-Star Game has begun require a majority vote.

== Playoffs ==

=== Advancing to the Playoffs ===
LDB Playoffs occur after the regular season concludes. Eight teams make the playoffs: the four division winners and four wild card teams, two from each league. The wild card teams from each league first play each other in a wild card round. The winners of the wild card round advance to the Lucid Division series, where they will play the division winner in their respective leagues with the second best league record (that division winner therefore gets a one-round bye). The winner of the Lucid Division Series advances to the Lucid Championship Series, where they face the team with the best record in their league (the league winner therefore gets a double bye). The home team in the Lucid Dream Series is determined by the winner of the [[#All-Star_Break|All-Star Game]]. The tiebreakers to determine which teams make the playoffs, determine seeding, and home field advantage in the event no LDB All-Star Game takes place are as follows:

# Overall Points
# Head-to-head Record
# Head-to-head Record Excluding Tie Wins
# Wins (excluding tie wins from standings points)
# Intra-division Record
# Overall Roto Performance
# Commissioner(s)’s Coin Flip (with witnesses)

In case three teams are tied in overall points, a three team head-to-head tiebreaker is resolved by independent pairwise comparisons. For example:

:Consider 3 teams: A, B, and C:
:* A beat B in Week 1, 9-5
:* A beat C in Week 2, 10-4
:* B beat A in Week 3, 13-1
:* B tied C in Week 4, 7-7
:* B beat C in Week 5, 8-6
:* C beat A in Week 6, 11-3

:Therefore, head-to-head:
:A vs. B = (9+1) vs. (5+13) = 10 vs. 18.
:So B > A

:A vs. C = (10+3) vs. (4+11) = 13 vs. 15.
:So C > A

:B vs. C = (7+8) vs (7+6) = 15 vs. 13
:So B > C

:Therefore, B>C>A, and so B and C make the playoffs. Theoretically, if A = C in head-to-head, we would have to go to the normal tie-breaking regime above.

In the event pairwise comparison of head-to-head points is circular, then pairwise comparisons of totals runs scored in head-to-head matchups is the next category used. If this is also circular, then total head-to-head HR then K then aRBI are applied (in that order). If still tied, then tiebreaker is determined by fiat by the LDB Commissioner(s)’s preferred method (rock-paper-scissors suggested but not required).

=== Playoff Rosters ===
Once playoff rosters lock for the first time, player adds and drops may only be made by teams that have not been eliminated from their respective post-season brackets. The league will run waivers on Monday morning of each playoff week, and the waiver order will be randomized each week as follows: first, the order of the remaining playoff teams will be randomized, and then subsequently the order of the remaining teams in the McQueeney bracket will be randomized, and will follow the last playoff team. Once waivers have run, additional players may be added until the first MLB game begins on Monday. However, in the event a player comes off the IL after rosters lock, there is no roster violation, but the owner must drop a player within 24 hours or prior to the start of their next matchup, whichever comes first.

Playoff rosters contain 26 players and lock at the start of each playoff round. The 26-man playoff roster consists of: active position players, reserve position players, active pitchers, reserve pitchers, and players potentially activated from the IL. Once rosters lock on Monday of each playoff week, players cannot be promoted from AA until the following Monday. However:

* Players on the IL may be added to the 26-man roster after rosters lock if there is a space reserved for their potential activation.
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster is placed on the IL at any point during the week, an owner may add another player from their 31-man roster to their 26-man roster
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster has not yet played in an MLB game during the playoff week, that player may be swapped out for another player on a team's 31-man roster at any time.

Once a player has been moved off the 26-man roster, he cannot be re-added to the roster. For convenience, teams may place any player who is not on their 26-man roster on any minor league roster.

Players within the 26-man roster may be freely subbed in and out during the playoffs. Each playoff team must accumulate at least 30 IP per playoff week or else they will lose MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA and VIJAY, just as they would in the regular season.

=== Playoff Scoring ===

Scoring stats for playoff matchups are identical to the regular season's scoring stats.

In the event of a tied category, ties are not awarded to the home team as in the regular season. The team with more wins advances except in situations where there are more ties than wins for either team, in which case a tie results.

In the event of a playoff tie in points, such games will be decided by a tiebreaker pairing offensive and pitching categories, in the following ranked order:

:OPS/ERA
:OBP/aWHIP
:HR/K
:aRBI/HRA
:R/MGS
:aSB/VIJAY

The team that wins the highest ranked pair of categories shall be declared the winner. If all category pairs are split, then the team with the greatest margin of victory in the highest ranked category shall be declared the winner.

:Example 1 (simple tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and ERA. Team A is declared the winner.

:Example 2 (third pair tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and OBP. Team B wins ERA, aWHIP, HR, and K. Team B is declared the winner.

:Example 3 (margin of victory tiebreaker): Team A wins all offensive categories. Team B wins all pitching categories. Team A wins OPS .850 to .790 (60 point delta). Team B wins ERA 3.50 to 3.00 (50 point delta). Team A is declared the winner (60 point delta to 50 point delta).

=== The McQueeney Cup ===
LDB will award the McQueeney Cup each season to the non-playoff team that wins the McQueeney Cup bracket, which will be played over three rounds in parallel to LDB playoffs. Union and Federal ladders are composed of each divisions' respective four non-playoff teams, seeded in order of regular season finish. The final round includes the winners of the Union and Federal portions of the bracket. The winner of the McQueeney Cup will receive a AA draft pick in the following season's AA Draft that is sandwiched between the first and second round of that draft. In all other respects, McQueeney Cup games are decided as a regular playoff game. The winner of the McQueeney Cup may choose to either take the sandwich round pick or forfeit that pick in exchange for wiping McQueeney penalties to $0, should the team have any.

<references/>

The Game

2025-02-21T18:27:25Z

Ldbrules: /* Roster Penalties */

LDB is divided into two subsidiary leagues: the Federal League and the Union Association. Each league has two four-team divisions. During the regular season, each team will play another team for one week at a time (Monday to Sunday)<ref>With the exception of the first and eleventh weeks, which may extend beyond seven days.</ref> for a total of 20 weeks, with each statistical category representing one game, meaning 12 games are in play each week. After the regular season, top-performing teams advance to the playoffs.

== Schedule ==
Scheduling will be announced by the Commissioner(s) before the [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]] each year. During the regular season, each team will play the other three teams in their own division twice (6 games), each other team once (12 games), and each team will have two additional non-division intraleague matchups (2 games). Matchups for the extra two intraleague matchups will be determined by the prior season's records. Teams with the two best records in one division in a league will face the teams with the two best records in the other division in that league, and vice versa for the two teams with the worst records in their divisions.

The Commissioner(s) will implement "road trips" where teams play out of their divisions multiple weeks in a row. However, road trips may not be so long that they create a competitive imbalance for teams on long away stretches (as a result of being disfavored in weekly tiebreakers for such periods).

== Scoring ==
Lucid Dream Baseball scores the ten active batters and up to eleven active pitchers each day on the following statistics:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" width="500"
|-
! colspan="2" | LDB Scoring
|-
! width="200" | Batters
! Pitchers
|-
| On-Base Percentage (OBP)
| Modified Game Starts (MGS): 3*IP + 2(IP-4) + K - 2H - 4ER - 2(R-ER) - BB
|-
| On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage (OPS): OBP + SLG
| Adjusted WHIP (aWHIP): (H + BB + HBP)/INN
|-
| Runs Scored (R)
| VIJAY: (RIP+3*SV+3*HLD-8*BS-8*RL)/4
|-
| Adjusted Runs Batted In (aRBI) = RBI - GIDP
| Home Runs Allowed (HRA)
|-
| Home Runs (HR)
| Pitcher Strikeouts (K)
|-
| Adjusted Stolen Bases (ASB): SB - CS/2
| Earned Run Average (ERA)
|}

As in baseball, there can be no ties. If a statistical category ends in a tie at the conclusion of a week, the home team will win all such categories. However, any margin of victory in any statistical category, however small, is a victory and not a tie.

== Roster Requirements ==
Each week, each team must meet: the league minimum innings pitched requirement (IP) of 44 innings per week; have an eligible player in each positional roster spot (except designated hitter spots) each day; accumulate a minimum of 50 plate appearances per week; and maintain a roster of 31 players or less (or 26 during playoff matches).

If a team fails to meet these minimum requirements, the following penalties are applied:

=== Batting and Fielding Penalties ===
For every batter missing from a team's lineup on a game day, that team receives one "AAA start" for each missing player, which is 0H, 5 AB with 2 GIDP. After three separate days of batting roster violations, the team is penalized $0.5 million per player per day. The ﬁnes will be deducted from the following season’s payroll.

Teams that fail to accumulate 50 plate appearances in a week will forfeit all offensive categories in that matchup.

=== Pitching Penalties ===
If a team fails to reach the required 44 innings pitched in a given week, that team will automatically lose the following categories: MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA, and VIJAY. These losses will count as losses in the standings and will be known throughout the league as FUs,<ref>Fuck-ups</ref>. In the event two teams playing each other both miss the 44-inning requirement, both will be assigned FUs. Should a team miss the innings requirement more than once, there will be an increasing penalty scale as follows:

* First infraction: warning
* Second infraction: $1 million fine
* Third infraction: $3 million fine
* Fourth infraction: $5 million fine
* Fifth infraction: loss of team's next AA draft pick in possession at the time of the infraction

=== Roster Penalties ===

====Regular Season====
If a team has a roster in excess of the 31-man limit there are potential penalties. At the conclusion of the league year, the Commissioner(s) will run a report on each team's roster for the season recently completed. If teams were over the 31-man limit, they will be penalized as follows: 1) no fine for only one day over the limit; 2) $0.25M per player over the limit for two consecutive days; 3) $0.5M per player per day in violation starting on the third consecutive day. If a team has more than 5 one-day violations, it will be fined $1.0M for each additional instance after the first five. Only days where at least one regular-season MLB game is played will the financial penalties apply (e.g., the All Star Break is excluded from a consecutive days analysis).
If a team is discovered to have a roster in excess of the 31-man limit in-season, the team must play with a roster below the 31-man roster limit for the number of days and players the team was above the limit for (e.g., if a team was discovered to be over the limit by 1 player for 3 days, it must play the next 3 days with only 30 players on their roster, etc.) This will be known as a "Sloppy Roster" penalty. A team must institute a Sloppy Roster immediately upon discovery by the Commissioner(s). As with the fines, Sloppy Roster penalties will only be applied on days where there is at least one regular season MLB game.

Once the end-of-season audit is complete, owners will be given a 2-week period to review any financial penalties, and to seek Commissioner Relief from penalties. Relief will be decided pursuant to the rules on [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]].

====Playoffs====
If an owner fails to set a legal playoff roster before rosters lock on the first day of a playoff week, all active players will automatically be considered part of the 26 man playoff roster. The remaining spots will be assigned to bench players in the order that they appear in MLB games until a team reaches 26 players. If a team starts players such that its roster exceeds the 26-man limit and the violation is discovered during the same playoff period in which it occurred, the team will be: (1) penalized the same as if it had violated the roster limit during the regular season and (2) have any stats accrued by such players removed from the current playoff matchup without another player’s stats being substituted. For any such violations discovered after a playoff period closes, a team will incur financial penalties the same as if it violated the roster limit during the regular season, except that the financial penalty will be five times the regular season penalty.
Teams on bye weeks in both the Championship and McQueeney brackets must abide by the regular season 31-man roster plus 6-man IL rules. Teams on byes in the Championship brackets must follow the same rules as if they are playing that week in the LDB playoffs, and all relevant rules will apply. Teams in the McQueeney bracket will not be fined for violations of the 31-man roster rule, but will still be subject to the "Sloppy Roster" penalty, including on bye weeks. Sloppy Roster penalties incurred during bye weeks will be applied once teams are no longer on byes.

====Offseason====
During the offseason, teams carry more than 31 players on its active roster. However, each team's rosters must be legal by the first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction. If a team's roster is "sloppy" to start the season, it will be fined $1M.

== McQueeney Performance Penalties <ref>Known as "McQueeneys"</ref>==
The McQueeney Performance Penalty deducts LDB cash from a team's subsequent yearly budget when that team finishes the regular season with a sub-.400 winning percentage (including any FU losses and excluding any FU wins) in the second half of the regular season. The "McQueeneys" will be assessed according to the following formula:

:For a team with x second-half wins, (48-x)*LDB$1.25 million. This formula will be adjusted as appropriate if LDB moves to a schedule that does not include exactly 120 second-half games.

Additionally:

*The McQueeney Penalties shall be capped at a $20 million maximum potential fine.
*The Commissioner(s) may, at their discretion, grant an exemption from the penalties for any team that actively and competently manages its roster throughout the season and does not make a concerted effort to sell players on its active major league roster for future value (i.e., draft picks, cash, or AA players).

For example, a team with 47 second-half wins would incur a $1.25 million penalty, a team with 46 second-half wins would incur a $2.5 million penalty, etc. A team with 32 or fewer second-half wins would incur the maximum penalty of $20 million.

McQueeney penalties for missed innings belong to owners, not teams. When an owner leaves LDB, their McQueeney penalties go with them. A new owner is not responsible for paying the McQueeney penalties that team's previous owner incurred.

However, a new owner can choose to pay the previous owner’s McQueeney penalties and instead opt to be exempt from McQueeney penalties during the new owner's first year of ownership. A team who chooses this option must still actively and competently manage his team, however, or else the Commissioner(s) may override the exemption and impose the fines in full or in part at their discretion. Additionally, this exemption is only available in the event a departing owner leaves with an outstanding fine of $5 million or more. These provisions apply equally to owners who have and have not owned an LDB team previously.

== All-Star Break ==
LDB will not hold regular games during the week of the MLB All-Star Game. That week, at the option of the Commissioner(s), LDB will: (1) hold an LDB All-Star Game and, (2) if easily accomplished, fold any official MLB stats accrued that week into the subsequent week.

The All-Star Game will be held between the Federal League and the Union Association and use official MLB statistics accrued during the week of the MLB All-Star Break. The Commissioner(s) will announce the logistics for such a game, and each of the divisions will select and announce players for the game. All-Star teams can list starting pitcher alternates in case their starters do not pitch at all.

The league that wins the LDB All-Star Game will have home field advantage in the Lucid Dream Series and McQueeney Cup final.

Each league's team will be managed by the owner of the prior season's league champion. The manager will be in charge of conducting the voting for his league's players and tracking their stats. All-Star teams will consist of a full lineup, three starting pitchers, and two relievers. There will be no alternates or lineup changes; if a player goes on the IL or misses the weekend, their spot remains empty. Every team in the league must have at least one player on their league's All-star team. The All-Star Game will use regular season scoring categories. The manager must report the final stats on the Monday following the All-star break and should report the daily stats on Saturday and Sunday.<ref>An easy way to track such scores is to use CBS's "Scout Team" page using the "Last 7 Days" viewing option. The manager may need to calculate rate stats separately.</ref>

There is no home field advantage in the All-Star Game; category ties are treated as ties. If the final score is tied, tiebreakers will be as follows: HR, aSB, Ka, R, RBI, OPS, VIJAY, OBP, WHIP, ERA, MGS.

The Commissioner(s) have discretion to adjust these rules unilaterally prior to the LDB All-Star Game if they deem it necessary. Changes after the All-Star Game has begun require a majority vote.

== Playoffs ==

=== Advancing to the Playoffs ===
LDB Playoffs occur after the regular season concludes. Eight teams make the playoffs: the four division winners and four wild card teams, two from each league. The wild card teams from each league first play each other in a wild card round. The winners of the wild card round advance to the Lucid Division series, where they will play the division winner in their respective leagues with the second best league record (that division winner therefore gets a one-round bye). The winner of the Lucid Division Series advances to the Lucid Championship Series, where they face the team with the best record in their league (the league winner therefore gets a double bye). The home team in the Lucid Dream Series is determined by the winner of the [[#All-Star_Break|All-Star Game]]. The tiebreakers to determine which teams make the playoffs, determine seeding, and home field advantage in the event no LDB All-Star Game takes place are as follows:

# Overall Points
# Head-to-head Record
# Head-to-head Record Excluding Tie Wins
# Wins (excluding tie wins from standings points)
# Intra-division Record
# Overall Roto Performance
# Commissioner(s)’s Coin Flip (with witnesses)

In case three teams are tied in overall points, a three team head-to-head tiebreaker is resolved by independent pairwise comparisons. For example:

:Consider 3 teams: A, B, and C:
:* A beat B in Week 1, 9-5
:* A beat C in Week 2, 10-4
:* B beat A in Week 3, 13-1
:* B tied C in Week 4, 7-7
:* B beat C in Week 5, 8-6
:* C beat A in Week 6, 11-3

:Therefore, head-to-head:
:A vs. B = (9+1) vs. (5+13) = 10 vs. 18.
:So B > A

:A vs. C = (10+3) vs. (4+11) = 13 vs. 15.
:So C > A

:B vs. C = (7+8) vs (7+6) = 15 vs. 13
:So B > C

:Therefore, B>C>A, and so B and C make the playoffs. Theoretically, if A = C in head-to-head, we would have to go to the normal tie-breaking regime above.

In the event pairwise comparison of head-to-head points is circular, then pairwise comparisons of totals runs scored in head-to-head matchups is the next category used. If this is also circular, then total head-to-head HR then K then aRBI are applied (in that order). If still tied, then tiebreaker is determined by fiat by the LDB Commissioner(s)’s preferred method (rock-paper-scissors suggested but not required).

=== Playoff Rosters ===
Once playoff rosters lock for the first time, player adds and drops may only be made by teams that have not been eliminated from their respective post-season brackets. The league will run waivers on Monday morning of each playoff week, and the waiver order will be randomized each week as follows: first, the order of the remaining playoff teams will be randomized, and then subsequently the order of the remaining teams in the McQueeney bracket will be randomized, and will follow the last playoff team. Once waivers have run, additional players may be added until the first MLB game begins on Monday. However, in the event a player comes off the IL after rosters lock, there is no roster violation, but the owner must drop a player within 24 hours or prior to the start of their next matchup, whichever comes first.

Playoff rosters contain 26 players and lock at the start of each playoff round. The 26-man playoff roster consists of: active position players, reserve position players, active pitchers, reserve pitchers, and players potentially activated from the IL. Once rosters lock on Monday of each playoff week, players cannot be promoted from AA until the following Monday. However:

* Players on the IL may be added to the 26-man roster after rosters lock if there is a space reserved for their potential activation.
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster is placed on the IL at any point during the week, an owner may add another player from their 31-man roster to their 26-man roster
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster has not yet played in an MLB game during the playoff week, that player may be swapped out for another player on a team's 31-man roster at any time.

Once a player has been moved off the 26-man roster, he cannot be re-added to the roster. For convenience, teams may place any player who is not on their 26-man roster on any minor league roster.

Players within the 26-man roster may be freely subbed in and out during the playoffs. Each playoff team must accumulate at least 30 IP per playoff week or else they will lose MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA and VIJAY, just as they would in the regular season.

=== Playoff Scoring ===

Scoring stats for playoff matchups are identical to the regular season's scoring stats.

In the event of a tied category, ties are not awarded to the home team as in the regular season. The team with more wins advances except in situations where there are more ties than wins for either team, in which case a tie results.

In the event of a playoff tie in points, such games will be decided by a tiebreaker pairing offensive and pitching categories, in the following ranked order:

:OPS/ERA
:OBP/aWHIP
:HR/K
:aRBI/HRA
:R/MGS
:aSB/VIJAY

The team that wins the highest ranked pair of categories shall be declared the winner. If all category pairs are split, then the team with the greatest margin of victory in the highest ranked category shall be declared the winner.

:Example 1 (simple tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and ERA. Team A is declared the winner.

:Example 2 (third pair tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and OBP. Team B wins ERA, aWHIP, HR, and K. Team B is declared the winner.

:Example 3 (margin of victory tiebreaker): Team A wins all offensive categories. Team B wins all pitching categories. Team A wins OPS .850 to .790 (60 point delta). Team B wins ERA 3.50 to 3.00 (50 point delta). Team A is declared the winner (60 point delta to 50 point delta).

=== The McQueeney Cup ===
LDB will award the McQueeney Cup each season to the non-playoff team that wins the McQueeney Cup bracket, which will be played over three rounds in parallel to LDB playoffs. Union and Federal ladders are composed of each divisions' respective four non-playoff teams, seeded in order of regular season finish. The final round includes the winners of the Union and Federal portions of the bracket. The winner of the McQueeney Cup will receive a AA draft pick in the following season's AA Draft that is sandwiched between the first and second round of that draft. In all other respects, McQueeney Cup games are decided as a regular playoff game. The winner of the McQueeney Cup may choose to either take the sandwich round pick or forfeit that pick in exchange for wiping McQueeney penalties to $0, should the team have any.

<references/>

Keepers and Drafts

2025-02-21T18:24:34Z

Ldbrules: /* AA Draft */

== Keepers ==

LDB has several types of players who may be retained ("kept") from one season to the next. The Commissioner(s) will announce deadlines for teams to publicly declare their keepers for a given season.

=== Majors ===
In the off-season GMs may designate five players on their [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] rosters as keepers. Only players signed to long-term deals (i.e., contract status of K1 or K2) are eligible to be kept. These players are retained for the next year at their auction price, less a 10% signing bonus. However, no player can be paid less than the [[Finances#Payroll|league minimum]]). A player may be kept twice, for a total of three seasons with a team, and then become a [[#Restricted Free Agents|restricted free agent]].

==== Restricted Free Agents ====
After players have served three seasons under a contract, they become restricted free agents (RFAs). RFAs are up for auction during the following [[#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]]. However, the GM owning RFA rights has the option to match the winning bid for that player. The team with RFA rights is generally the previous owner, unless the RFA rights were previously [[External Transactions#Trades|traded]] to another team.

====Hometown Heroes====
Mid-season free agents are automatically free agents after the season ends. However, each team may designate one of its mid-season free agents, mid-season free agents claimed from waivers, and players traded with mid-season contracts as its "hometown hero" (HTH). K-, H-, S-, RFA, and NG waiver pickups are not eligible; the player must clear waivers if he was on one of these contracts. The HTH must be a player who logged non-September call-up time in the Majors and is no longer LDB rookie-eligible. The HTH must also have accrued positive fantasy statistics on an active roster of an LDB team during the regular season after he was picked up on an MS contract for the final time in order to grant HTH status the following season.

The HTH gets a one-year contract extension at six million dollars. However, RPs get one-year extensions for two million dollars, and catchers get one-year extensions for three million for catchers. The HTH contract cannot be extended beyond that one year. To qualify as a Relief Pitcher, a player must have pitched the majority of innings in the prior season as a reliever.

Teams have the option to expand the number of HTH contracts allowed each year beyond the one provided by substituting for a commensurate number of keeper contracts.

In addition, teams have the option of converting one HTH-eligible MS player into an RFA for the following Majors Draft. The designated HTH-to-RFA contract must be declared to the league by the keeper deadline. The resulting RFA rights are not tradable to another team.

=== Homegrown and Super-twos ===

Homegrown players are players drafted into [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]] (and possibly promoted). Homegrown players do not count against the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors keeper total]]. After AA players' promotion to the Majors, they are subject to the following salary schedule:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! colspan="2" | Homegrown Salary Structure
|-
| Year 1
| $0.5 million
|-
| Year 2
| $1.0 million
|-
| Year 3
| $1.5 million
|-
| Year 4
| $4.0 million
|}

If a homegrown player is traded, they remain on the same salary structure when they join their new team unless released and not claimed on waivers.

Teams may promote a homegrown player in the second half of the LDB season (after the final roster lock in Week 10) without starting the four-year clock on their homegrown status. These players are "super-twos" and are treated exactly as homegrown players for keeper purposes, but they follow an accelerated salary promotion scale:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! colspan="3" | Super-two Salary Structure
|-
| Year 0 (promotion year)
| $0.5 million
|-
| Year 1
| $1.0 million
|-
| Year 2
| $1.5 million
|-
| Year 3
| $4.0 million
|-
| Year 4
| $7.5 million
|}

Teams may decide upon promotion whether they want they player to use up a year of eligibility or to be a super-two at promotion time through notice to the Commissioner(s).

===Injured Keepers===
After the keeper deadline, but prior to the start of the auction, a team may release any keeper, H4, S4 or HTH and receive their salary in full for use at the upcoming auction if: (1) a player is injured or (2) a player's injury or the extent of an injury is reported after the keeper deadline. If a team releases a keeper or HTH under this rule, they may not designate a replacement keeper or HTH.

== AA Draft ==

The first phase of a season's draft will be the AA Draft, the only means for adding to a team's [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA Roster]] besides trades. At the start of each LDB Year, each team will be given three or four AA draft picks, depending on the availability of prospects, as determined by the Commissioner(s), for the AA Draft occurring two calendar years later. Picks beyond those presently owned cannot be traded in any capacity or included as 'player to be named later' in a trade. These draft picks are tradable. The Commissioner(s) may award new picks at their discretion to teams inherited by a new GM that sold off an abundance of prospects and AA draft picks during the season prior.

To draft a player in the AA Draft, the player must be LDB rookie-eligible, meaning the player has accrued less than 131 AB or 50 IP and the player is not an eligible keeper.

The AA Draft will be held prior to a new season as the Commissioner(s) see fit, subject to the requirements herein. For teams that do not make playoffs, the AA draft order will be in ascending order by wins from the previous season. Wins are used rather than the winning percentage to remove any advantage from intentionally forfeiting games by missing the innings requirement. The order for teams missing playoffs is then followed by teams making playoff appearances in ascending order of finishing places. The draft position of a traded draft pick corresponds to the original owner, not the owner at the time of the AA Draft.

=== Logistics and Requirements ===

Once a team is on the clock to draft an AA player and has not picked for one full day (24 hours), that team will incur a $2 million fine, subject to the provisions below, and the draft may continue on as if he has picked. Such a team may jump back in and pick at any time. A team may assign another GM to make the pick on its behalf.

If the draft is not complete by 10:00 PM EST on the Friday prior to the auction, two penalties are assessed: (1) the $2 million fines above and (2) the three teams who have caused the longest delay between picks, counting only the hours between noon and 10:00 PM EST, will each be fined $1 million for each pick remaining in the draft. The delay must be at least 3 hours to qualify for this fine. In this situation the AA draft will be completed on the morning of the Majors Draft before the auction commences.

== Majors Draft ==

[[File:Place_your_bids.jpg|border|right|250px|]]After the AA Draft, LDB will draft [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors players]]. The draft will be in an auction format. The Majors draft will take place at a time determined by the Commissioner(s).

At the draft, teams will nominate players in an order determined by the Commissioner(s). A nominating team will name a player and an opening bid for that player. The bid must be at least the minimum league salary. Other owners may choose to raise the bid on that player. The team that turns in the highest bid will be awarded the player.

Bidding prices are subject to these increments:
* $0.5 million - $9.5 million: $0.5 million
* More than $9.5 million: $1 million

In the event of a tie, deference is afforded to bidders drafting remotely. In the event the tie is between two remote or two present GMs, the tiebreaker will go to the team that comes first in the nomination order after the GM who nominated the player. If a GM is involved in a tiebreaker, they will win the next tiebreaker in which they are involved.

If a player being drafted is an RFA, the team holding RFA rights will be afforded an opportunity to match the final bid once it is determined.

Teams may draft until: (1) they have signed 26 players, (2) run out of money, or (3) pass their turn to nominate a player. The Majors draft ends when no GM can nominate a player for auction. However, if a team reaches the 26-player limit and subsequently drops or trades a player, that team may rejoin the Majors Draft.

===Blind Auction Option===
The Commissioner(s) may timely announce that any number of rounds will be conducted by blind auction. In a blind auction, teams take turns nominating players as they do above. Nominating a player requires the nominating team to post at least a minimum salary bid. Teams then simultaneously make a single bid. Bids under $10 million must be rounded to the nearest $0.5 million, and bids $10 million or higher must be rounded to the nearest $1 million. The highest bid wins the player. Ties are resolved by: (1) deferral, (2) an open "bidding war" process that resembles the Majors Draft, or (3) draft nomination order in the event that nobody defers or offers a higher bid.

== Snake Draft ==

The final component of a season's draft is the Snake Draft, during which time each team may draft up to five additional players for their Majors roster. Players with H1, H2, S1, or S2 contract statuses may fill Snake round draft spots, but must be announced before the Majors Draft starts. Players may not move up or down from Snake Draft slots once the Majors Draft begins.

Every player chosen in the Snake Draft receives the league minimum salary. Up to three Snake draftees may be given non-guaranteed (NG) contracts, which the drafting team must declare as the player is drafted. See [[External Transactions]] for the benefits and limitations of NG contracts. Players drafted as NGs during the auction must remain NGs cannot be converted to K1s prior to Opening Day, except for eligible conversions in lieu of acquiring post-auction K1s, as set out under [[External Transactions]].

== Rule V Draft ==

In order to dissuade teams from retaining players in AA that are performing well in MLB, LDB will hold an MLB Rule V-style draft during each year's All-Star Break. In that draft, teams may poach such players from other teams' farm systems. To be eligible for the Rule V Draft, a player must:
* Currently be in LDB AA,
* Not be a team's designated protected player,
* Be age 23 or above as of the date of the Rule V Draft (birthday on draft day counts),
* Have accumulated 900 PA, 225 IP, or 50 pitching appearances over his career, and
* Currently be on an MLB team's 26-man roster.

The Rule V draft will take place over the All-Star Break each season. During that week, and before the draft begins, teams will be afforded an opportunity to announce one protected player that cannot be drafted and to promote AA players subject to the Rule V draft before the draft. A player may not be designated as a "protected player" in consecutive years. The draft will last until each team passes. Once a team passes, the team may still participate further in the draft. There are no restrictions on the number of players one team may take or have taken from them. The draft order will be non-serpentine, with the order being in reverse order of the then-current standings at the close of the LDB week preceding the All-Star Game. The Commissioner(s) will conduct the Rule V Draft by means they determine.

Teams drafting players by Rule V will be required to keep them on their LDB Majors roster for the following one and one half seasons. Teams may place Rule V draftees on the IL. However, spending a half season on the IL (10 weeks, aggregated over all IL stints) does not count toward the one and one half seasons. Owners will not be required to include Rule V draftees on their playoff roster.

A team that drafts a player in the Rule V Draft and drops that player in the off-season is still accountable for the player’s salary if unclaimed.

Rule V draftees may be traded. Traded Rule V draftees or draftees claimed off of waivers will remain under the same restrictions for teams acquiring them.

If a team is unable to maintain the player in LDB Majors or the IL and cannot move him by trade, the player must be offered back to his original team for $0.2 million. If the original team declines to take the player, he enters general waivers. When an original owner acquires a player back before they have cleared waivers, the original team is under Rule V restrictions described here.

Teams may not change their protected player once the draft begins without either promoting that player or subjecting him to waivers.

<references/>

The Game

2025-02-21T18:23:15Z

Ldbrules: /* Roster Penalties */

LDB is divided into two subsidiary leagues: the Federal League and the Union Association. Each league has two four-team divisions. During the regular season, each team will play another team for one week at a time (Monday to Sunday)<ref>With the exception of the first and eleventh weeks, which may extend beyond seven days.</ref> for a total of 20 weeks, with each statistical category representing one game, meaning 12 games are in play each week. After the regular season, top-performing teams advance to the playoffs.

== Schedule ==
Scheduling will be announced by the Commissioner(s) before the [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]] each year. During the regular season, each team will play the other three teams in their own division twice (6 games), each other team once (12 games), and each team will have two additional non-division intraleague matchups (2 games). Matchups for the extra two intraleague matchups will be determined by the prior season's records. Teams with the two best records in one division in a league will face the teams with the two best records in the other division in that league, and vice versa for the two teams with the worst records in their divisions.

The Commissioner(s) will implement "road trips" where teams play out of their divisions multiple weeks in a row. However, road trips may not be so long that they create a competitive imbalance for teams on long away stretches (as a result of being disfavored in weekly tiebreakers for such periods).

== Scoring ==
Lucid Dream Baseball scores the ten active batters and up to eleven active pitchers each day on the following statistics:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" width="500"
|-
! colspan="2" | LDB Scoring
|-
! width="200" | Batters
! Pitchers
|-
| On-Base Percentage (OBP)
| Modified Game Starts (MGS): 3*IP + 2(IP-4) + K - 2H - 4ER - 2(R-ER) - BB
|-
| On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage (OPS): OBP + SLG
| Adjusted WHIP (aWHIP): (H + BB + HBP)/INN
|-
| Runs Scored (R)
| VIJAY: (RIP+3*SV+3*HLD-8*BS-8*RL)/4
|-
| Adjusted Runs Batted In (aRBI) = RBI - GIDP
| Home Runs Allowed (HRA)
|-
| Home Runs (HR)
| Pitcher Strikeouts (K)
|-
| Adjusted Stolen Bases (ASB): SB - CS/2
| Earned Run Average (ERA)
|}

As in baseball, there can be no ties. If a statistical category ends in a tie at the conclusion of a week, the home team will win all such categories. However, any margin of victory in any statistical category, however small, is a victory and not a tie.

== Roster Requirements ==
Each week, each team must meet: the league minimum innings pitched requirement (IP) of 44 innings per week; have an eligible player in each positional roster spot (except designated hitter spots) each day; accumulate a minimum of 50 plate appearances per week; and maintain a roster of 31 players or less (or 26 during playoff matches).

If a team fails to meet these minimum requirements, the following penalties are applied:

=== Batting and Fielding Penalties ===
For every batter missing from a team's lineup on a game day, that team receives one "AAA start" for each missing player, which is 0H, 5 AB with 2 GIDP. After three separate days of batting roster violations, the team is penalized $0.5 million per player per day. The ﬁnes will be deducted from the following season’s payroll.

Teams that fail to accumulate 50 plate appearances in a week will forfeit all offensive categories in that matchup.

=== Pitching Penalties ===
If a team fails to reach the required 44 innings pitched in a given week, that team will automatically lose the following categories: MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA, and VIJAY. These losses will count as losses in the standings and will be known throughout the league as FUs,<ref>Fuck-ups</ref>. In the event two teams playing each other both miss the 44-inning requirement, both will be assigned FUs. Should a team miss the innings requirement more than once, there will be an increasing penalty scale as follows:

* First infraction: warning
* Second infraction: $1 million fine
* Third infraction: $3 million fine
* Fourth infraction: $5 million fine
* Fifth infraction: loss of team's next AA draft pick in possession at the time of the infraction

=== Roster Penalties ===

====Regular Season====
If a team has a roster in excess of the 31-man limit, that team will be: (1) fined $0.5 million per player per day in violation and (2) required to operate with a roster below the roster limit for the number of days and players the team was above the limit (known as a “Sloppy roster”). A team must institute a Sloppy roster immediately upon discovery by the Commissioner(s) until fully served, including playoff matches and, if necessary, the beginning of the following regular season.

However, this penalty will not apply in instances where: (1) players come off the IL during the period stretching 10 minutes before rosters lock until that day's roster can no longer be modified and (2) a team is above the 31-player limit by a number less than or equal to the number of players coming off the IL that day until the next day that rosters lock. If a team announces this situation to the league on the day it happens, it will serve as a safe harbor from any penalties being applied. But if a team does not announce the violation and it is later discovered, the team must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Commissioner(s) that the team moved such players off the IL after rosters locked. If records are incomplete or inconclusive, the penalties will apply.

====Playoffs====
If an owner fails to set a legal playoff roster before rosters lock on the first day of a playoff week, all active players will automatically be considered part of the 26 man playoff roster. The remaining spots will be assigned to bench players in the order that they appear in MLB games until a team reaches 26 players. If a team starts players such that its roster exceeds the 26-man limit and the violation is discovered during the same playoff period in which it occurred, the team will be: (1) penalized the same as if it had violated the roster limit during the regular season and (2) have any stats accrued by such players removed from the current playoff matchup without another player’s stats being substituted. For any such violations discovered after a playoff period closes, a team will incur penalties the same as if it violated the roster limit during the regular season, except that the financial penalty and number of days a Sloppy roster must be instituted (but not the number of roster slots decreased) will be five times the regular season penalty.

Teams on bye weeks must abide by the regular season 31-man roster rule. If a player comes off the IL during a bye week that puts a team over the 31-player limit, the owner must drop a player within 24 hours or prior to the start of their next matchup, whichever comes first. If a team does not, it will be penalized the same as if it had violated the roster limit during the regular season. Sloppy roster violations may only be served during matchups, not bye weeks.

====Offseason====
During the offseason, teams carry more than 31 players on its active roster. However, each team's rosters must be legal by the first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction. If a team's roster is "sloppy" to start the season, it will be fined $1M.

== McQueeney Performance Penalties <ref>Known as "McQueeneys"</ref>==
The McQueeney Performance Penalty deducts LDB cash from a team's subsequent yearly budget when that team finishes the regular season with a sub-.400 winning percentage (including any FU losses and excluding any FU wins) in the second half of the regular season. The "McQueeneys" will be assessed according to the following formula:

:For a team with x second-half wins, (48-x)*LDB$1.25 million. This formula will be adjusted as appropriate if LDB moves to a schedule that does not include exactly 120 second-half games.

Additionally:

*The McQueeney Penalties shall be capped at a $20 million maximum potential fine.
*The Commissioner(s) may, at their discretion, grant an exemption from the penalties for any team that actively and competently manages its roster throughout the season and does not make a concerted effort to sell players on its active major league roster for future value (i.e., draft picks, cash, or AA players).

For example, a team with 47 second-half wins would incur a $1.25 million penalty, a team with 46 second-half wins would incur a $2.5 million penalty, etc. A team with 32 or fewer second-half wins would incur the maximum penalty of $20 million.

McQueeney penalties for missed innings belong to owners, not teams. When an owner leaves LDB, their McQueeney penalties go with them. A new owner is not responsible for paying the McQueeney penalties that team's previous owner incurred.

However, a new owner can choose to pay the previous owner’s McQueeney penalties and instead opt to be exempt from McQueeney penalties during the new owner's first year of ownership. A team who chooses this option must still actively and competently manage his team, however, or else the Commissioner(s) may override the exemption and impose the fines in full or in part at their discretion. Additionally, this exemption is only available in the event a departing owner leaves with an outstanding fine of $5 million or more. These provisions apply equally to owners who have and have not owned an LDB team previously.

== All-Star Break ==
LDB will not hold regular games during the week of the MLB All-Star Game. That week, at the option of the Commissioner(s), LDB will: (1) hold an LDB All-Star Game and, (2) if easily accomplished, fold any official MLB stats accrued that week into the subsequent week.

The All-Star Game will be held between the Federal League and the Union Association and use official MLB statistics accrued during the week of the MLB All-Star Break. The Commissioner(s) will announce the logistics for such a game, and each of the divisions will select and announce players for the game. All-Star teams can list starting pitcher alternates in case their starters do not pitch at all.

The league that wins the LDB All-Star Game will have home field advantage in the Lucid Dream Series and McQueeney Cup final.

Each league's team will be managed by the owner of the prior season's league champion. The manager will be in charge of conducting the voting for his league's players and tracking their stats. All-Star teams will consist of a full lineup, three starting pitchers, and two relievers. There will be no alternates or lineup changes; if a player goes on the IL or misses the weekend, their spot remains empty. Every team in the league must have at least one player on their league's All-star team. The All-Star Game will use regular season scoring categories. The manager must report the final stats on the Monday following the All-star break and should report the daily stats on Saturday and Sunday.<ref>An easy way to track such scores is to use CBS's "Scout Team" page using the "Last 7 Days" viewing option. The manager may need to calculate rate stats separately.</ref>

There is no home field advantage in the All-Star Game; category ties are treated as ties. If the final score is tied, tiebreakers will be as follows: HR, aSB, Ka, R, RBI, OPS, VIJAY, OBP, WHIP, ERA, MGS.

The Commissioner(s) have discretion to adjust these rules unilaterally prior to the LDB All-Star Game if they deem it necessary. Changes after the All-Star Game has begun require a majority vote.

== Playoffs ==

=== Advancing to the Playoffs ===
LDB Playoffs occur after the regular season concludes. Eight teams make the playoffs: the four division winners and four wild card teams, two from each league. The wild card teams from each league first play each other in a wild card round. The winners of the wild card round advance to the Lucid Division series, where they will play the division winner in their respective leagues with the second best league record (that division winner therefore gets a one-round bye). The winner of the Lucid Division Series advances to the Lucid Championship Series, where they face the team with the best record in their league (the league winner therefore gets a double bye). The home team in the Lucid Dream Series is determined by the winner of the [[#All-Star_Break|All-Star Game]]. The tiebreakers to determine which teams make the playoffs, determine seeding, and home field advantage in the event no LDB All-Star Game takes place are as follows:

# Overall Points
# Head-to-head Record
# Head-to-head Record Excluding Tie Wins
# Wins (excluding tie wins from standings points)
# Intra-division Record
# Overall Roto Performance
# Commissioner(s)’s Coin Flip (with witnesses)

In case three teams are tied in overall points, a three team head-to-head tiebreaker is resolved by independent pairwise comparisons. For example:

:Consider 3 teams: A, B, and C:
:* A beat B in Week 1, 9-5
:* A beat C in Week 2, 10-4
:* B beat A in Week 3, 13-1
:* B tied C in Week 4, 7-7
:* B beat C in Week 5, 8-6
:* C beat A in Week 6, 11-3

:Therefore, head-to-head:
:A vs. B = (9+1) vs. (5+13) = 10 vs. 18.
:So B > A

:A vs. C = (10+3) vs. (4+11) = 13 vs. 15.
:So C > A

:B vs. C = (7+8) vs (7+6) = 15 vs. 13
:So B > C

:Therefore, B>C>A, and so B and C make the playoffs. Theoretically, if A = C in head-to-head, we would have to go to the normal tie-breaking regime above.

In the event pairwise comparison of head-to-head points is circular, then pairwise comparisons of totals runs scored in head-to-head matchups is the next category used. If this is also circular, then total head-to-head HR then K then aRBI are applied (in that order). If still tied, then tiebreaker is determined by fiat by the LDB Commissioner(s)’s preferred method (rock-paper-scissors suggested but not required).

=== Playoff Rosters ===
Once playoff rosters lock for the first time, player adds and drops may only be made by teams that have not been eliminated from their respective post-season brackets. The league will run waivers on Monday morning of each playoff week, and the waiver order will be randomized each week as follows: first, the order of the remaining playoff teams will be randomized, and then subsequently the order of the remaining teams in the McQueeney bracket will be randomized, and will follow the last playoff team. Once waivers have run, additional players may be added until the first MLB game begins on Monday. However, in the event a player comes off the IL after rosters lock, there is no roster violation, but the owner must drop a player within 24 hours or prior to the start of their next matchup, whichever comes first.

Playoff rosters contain 26 players and lock at the start of each playoff round. The 26-man playoff roster consists of: active position players, reserve position players, active pitchers, reserve pitchers, and players potentially activated from the IL. Once rosters lock on Monday of each playoff week, players cannot be promoted from AA until the following Monday. However:

* Players on the IL may be added to the 26-man roster after rosters lock if there is a space reserved for their potential activation.
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster is placed on the IL at any point during the week, an owner may add another player from their 31-man roster to their 26-man roster
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster has not yet played in an MLB game during the playoff week, that player may be swapped out for another player on a team's 31-man roster at any time.

Once a player has been moved off the 26-man roster, he cannot be re-added to the roster. For convenience, teams may place any player who is not on their 26-man roster on any minor league roster.

Players within the 26-man roster may be freely subbed in and out during the playoffs. Each playoff team must accumulate at least 30 IP per playoff week or else they will lose MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA and VIJAY, just as they would in the regular season.

=== Playoff Scoring ===

Scoring stats for playoff matchups are identical to the regular season's scoring stats.

In the event of a tied category, ties are not awarded to the home team as in the regular season. The team with more wins advances except in situations where there are more ties than wins for either team, in which case a tie results.

In the event of a playoff tie in points, such games will be decided by a tiebreaker pairing offensive and pitching categories, in the following ranked order:

:OPS/ERA
:OBP/aWHIP
:HR/K
:aRBI/HRA
:R/MGS
:aSB/VIJAY

The team that wins the highest ranked pair of categories shall be declared the winner. If all category pairs are split, then the team with the greatest margin of victory in the highest ranked category shall be declared the winner.

:Example 1 (simple tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and ERA. Team A is declared the winner.

:Example 2 (third pair tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and OBP. Team B wins ERA, aWHIP, HR, and K. Team B is declared the winner.

:Example 3 (margin of victory tiebreaker): Team A wins all offensive categories. Team B wins all pitching categories. Team A wins OPS .850 to .790 (60 point delta). Team B wins ERA 3.50 to 3.00 (50 point delta). Team A is declared the winner (60 point delta to 50 point delta).

=== The McQueeney Cup ===
LDB will award the McQueeney Cup each season to the non-playoff team that wins the McQueeney Cup bracket, which will be played over three rounds in parallel to LDB playoffs. Union and Federal ladders are composed of each divisions' respective four non-playoff teams, seeded in order of regular season finish. The final round includes the winners of the Union and Federal portions of the bracket. The winner of the McQueeney Cup will receive a AA draft pick in the following season's AA Draft that is sandwiched between the first and second round of that draft. In all other respects, McQueeney Cup games are decided as a regular playoff game. The winner of the McQueeney Cup may choose to either take the sandwich round pick or forfeit that pick in exchange for wiping McQueeney penalties to $0, should the team have any.

<references/>

Internal Transactions

2025-02-21T18:22:21Z

Ldbrules: /* Contract Redesignations */

Internal transactions are transactions within an LDB organization that send players from one roster to another or alter the status of a contract.

== Injured List Transactions ==
A player in the Majors may be moved to the IL when he is on the MLB IL. If a team has space on its IL and a player is placed on the IL according to MLB's official list of transactions, but CBS does not register the player as IL-eligible, the team may temporarily place the player in its minor league system until CBS reflects the injury status. Teams must announce such moves to the league, and shall promptly move the player to the IL when CBS registers IL eligibility.

== AA Transactions ==

=== Promoting Players from AA ===
A GM may promote players in [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]] to the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] at any time, so long as sufficient roster space is available for the promotion. Note that promoting a AA player will start the clock on their eligibility as [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Homegrown_and_Super-twos|a home-grown or super-two player]]. AA promotions occurring during the offseason may be rescinded before the start of the MLB season.

=== Demoting Players to AA ===
No player may be demoted to AA.

== Contract Redesignations ==
Teams may redesignate one or more of its [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|NG players]] as K1s at the league minimum before midnight before the first MLB game following the LDB auction in lieu of acquiring an equal number of free agents as K1s, described below.

From the time of the first waiver process after the auction until the first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction, teams may designate any MS contract acquired during that period as a K1 contract.

<references/>

Keepers and Drafts

2025-02-21T18:20:44Z

Ldbrules: /* AA Draft */

== Keepers ==

LDB has several types of players who may be retained ("kept") from one season to the next. The Commissioner(s) will announce deadlines for teams to publicly declare their keepers for a given season.

=== Majors ===
In the off-season GMs may designate five players on their [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] rosters as keepers. Only players signed to long-term deals (i.e., contract status of K1 or K2) are eligible to be kept. These players are retained for the next year at their auction price, less a 10% signing bonus. However, no player can be paid less than the [[Finances#Payroll|league minimum]]). A player may be kept twice, for a total of three seasons with a team, and then become a [[#Restricted Free Agents|restricted free agent]].

==== Restricted Free Agents ====
After players have served three seasons under a contract, they become restricted free agents (RFAs). RFAs are up for auction during the following [[#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]]. However, the GM owning RFA rights has the option to match the winning bid for that player. The team with RFA rights is generally the previous owner, unless the RFA rights were previously [[External Transactions#Trades|traded]] to another team.

====Hometown Heroes====
Mid-season free agents are automatically free agents after the season ends. However, each team may designate one of its mid-season free agents, mid-season free agents claimed from waivers, and players traded with mid-season contracts as its "hometown hero" (HTH). K-, H-, S-, RFA, and NG waiver pickups are not eligible; the player must clear waivers if he was on one of these contracts. The HTH must be a player who logged non-September call-up time in the Majors and is no longer LDB rookie-eligible. The HTH must also have accrued positive fantasy statistics on an active roster of an LDB team during the regular season after he was picked up on an MS contract for the final time in order to grant HTH status the following season.

The HTH gets a one-year contract extension at six million dollars. However, RPs get one-year extensions for two million dollars, and catchers get one-year extensions for three million for catchers. The HTH contract cannot be extended beyond that one year. To qualify as a Relief Pitcher, a player must have pitched the majority of innings in the prior season as a reliever.

Teams have the option to expand the number of HTH contracts allowed each year beyond the one provided by substituting for a commensurate number of keeper contracts.

In addition, teams have the option of converting one HTH-eligible MS player into an RFA for the following Majors Draft. The designated HTH-to-RFA contract must be declared to the league by the keeper deadline. The resulting RFA rights are not tradable to another team.

=== Homegrown and Super-twos ===

Homegrown players are players drafted into [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]] (and possibly promoted). Homegrown players do not count against the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors keeper total]]. After AA players' promotion to the Majors, they are subject to the following salary schedule:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! colspan="2" | Homegrown Salary Structure
|-
| Year 1
| $0.5 million
|-
| Year 2
| $1.0 million
|-
| Year 3
| $1.5 million
|-
| Year 4
| $4.0 million
|}

If a homegrown player is traded, they remain on the same salary structure when they join their new team unless released and not claimed on waivers.

Teams may promote a homegrown player in the second half of the LDB season (after the final roster lock in Week 10) without starting the four-year clock on their homegrown status. These players are "super-twos" and are treated exactly as homegrown players for keeper purposes, but they follow an accelerated salary promotion scale:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! colspan="3" | Super-two Salary Structure
|-
| Year 0 (promotion year)
| $0.5 million
|-
| Year 1
| $1.0 million
|-
| Year 2
| $1.5 million
|-
| Year 3
| $4.0 million
|-
| Year 4
| $7.5 million
|}

Teams may decide upon promotion whether they want they player to use up a year of eligibility or to be a super-two at promotion time through notice to the Commissioner(s).

===Injured Keepers===
After the keeper deadline, but prior to the start of the auction, a team may release any keeper, H4, S4 or HTH and receive their salary in full for use at the upcoming auction if: (1) a player is injured or (2) a player's injury or the extent of an injury is reported after the keeper deadline. If a team releases a keeper or HTH under this rule, they may not designate a replacement keeper or HTH.

== AA Draft ==

The first phase of a season's draft will be the AA Draft, the only means for adding to a team's [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA Roster]] besides trades. At the start of each LDB Year, each team will be given three or four AA draft picks, depending on the availability of prospects, as determined by the Commissioner(s), for the AA Draft occurring two calendar years later. Picks beyond those presently owned cannot be traded in any capacity or included as 'player to be named later' in a trade. These draft picks are tradable. The Commissioner(s) may award new picks at their discretion to teams inherited by a new GM that sold off an abundance of prospects and AA draft picks during the season prior.

To draft a player in the AA Draft, the player must be LDB rookie-eligible, having less than 131 AB or 50 IP.

The AA Draft will be held prior to a new season as the Commissioner(s) see fit, subject to the requirements herein. For teams that do not make playoffs, the AA draft order will be in ascending order by wins from the previous season. Wins are used rather than the winning percentage to remove any advantage from intentionally forfeiting games by missing the innings requirement. The order for teams missing playoffs is then followed by teams making playoff appearances in ascending order of finishing places. The draft position of a traded draft pick corresponds to the original owner, not the owner at the time of the AA Draft.

=== Logistics and Requirements ===

Once a team is on the clock to draft an AA player and has not picked for one full day (24 hours), that team will incur a $2 million fine, subject to the provisions below, and the draft may continue on as if he has picked. Such a team may jump back in and pick at any time. A team may assign another GM to make the pick on its behalf.

If the draft is not complete by 10:00 PM EST on the Friday prior to the auction, two penalties are assessed: (1) the $2 million fines above and (2) the three teams who have caused the longest delay between picks, counting only the hours between noon and 10:00 PM EST, will each be fined $1 million for each pick remaining in the draft. The delay must be at least 3 hours to qualify for this fine. In this situation the AA draft will be completed on the morning of the Majors Draft before the auction commences.

== Majors Draft ==

[[File:Place_your_bids.jpg|border|right|250px|]]After the AA Draft, LDB will draft [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors players]]. The draft will be in an auction format. The Majors draft will take place at a time determined by the Commissioner(s).

At the draft, teams will nominate players in an order determined by the Commissioner(s). A nominating team will name a player and an opening bid for that player. The bid must be at least the minimum league salary. Other owners may choose to raise the bid on that player. The team that turns in the highest bid will be awarded the player.

Bidding prices are subject to these increments:
* $0.5 million - $9.5 million: $0.5 million
* More than $9.5 million: $1 million

In the event of a tie, deference is afforded to bidders drafting remotely. In the event the tie is between two remote or two present GMs, the tiebreaker will go to the team that comes first in the nomination order after the GM who nominated the player. If a GM is involved in a tiebreaker, they will win the next tiebreaker in which they are involved.

If a player being drafted is an RFA, the team holding RFA rights will be afforded an opportunity to match the final bid once it is determined.

Teams may draft until: (1) they have signed 26 players, (2) run out of money, or (3) pass their turn to nominate a player. The Majors draft ends when no GM can nominate a player for auction. However, if a team reaches the 26-player limit and subsequently drops or trades a player, that team may rejoin the Majors Draft.

===Blind Auction Option===
The Commissioner(s) may timely announce that any number of rounds will be conducted by blind auction. In a blind auction, teams take turns nominating players as they do above. Nominating a player requires the nominating team to post at least a minimum salary bid. Teams then simultaneously make a single bid. Bids under $10 million must be rounded to the nearest $0.5 million, and bids $10 million or higher must be rounded to the nearest $1 million. The highest bid wins the player. Ties are resolved by: (1) deferral, (2) an open "bidding war" process that resembles the Majors Draft, or (3) draft nomination order in the event that nobody defers or offers a higher bid.

== Snake Draft ==

The final component of a season's draft is the Snake Draft, during which time each team may draft up to five additional players for their Majors roster. Players with H1, H2, S1, or S2 contract statuses may fill Snake round draft spots, but must be announced before the Majors Draft starts. Players may not move up or down from Snake Draft slots once the Majors Draft begins.

Every player chosen in the Snake Draft receives the league minimum salary. Up to three Snake draftees may be given non-guaranteed (NG) contracts, which the drafting team must declare as the player is drafted. See [[External Transactions]] for the benefits and limitations of NG contracts. Players drafted as NGs during the auction must remain NGs cannot be converted to K1s prior to Opening Day, except for eligible conversions in lieu of acquiring post-auction K1s, as set out under [[External Transactions]].

== Rule V Draft ==

In order to dissuade teams from retaining players in AA that are performing well in MLB, LDB will hold an MLB Rule V-style draft during each year's All-Star Break. In that draft, teams may poach such players from other teams' farm systems. To be eligible for the Rule V Draft, a player must:
* Currently be in LDB AA,
* Not be a team's designated protected player,
* Be age 23 or above as of the date of the Rule V Draft (birthday on draft day counts),
* Have accumulated 900 PA, 225 IP, or 50 pitching appearances over his career, and
* Currently be on an MLB team's 26-man roster.

The Rule V draft will take place over the All-Star Break each season. During that week, and before the draft begins, teams will be afforded an opportunity to announce one protected player that cannot be drafted and to promote AA players subject to the Rule V draft before the draft. A player may not be designated as a "protected player" in consecutive years. The draft will last until each team passes. Once a team passes, the team may still participate further in the draft. There are no restrictions on the number of players one team may take or have taken from them. The draft order will be non-serpentine, with the order being in reverse order of the then-current standings at the close of the LDB week preceding the All-Star Game. The Commissioner(s) will conduct the Rule V Draft by means they determine.

Teams drafting players by Rule V will be required to keep them on their LDB Majors roster for the following one and one half seasons. Teams may place Rule V draftees on the IL. However, spending a half season on the IL (10 weeks, aggregated over all IL stints) does not count toward the one and one half seasons. Owners will not be required to include Rule V draftees on their playoff roster.

A team that drafts a player in the Rule V Draft and drops that player in the off-season is still accountable for the player’s salary if unclaimed.

Rule V draftees may be traded. Traded Rule V draftees or draftees claimed off of waivers will remain under the same restrictions for teams acquiring them.

If a team is unable to maintain the player in LDB Majors or the IL and cannot move him by trade, the player must be offered back to his original team for $0.2 million. If the original team declines to take the player, he enters general waivers. When an original owner acquires a player back before they have cleared waivers, the original team is under Rule V restrictions described here.

Teams may not change their protected player once the draft begins without either promoting that player or subjecting him to waivers.

<references/>

Finances

2025-02-21T18:20:06Z

Ldbrules: /* Fines and Penalties */

== Yearly Budget ==
Each team will begin the season with an amount of cash comparable to the MLB luxury tax threshold, plus any cash carried over from the previous year (subject to the [[Finances#Luxury Tax|LDB Luxury Tax]]). For purposes of LDB finances, a season begins when playoffs from the previous season end.

As of the 2022 season, the salary cap is $200M. The Commissioner(s) may at their discretion study whether to increase the salary cap for a future season. Any subsequent changes to the salary cap will be announced a full season prior to the changes going into effect, and any changes will be in effect for a minimum of three LDB seasons.

== Luxury Tax ==
[[File:LDB_Luxury_Tax.png|border|right|250px|]]Any cash carried over from one season to the next not acquired in a trade is subject to the LDB luxury tax. However, the amount of cash acquired in trades not subject to the luxury tax is limited to the difference between the total amount of cash acquired and cash traded during the regular season. Cash carries over from one season to the next, and the luxury tax is assessed, when playoffs end and a new season begins. The luxury tax brackets are as follows:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! colspan="2" | LDB Luxury Tax Brachets
|-
| $0-15 million
| No Tax
|-
| $15-25 million
| 50% Tax
|-
| $25+ million
| 75% Tax
|}

The tax rates are marginal, meaning that the first fifteen million is tax free, the ten million from $15-25 million is taxed at 50%, and only funds above $25 million are taxed at 75%.

== Taxes, Fines, and Penalty Assessments ==
Luxury taxes, fines, and penalties are assessed upon conclusion of an LDB Year. For purposes of performing calculations, any fine or penalty a team is required to pay will be assessed after the luxury tax is assessed.

== Payroll ==
Payroll is tracked on a weekly basis. Teams will only pay players for the weeks during which they play for the team, except in cases where a player is dropped and clears waivers. Upon acquiring a player in trade or through waivers, the acquiring team will owe the player the balance of the player’s annual salary. If a player is acquired by waivers, the waiving team will no longer be responsible for the balance of the player’s annual salary.

Players signed as free agents during the season will be paid a prorated share of the league minimum, $500K.

<references/>

Lucid Dream Baseball League Rules

2025-02-21T18:17:54Z

Ldbrules: /* Organizational Structure */

{| style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; border:0;"
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2007.jpg|border|150px|2007 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2008.jpg|border|150px|2008 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2010.jpg|border|150px|2010 Draft]]
|-
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2011.jpg|border|150px|2011 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2012.jpg|border|150px|2012 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|
|-
| valign="center" align="center" colspan="3"| A study in technological advances of cell phone cameras.
|}Lucid Dream Baseball (LDB) is a fantasy baseball league designed to mirror owning and managing a Major League Baseball franchise as nearly as possible. LDB principally accomplishes this two ways: (1) providing each league member deep organizational tiers that allow all types of players, from marquee superstars to young prospects and (2) calculating player performance from statistics that better measure player performance than traditional fantasy baseball systems. LDB also offers other features that better simulate team management than traditional fantasy baseball systems, including a yearly budget, trades that involve assets other than players, rules for internal team management that mirror MLB, among others.

Each LDB league member will be the GM of his or her own franchise, in complete control of team payroll, roster composition, game lineups, and management of the farm system.<ref>However, a GM may opt to appoint a co-manager. Co-managed teams have one vote on trade vetoes, rule changes, etc.</ref> Financial constraints have been designed to resemble those of the top-tier of MLB organizations, and GMs will have the ability to engage in realistic transactions and roster moves to put their teams in the best position to win. Given the unique features LDB offers, LDB GMs have a higher responsibility to manage their team than they would in an average fantasy league.<ref>[[Legacy_Rules_and_Rules_Board_Reporter#In_re_Robinson_Cano.27s_Contract_Status.2C_2012_LDB_1_.28Feb._16.2C_2012.29|In re Robinson Cano's Contract Status, 2012 LDB 1 (Feb. 16, 2012)]].</ref>
__NOTOC__
==[[Organizational Structure]]==
* [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]]
* [[Organizational Structure#Injured List and Suspended List|Injured List and Suspended List]]
* [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]]
* [[Organizational Structure#League Calendar|League Calendar]]

==[[Finances]]==
* [[Finances#Yearly Budget|Yearly Budget]]
* [[Finances#Luxury Tax|Luxury Tax]]
* [[Finances#Fines and Penalties|Fines and Penalties]]
* [[Finances#Payroll|Payroll]]

==[[Keepers and Drafts]]==
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Keepers|Keepers]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#AA Draft|AA Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|Snake Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Rule V Draft|Rule V Draft]]

==[[The Game]]==
* [[The Game#Schedule|Schedule]]
* [[The Game#Scoring|Scoring]]
* [[The Game#Roster Requirements|Roster Requirements]]
* [[The Game#McQueeney Performance Penalties|McQueeney Performance Penalties]]
* [[The Game#All-star Break|All-star Break]]
* [[The Game#Playoffs|Playoffs]]

==[[Internal Transactions]]==
* [[Internal Transactions#Injured List Transactions|Injured List Transactions]]
* [[Internal Transactions#AA Transactions|AA Transactions]]
* [[Internal Transactions#Contract Redesignations|Contract Redesignations]]

==[[External Transactions]]==
* [[External Transactions#Designation for Assignment|Designation for Assignment]]
* [[External Transactions#Mid-Season Free Agents|Mid-Season Free Agents]]
* [[External Transactions#Waiver Claims|Waiver Claims]]
* [[External Transactions#Trades|Trades]]
* [[External Transactions#Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")|Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")]]

==[[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies]]==
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Rule Changes|Rule Changes]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Rules Disputes|Rules Disputes]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Contingencies|Contingencies]]

==[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zv1CQUTWkl3Limne9-pJbF_e8yW41Bl1CqWE1ZDktYg/edit?usp=sharing Future Rule Changes]==

==[[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons]]==
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#2021 Draft|2021 Draft]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#H/S Contracts|H/S Contracts]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#K/HTH Contracts|K/HTH Contracts]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#RFA Contracts/Rights|RFA Contracts/Rights]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#Trades|Trades]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#McQueeney Penalties|McQueeney Penalties]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#Roster Requirements|Roster Requirements]]

==[[Legacy Materials]]==
* [[Legacy Materials#Legacy Rules|Legacy Rules]]
* [[Legacy Materials#LDB Rules Board Reporter|LDB Rules Board Reporter]]

<references/>

Organizational Structure

2025-02-21T18:17:24Z

Ldbrules:

Each LDB franchise has three tiers: Majors, the Injured List (IL), and AA.

== Majors ==

The Majors level is a 31-man roster and represents the active players on the team whose performance may affect scoring. It closely resembles an MLB franchise. All 31 players are available for active duty, and are broken down into the following positions:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! Hitters
! Pitchers
|-
| Catcher
| rowspan="4" | Starting Pitchers (Up to 5)
|-
| First Base
|-
| Second Base
|-
| Short Stop
|-
| Third Base
| rowspan="5" | Relief Pitchers (Up to 6)
|-
| Left Field
|-
| Center Field
|-
| Right Field
|-
| Designated Hitters (Up to 2)
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" | Bench
|}

This structure changes during playoffs. See [[The_Game#Playoff_Rosters|Playoff Rosters]] for more information.

=== Positional Eligibility ===

==== Hitters ====
A player is eligible for an offensive position if (1) that player made 17 appearances in that position during the previous season or (2) the player appeared at that position for 50% of games in April of the current season, or, after April, appeared at that position a total of 12 times during the season. Until a hitter meets one of these thresholds, he may bat as a designated hitter only.

==== Pitchers ====
To be eligible as a starting pitcher, a player must have appeared as a starting pitcher in one game during the previous or current season. To be eligible as a relief pitcher, a player must have appeared as a relief pitcher in one game during the previous or current season.

However, if CBS allows a team to start a pitcher in a SP or RP slot who does not have eligibility under the rules above,<ref>Occurring most often in the event of an MLB debut or if a pitcher has not pitched in the current or previous season.</ref> teams may nevertheless start those pitchers as allowed by CBS if such players are slotted in positions that correspond with their actual MLB role (i.e., SPs must be used as SPs, and RPs must be used as RPs). Any players in this situation started in positions that do not correspond to their actual MLB roles will result in those players’ stats being voided.

== Injured List and Suspended List==
In addition to its 31-man roster, each team may have up to six players on its injured list (IL). See [[Internal Transactions]] for rules related to IL transactions.

Players suspended in MLB will not count against the LDB 31-man roster. Suspended players may be placed in the LDB team's minor league without being subject to waivers. They must return to the active 31-man roster immediately upon conclusion of the MLB suspension.

== AA ==

The AA tier is a roster of unlimited rookie players signed in the AA draft. See [[Internal Transactions]] for rules relating to the consequences of promoting a player out of AA.

== League Calendar ==

LDB Years are standardized as follows. However, the Commissioner(s) may adjust these dates as necessary to effectuate league business:

* Monday after Thanksgiving: First Day of league business. Transactions begin processing.
* December 15-January 31: Rule Change Period (vote completed by January 31 each year)
* The last Monday in February: AA Draft begins at 12:00 PM EST
* Two Fridays before the LDB Auction: Keeper Deadline at 11:59 PM EST
* One of the two Saturdays immediately preceding MLB Opening Day (excluding early international series): LDB Auction at 10:00 AM EST
* First Waiver Process through the first pitcher of the first MLB game after the auction: MS players may be deemed keepers.
* The first pitch of the first MLB game after the auction: Rosters must be legal (31 active players, 6 IR players total)
* End of Week 10: Players may be promoted as Super-twos
* End of Week 15: LDB Trade Deadline
* End of Week 20: End of the Regular Season
* Week 21: Wild Card Week
* Week 22: Lucid Division Series
* Week 23: Lucid Championship Series
* Week 24: Lucid Dream Series
* Conclusion of the Lucid Dream Series: Luxury taxes, fines, and penalties assessed, and then a new LDB Year begins. However, the league is closed for business, and no transactions will be processed.

<references/>

Internal Transactions

2024-03-27T18:03:37Z

Ldbrules: /* Contract Redesignations */

Internal transactions are transactions within an LDB organization that send players from one roster to another or alter the status of a contract.

== Injured List Transactions ==
A player in the Majors may be moved to the IL when he is on the MLB IL. If a team has space on its IL and a player is placed on the IL according to MLB's official list of transactions, but CBS does not register the player as IL-eligible, the team may temporarily place the player in its minor league system until CBS reflects the injury status. Teams must announce such moves to the league, and shall promptly move the player to the IL when CBS registers IL eligibility.

== AA Transactions ==

=== Promoting Players from AA ===
A GM may promote players in [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]] to the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] at any time, so long as sufficient roster space is available for the promotion. Note that promoting a AA player will start the clock on their eligibility as [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Homegrown_and_Super-twos|a home-grown or super-two player]]. AA promotions occurring during the offseason may be rescinded before the start of the MLB season.

=== Demoting Players to AA ===
No player may be demoted to AA.

== Contract Redesignations ==
Teams may redesignate one or more of its [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|NG players]] as K1s at the league minimum before midnight before the first MLB game following the LDB auction in lieu of acquiring an equal number of free agents as K1s, described below.

Teams may also redesignate the first three free agents per team acquired by five minutes before the first MLB game following the LDB auction may be designated K1s at the league minimum.

<references/>

Lucid Dream Baseball League Rules

2024-02-13T19:52:21Z

Ldbrules: /* Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies */

{| style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; border:0;"
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2007.jpg|border|150px|2007 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2008.jpg|border|150px|2008 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2010.jpg|border|150px|2010 Draft]]
|-
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2011.jpg|border|150px|2011 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2012.jpg|border|150px|2012 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|
|-
| valign="center" align="center" colspan="3"| A study in technological advances of cell phone cameras.
|}Lucid Dream Baseball (LDB) is a fantasy baseball league designed to mirror owning and managing a Major League Baseball franchise as nearly as possible. LDB principally accomplishes this two ways: (1) providing each league member deep organizational tiers that allow all types of players, from marquee superstars to young prospects and (2) calculating player performance from statistics that better measure player performance than traditional fantasy baseball systems. LDB also offers other features that better simulate team management than traditional fantasy baseball systems, including a yearly budget, trades that involve assets other than players, rules for internal team management that mirror MLB, among others.

Each LDB league member will be the GM of his or her own franchise, in complete control of team payroll, roster composition, game lineups, and management of the farm system.<ref>However, a GM may opt to appoint a co-manager. Co-managed teams have one vote on trade vetoes, rule changes, etc.</ref> Financial constraints have been designed to resemble those of the top-tier of MLB organizations, and GMs will have the ability to engage in realistic transactions and roster moves to put their teams in the best position to win. Given the unique features LDB offers, LDB GMs have a higher responsibility to manage their team than they would in an average fantasy league.<ref>[[Legacy_Rules_and_Rules_Board_Reporter#In_re_Robinson_Cano.27s_Contract_Status.2C_2012_LDB_1_.28Feb._16.2C_2012.29|In re Robinson Cano's Contract Status, 2012 LDB 1 (Feb. 16, 2012)]].</ref>
__NOTOC__
==[[Organizational Structure]]==
* [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]]
* [[Organizational Structure#Injured List and Suspended List|Injured List and Suspended List]]
* [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]]

==[[Finances]]==
* [[Finances#Yearly Budget|Yearly Budget]]
* [[Finances#Luxury Tax|Luxury Tax]]
* [[Finances#Fines and Penalties|Fines and Penalties]]
* [[Finances#Payroll|Payroll]]

==[[Keepers and Drafts]]==
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Keepers|Keepers]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#AA Draft|AA Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|Snake Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Rule V Draft|Rule V Draft]]

==[[The Game]]==
* [[The Game#Schedule|Schedule]]
* [[The Game#Scoring|Scoring]]
* [[The Game#Roster Requirements|Roster Requirements]]
* [[The Game#McQueeney Performance Penalties|McQueeney Performance Penalties]]
* [[The Game#All-star Break|All-star Break]]
* [[The Game#Playoffs|Playoffs]]

==[[Internal Transactions]]==
* [[Internal Transactions#Injured List Transactions|Injured List Transactions]]
* [[Internal Transactions#AA Transactions|AA Transactions]]
* [[Internal Transactions#Contract Redesignations|Contract Redesignations]]

==[[External Transactions]]==
* [[External Transactions#Designation for Assignment|Designation for Assignment]]
* [[External Transactions#Mid-Season Free Agents|Mid-Season Free Agents]]
* [[External Transactions#Waiver Claims|Waiver Claims]]
* [[External Transactions#Trades|Trades]]
* [[External Transactions#Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")|Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")]]

==[[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies]]==
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Rule Changes|Rule Changes]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Rules Disputes|Rules Disputes]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Contingencies|Contingencies]]

==[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zv1CQUTWkl3Limne9-pJbF_e8yW41Bl1CqWE1ZDktYg/edit?usp=sharing Future Rule Changes]==

==[[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons]]==
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#2021 Draft|2021 Draft]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#H/S Contracts|H/S Contracts]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#K/HTH Contracts|K/HTH Contracts]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#RFA Contracts/Rights|RFA Contracts/Rights]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#Trades|Trades]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#McQueeney Penalties|McQueeney Penalties]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#Roster Requirements|Roster Requirements]]

==[[Legacy Materials]]==
* [[Legacy Materials#Legacy Rules|Legacy Rules]]
* [[Legacy Materials#LDB Rules Board Reporter|LDB Rules Board Reporter]]

<references/>

Lucid Dream Baseball League Rules

2024-02-13T19:50:35Z

Ldbrules: /* Finances */

{| style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; border:0;"
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2007.jpg|border|150px|2007 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2008.jpg|border|150px|2008 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2010.jpg|border|150px|2010 Draft]]
|-
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2011.jpg|border|150px|2011 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2012.jpg|border|150px|2012 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|
|-
| valign="center" align="center" colspan="3"| A study in technological advances of cell phone cameras.
|}Lucid Dream Baseball (LDB) is a fantasy baseball league designed to mirror owning and managing a Major League Baseball franchise as nearly as possible. LDB principally accomplishes this two ways: (1) providing each league member deep organizational tiers that allow all types of players, from marquee superstars to young prospects and (2) calculating player performance from statistics that better measure player performance than traditional fantasy baseball systems. LDB also offers other features that better simulate team management than traditional fantasy baseball systems, including a yearly budget, trades that involve assets other than players, rules for internal team management that mirror MLB, among others.

Each LDB league member will be the GM of his or her own franchise, in complete control of team payroll, roster composition, game lineups, and management of the farm system.<ref>However, a GM may opt to appoint a co-manager. Co-managed teams have one vote on trade vetoes, rule changes, etc.</ref> Financial constraints have been designed to resemble those of the top-tier of MLB organizations, and GMs will have the ability to engage in realistic transactions and roster moves to put their teams in the best position to win. Given the unique features LDB offers, LDB GMs have a higher responsibility to manage their team than they would in an average fantasy league.<ref>[[Legacy_Rules_and_Rules_Board_Reporter#In_re_Robinson_Cano.27s_Contract_Status.2C_2012_LDB_1_.28Feb._16.2C_2012.29|In re Robinson Cano's Contract Status, 2012 LDB 1 (Feb. 16, 2012)]].</ref>
__NOTOC__
==[[Organizational Structure]]==
* [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]]
* [[Organizational Structure#Injured List and Suspended List|Injured List and Suspended List]]
* [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]]

==[[Finances]]==
* [[Finances#Yearly Budget|Yearly Budget]]
* [[Finances#Luxury Tax|Luxury Tax]]
* [[Finances#Fines and Penalties|Fines and Penalties]]
* [[Finances#Payroll|Payroll]]

==[[Keepers and Drafts]]==
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Keepers|Keepers]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#AA Draft|AA Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|Snake Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Rule V Draft|Rule V Draft]]

==[[The Game]]==
* [[The Game#Schedule|Schedule]]
* [[The Game#Scoring|Scoring]]
* [[The Game#Roster Requirements|Roster Requirements]]
* [[The Game#McQueeney Performance Penalties|McQueeney Performance Penalties]]
* [[The Game#All-star Break|All-star Break]]
* [[The Game#Playoffs|Playoffs]]

==[[Internal Transactions]]==
* [[Internal Transactions#Injured List Transactions|Injured List Transactions]]
* [[Internal Transactions#AA Transactions|AA Transactions]]
* [[Internal Transactions#Contract Redesignations|Contract Redesignations]]

==[[External Transactions]]==
* [[External Transactions#Designation for Assignment|Designation for Assignment]]
* [[External Transactions#Mid-Season Free Agents|Mid-Season Free Agents]]
* [[External Transactions#Waiver Claims|Waiver Claims]]
* [[External Transactions#Trades|Trades]]
* [[External Transactions#Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")|Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")]]

==[[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies]]==
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Rule Changes|Rule Changes]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Rules Board|Rules Board]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Contingencies|Contingencies]]

==[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zv1CQUTWkl3Limne9-pJbF_e8yW41Bl1CqWE1ZDktYg/edit?usp=sharing Future Rule Changes]==

==[[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons]]==
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#2021 Draft|2021 Draft]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#H/S Contracts|H/S Contracts]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#K/HTH Contracts|K/HTH Contracts]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#RFA Contracts/Rights|RFA Contracts/Rights]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#Trades|Trades]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#McQueeney Penalties|McQueeney Penalties]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#Roster Requirements|Roster Requirements]]

==[[Legacy Materials]]==
* [[Legacy Materials#Legacy Rules|Legacy Rules]]
* [[Legacy Materials#LDB Rules Board Reporter|LDB Rules Board Reporter]]

<references/>

Lucid Dream Baseball League Rules

2024-02-13T19:49:41Z

Ldbrules: /* Internal Transactions */

{| style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; border:0;"
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2007.jpg|border|150px|2007 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2008.jpg|border|150px|2008 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2010.jpg|border|150px|2010 Draft]]
|-
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2011.jpg|border|150px|2011 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2012.jpg|border|150px|2012 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|
|-
| valign="center" align="center" colspan="3"| A study in technological advances of cell phone cameras.
|}Lucid Dream Baseball (LDB) is a fantasy baseball league designed to mirror owning and managing a Major League Baseball franchise as nearly as possible. LDB principally accomplishes this two ways: (1) providing each league member deep organizational tiers that allow all types of players, from marquee superstars to young prospects and (2) calculating player performance from statistics that better measure player performance than traditional fantasy baseball systems. LDB also offers other features that better simulate team management than traditional fantasy baseball systems, including a yearly budget, trades that involve assets other than players, rules for internal team management that mirror MLB, among others.

Each LDB league member will be the GM of his or her own franchise, in complete control of team payroll, roster composition, game lineups, and management of the farm system.<ref>However, a GM may opt to appoint a co-manager. Co-managed teams have one vote on trade vetoes, rule changes, etc.</ref> Financial constraints have been designed to resemble those of the top-tier of MLB organizations, and GMs will have the ability to engage in realistic transactions and roster moves to put their teams in the best position to win. Given the unique features LDB offers, LDB GMs have a higher responsibility to manage their team than they would in an average fantasy league.<ref>[[Legacy_Rules_and_Rules_Board_Reporter#In_re_Robinson_Cano.27s_Contract_Status.2C_2012_LDB_1_.28Feb._16.2C_2012.29|In re Robinson Cano's Contract Status, 2012 LDB 1 (Feb. 16, 2012)]].</ref>
__NOTOC__
==[[Organizational Structure]]==
* [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]]
* [[Organizational Structure#Injured List and Suspended List|Injured List and Suspended List]]
* [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]]

==[[Finances]]==
* [[Finances#Yearly Budget|Yearly Budget]]
* [[Finances#Luxury Tax|Luxury Tax]]
* [[Finances#Payroll|Payroll]]

==[[Keepers and Drafts]]==
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Keepers|Keepers]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#AA Draft|AA Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|Snake Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Rule V Draft|Rule V Draft]]

==[[The Game]]==
* [[The Game#Schedule|Schedule]]
* [[The Game#Scoring|Scoring]]
* [[The Game#Roster Requirements|Roster Requirements]]
* [[The Game#McQueeney Performance Penalties|McQueeney Performance Penalties]]
* [[The Game#All-star Break|All-star Break]]
* [[The Game#Playoffs|Playoffs]]

==[[Internal Transactions]]==
* [[Internal Transactions#Injured List Transactions|Injured List Transactions]]
* [[Internal Transactions#AA Transactions|AA Transactions]]
* [[Internal Transactions#Contract Redesignations|Contract Redesignations]]

==[[External Transactions]]==
* [[External Transactions#Designation for Assignment|Designation for Assignment]]
* [[External Transactions#Mid-Season Free Agents|Mid-Season Free Agents]]
* [[External Transactions#Waiver Claims|Waiver Claims]]
* [[External Transactions#Trades|Trades]]
* [[External Transactions#Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")|Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")]]

==[[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies]]==
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Rule Changes|Rule Changes]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Rules Board|Rules Board]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Contingencies|Contingencies]]

==[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zv1CQUTWkl3Limne9-pJbF_e8yW41Bl1CqWE1ZDktYg/edit?usp=sharing Future Rule Changes]==

==[[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons]]==
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#2021 Draft|2021 Draft]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#H/S Contracts|H/S Contracts]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#K/HTH Contracts|K/HTH Contracts]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#RFA Contracts/Rights|RFA Contracts/Rights]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#Trades|Trades]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#McQueeney Penalties|McQueeney Penalties]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#Roster Requirements|Roster Requirements]]

==[[Legacy Materials]]==
* [[Legacy Materials#Legacy Rules|Legacy Rules]]
* [[Legacy Materials#LDB Rules Board Reporter|LDB Rules Board Reporter]]

<references/>

Keepers and Drafts

2024-02-13T19:43:31Z

Ldbrules:

== Keepers ==

LDB has several types of players who may be retained ("kept") from one season to the next. The Commissioner(s) will announce deadlines for teams to publicly declare their keepers for a given season.

=== Majors ===
In the off-season GMs may designate five players on their [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] rosters as keepers. Only players signed to long-term deals (i.e., contract status of K1 or K2) are eligible to be kept. These players are retained for the next year at their auction price, less a 10% signing bonus. However, no player can be paid less than the [[Finances#Payroll|league minimum]]). A player may be kept twice, for a total of three seasons with a team, and then become a [[#Restricted Free Agents|restricted free agent]].

==== Restricted Free Agents ====
After players have served three seasons under a contract, they become restricted free agents (RFAs). RFAs are up for auction during the following [[#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]]. However, the GM owning RFA rights has the option to match the winning bid for that player. The team with RFA rights is generally the previous owner, unless the RFA rights were previously [[External Transactions#Trades|traded]] to another team.

====Hometown Heroes====
Mid-season free agents are automatically free agents after the season ends. However, each team may designate one of its mid-season free agents, mid-season free agents claimed from waivers, and players traded with mid-season contracts as its "hometown hero" (HTH). K-, H-, S-, RFA, and NG waiver pickups are not eligible; the player must clear waivers if he was on one of these contracts. The HTH must be a player who logged non-September call-up time in the Majors and is no longer LDB rookie-eligible. The HTH must also have accrued positive fantasy statistics on an active roster of an LDB team during the regular season after he was picked up on an MS contract for the final time in order to grant HTH status the following season.

The HTH gets a one-year contract extension at six million dollars. However, RPs get one-year extensions for two million dollars, and catchers get one-year extensions for three million for catchers. The HTH contract cannot be extended beyond that one year. To qualify as a Relief Pitcher, a player must have pitched the majority of innings in the prior season as a reliever.

Teams have the option to expand the number of HTH contracts allowed each year beyond the one provided by substituting for a commensurate number of keeper contracts.

In addition, teams have the option of converting one HTH-eligible MS player into an RFA for the following Majors Draft. The designated HTH-to-RFA contract must be declared to the league by the keeper deadline. The resulting RFA rights are not tradable to another team.

=== Homegrown and Super-twos ===

Homegrown players are players drafted into [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]] (and possibly promoted). Homegrown players do not count against the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors keeper total]]. After AA players' promotion to the Majors, they are subject to the following salary schedule:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! colspan="2" | Homegrown Salary Structure
|-
| Year 1
| $0.5 million
|-
| Year 2
| $1.0 million
|-
| Year 3
| $1.5 million
|-
| Year 4
| $4.0 million
|}

If a homegrown player is traded, they remain on the same salary structure when they join their new team unless released and not claimed on waivers.

Teams may promote a homegrown player in the second half of the LDB season (after the final roster lock in Week 10) without starting the four-year clock on their homegrown status. These players are "super-twos" and are treated exactly as homegrown players for keeper purposes, but they follow an accelerated salary promotion scale:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! colspan="3" | Super-two Salary Structure
|-
| Year 0 (promotion year)
| $0.5 million
|-
| Year 1
| $1.0 million
|-
| Year 2
| $1.5 million
|-
| Year 3
| $4.0 million
|-
| Year 4
| $7.5 million
|}

Teams may decide upon promotion whether they want they player to use up a year of eligibility or to be a super-two at promotion time through notice to the Commissioner(s).

===Injured Keepers===
After the keeper deadline, but prior to the start of the auction, a team may release any keeper, H4, S4 or HTH and receive their salary in full for use at the upcoming auction if: (1) a player is injured or (2) a player's injury or the extent of an injury is reported after the keeper deadline. If a team releases a keeper or HTH under this rule, they may not designate a replacement keeper or HTH.

== AA Draft ==

The first phase of a season's draft will be the AA Draft, the only means for adding to a team's [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA Roster]] besides trades. At the start of each calendar year, each team will be given three or four AA draft picks, depending on the availability of prospects, as determined by the Commissioner(s), for the AA Draft occurring two calendar years later. Picks beyond those presently owned cannot be traded in any capacity or included as 'player to be named later' in a trade. These draft picks are tradable. The Commissioner(s) may award new picks at their discretion to teams inherited by a new GM that sold off an abundance of prospects and AA draft picks during the season prior.

To draft a player in the AA Draft, the player must be LDB rookie-eligible, having less than 131 AB or 50 IP.

The AA Draft will be held prior to a new season as the Commissioner(s) see fit, subject to the requirements herein. For teams that do not make playoffs, the AA draft order will be in ascending order by wins from the previous season. Wins are used rather than the winning percentage to remove any advantage from intentionally forfeiting games by missing the innings requirement. The order for teams missing playoffs is then followed by teams making playoff appearances in ascending order of finishing places. The draft position of a traded draft pick corresponds to the original owner, not the owner at the time of the AA Draft.

=== Logistics and Requirements ===

Once a team is on the clock to draft an AA player and has not picked for one full day (24 hours), that team will incur a $2 million fine, subject to the provisions below, and the draft may continue on as if he has picked. Such a team may jump back in and pick at any time. A team may assign another GM to make the pick on its behalf.

If the draft is not complete by 10:00 PM EST on the Friday prior to the auction, two penalties are assessed: (1) the $2 million fines above and (2) the three teams who have caused the longest delay between picks, counting only the hours between noon and 10:00 PM EST, will each be fined $1 million for each pick remaining in the draft. The delay must be at least 3 hours to qualify for this fine. In this situation the AA draft will be completed on the morning of the Majors Draft before the auction commences.

== Majors Draft ==

[[File:Place_your_bids.jpg|border|right|250px|]]After the AA Draft, LDB will draft [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors players]]. The draft will be in an auction format. The Majors draft will take place at a time determined by the Commissioner(s).

At the draft, teams will nominate players in an order determined by the Commissioner(s). A nominating team will name a player and an opening bid for that player. The bid must be at least the minimum league salary. Other owners may choose to raise the bid on that player. The team that turns in the highest bid will be awarded the player.

Bidding prices are subject to these increments:
* $0.5 million - $9.5 million: $0.5 million
* More than $9.5 million: $1 million

In the event of a tie, deference is afforded to bidders drafting remotely. In the event the tie is between two remote or two present GMs, the tiebreaker will go to the team that comes first in the nomination order after the GM who nominated the player. If a GM is involved in a tiebreaker, they will win the next tiebreaker in which they are involved.

If a player being drafted is an RFA, the team holding RFA rights will be afforded an opportunity to match the final bid once it is determined.

Teams may draft until: (1) they have signed 26 players, (2) run out of money, or (3) pass their turn to nominate a player. The Majors draft ends when no GM can nominate a player for auction. However, if a team reaches the 26-player limit and subsequently drops or trades a player, that team may rejoin the Majors Draft.

===Blind Auction Option===
The Commissioner(s) may timely announce that any number of rounds will be conducted by blind auction. In a blind auction, teams take turns nominating players as they do above. Nominating a player requires the nominating team to post at least a minimum salary bid. Teams then simultaneously make a single bid. Bids under $10 million must be rounded to the nearest $0.5 million, and bids $10 million or higher must be rounded to the nearest $1 million. The highest bid wins the player. Ties are resolved by: (1) deferral, (2) an open "bidding war" process that resembles the Majors Draft, or (3) draft nomination order in the event that nobody defers or offers a higher bid.

== Snake Draft ==

The final component of a season's draft is the Snake Draft, during which time each team may draft up to five additional players for their Majors roster. Players with H1, H2, S1, or S2 contract statuses may fill Snake round draft spots, but must be announced before the Majors Draft starts. Players may not move up or down from Snake Draft slots once the Majors Draft begins.

Every player chosen in the Snake Draft receives the league minimum salary. Up to three Snake draftees may be given non-guaranteed (NG) contracts, which the drafting team must declare as the player is drafted. See [[External Transactions]] for the benefits and limitations of NG contracts. Players drafted as NGs during the auction must remain NGs cannot be converted to K1s prior to Opening Day, except for eligible conversions in lieu of acquiring post-auction K1s, as set out under [[External Transactions]].

== Rule V Draft ==

In order to dissuade teams from retaining players in AA that are performing well in MLB, LDB will hold an MLB Rule V-style draft during each year's All-Star Break. In that draft, teams may poach such players from other teams' farm systems. To be eligible for the Rule V Draft, a player must:
* Currently be in LDB AA,
* Not be a team's designated protected player,
* Be age 23 or above as of the date of the Rule V Draft (birthday on draft day counts),
* Have accumulated 900 PA, 225 IP, or 50 pitching appearances over his career, and
* Currently be on an MLB team's 26-man roster.

The Rule V draft will take place over the All-Star Break each season. During that week, and before the draft begins, teams will be afforded an opportunity to announce one protected player that cannot be drafted and to promote AA players subject to the Rule V draft before the draft. A player may not be designated as a "protected player" in consecutive years. The draft will last until each team passes. Once a team passes, the team may still participate further in the draft. There are no restrictions on the number of players one team may take or have taken from them. The draft order will be non-serpentine, with the order being in reverse order of the then-current standings at the close of the LDB week preceding the All-Star Game. The Commissioner(s) will conduct the Rule V Draft by means they determine.

Teams drafting players by Rule V will be required to keep them on their LDB Majors roster for the following one and one half seasons. Teams may place Rule V draftees on the IL. However, spending a half season on the IL (10 weeks, aggregated over all IL stints) does not count toward the one and one half seasons. Owners will not be required to include Rule V draftees on their playoff roster.

A team that drafts a player in the Rule V Draft and drops that player in the off-season is still accountable for the player’s salary if unclaimed.

Rule V draftees may be traded. Traded Rule V draftees or draftees claimed off of waivers will remain under the same restrictions for teams acquiring them.

If a team is unable to maintain the player in LDB Majors or the IL and cannot move him by trade, the player must be offered back to his original team for $0.2 million. If the original team declines to take the player, he enters general waivers. When an original owner acquires a player back before they have cleared waivers, the original team is under Rule V restrictions described here.

Teams may not change their protected player once the draft begins without either promoting that player or subjecting him to waivers.

<references/>

Organizational Structure

2024-02-13T19:42:30Z

Ldbrules:

Keepers and Drafts

2024-02-13T19:41:30Z

Ldbrules:

== Keepers ==

LDB has several types of players who may be retained ("kept") from one season to the next. The Commissioner(s) will announce deadlines for teams to publicly declare their keepers for a given season.

=== Majors ===
In the off-season GMs may designate five players on their [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] rosters as keepers. Only players signed to long-term deals (i.e., contract status of K1 or K2) are eligible to be kept. These players are retained for the next year at their auction price, less a 10% signing bonus. However, no player can be paid less than the [[Finances#Payroll|league minimum]]). A player may be kept twice, for a total of three seasons with a team, and then become a [[#Restricted Free Agents|restricted free agent]].

==== Restricted Free Agents ====
After players have served three seasons under a contract, they become restricted free agents (RFAs). RFAs are up for auction during the following [[#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]]. However, the GM owning RFA rights has the option to match the winning bid for that player. The team with RFA rights is generally the previous owner, unless the RFA rights were previously [[External Transactions#Trades|traded]] to another team.

====Hometown Heroes====
Mid-season free agents are automatically free agents after the season ends. However, each team may designate one of its mid-season free agents, mid-season free agents claimed from waivers, and players traded with mid-season contracts as its "hometown hero" (HTH). K-, H-, S-, RFA, and NG waiver pickups are not eligible; the player must clear waivers if he was on one of these contracts. The HTH must be a player who logged non-September call-up time in the Majors and is no longer LDB rookie-eligible. The HTH must also have accrued positive fantasy statistics on an active roster of an LDB team during the regular season after he was picked up on an MS contract for the final time in order to grant HTH status the following season.

The HTH gets a one-year contract extension at six million dollars. However, RPs get one-year extensions for two million dollars, and catchers get one-year extensions for three million for catchers. The HTH contract cannot be extended beyond that one year. To qualify as a Relief Pitcher, a player must have pitched the majority of innings in the prior season as a reliever.

Teams have the option to expand the number of HTH contracts allowed each year beyond the one provided by substituting for a commensurate number of keeper contracts.

In addition, teams have the option of converting one HTH-eligible MS player into an RFA for the following Majors Draft. The designated HTH-to-RFA contract must be declared to the league by the keeper deadline. The resulting RFA rights are not tradable to another team.

=== Homegrown and Super-twos ===

Homegrown players are players drafted into [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]] (and possibly promoted). Homegrown players do not count against the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors keeper total]]. After AA players' promotion to the Majors, they are subject to the following salary schedule:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! colspan="2" | Homegrown Salary Structure
|-
| Year 1
| $0.5 million
|-
| Year 2
| $1.0 million
|-
| Year 3
| $1.5 million
|-
| Year 4
| $4.0 million
|}

If a homegrown player is traded, they remain on the same salary structure when they join their new team unless released and not claimed on waivers.

Teams may promote a homegrown player in the second half of the LDB season (after the final roster lock in Week 10) without starting the four-year clock on their homegrown status. These players are "super-twos" and are treated exactly as homegrown players for keeper purposes, but they follow an accelerated salary promotion scale:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
! colspan="3" | Super-two Salary Structure
|-
| Year 0 (promotion year)
| $0.5 million
|-
| Year 1
| $1.0 million
|-
| Year 2
| $1.5 million
|-
| Year 3
| $4.0 million
|-
| Year 4
| $7.5 million
|}

Teams may decide upon promotion whether they want they player to use up a year of eligibility or to be a super-two at promotion time through notice to the Commissioner(s).

===Injured Keepers===
After the keeper deadline, but prior to the start of the auction, a team may release any keeper, H4, S4 or HTH and receive their salary in full for use at the upcoming auction if: (1) a player is injured or (2) a player's injury or the extent of an injury is reported after the keeper deadline. If a team releases a keeper or HTH under this rule, they may not designate a replacement keeper or HTH.

== AA Draft ==

The first phase of a season's draft will be the AA Draft, the only means for adding to a team's [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA Roster]] besides trades. Two years prior to the draft, each team will be given three or four AA draft picks, depending on the availability of prospects, as determined by the Commissioner(s). These draft picks are tradable. The Commissioner(s) may award new picks at their discretion to teams inherited by a new GM that sold off an abundance of prospects and AA draft picks during the season prior.

To draft a player in the AA Draft, the player must be LDB rookie-eligible, having less than 131 AB or 50 IP.

The AA Draft will be held prior to a new season as the Commissioner(s) see fit, subject to the requirements herein. For teams that do not make playoffs, the AA draft order will be in ascending order by wins from the previous season. Wins are used rather than the winning percentage to remove any advantage from intentionally forfeiting games by missing the innings requirement. The order for teams missing playoffs is then followed by teams making playoff appearances in ascending order of finishing places. The draft position of a traded draft pick corresponds to the original owner, not the owner at the time of the AA Draft.

=== Logistics and Requirements ===

Once a team is on the clock to draft an AA player and has not picked for one full day (24 hours), that team will incur a $2 million fine, subject to the provisions below, and the draft may continue on as if he has picked. Such a team may jump back in and pick at any time. A team may assign another GM to make the pick on its behalf.

If the draft is not complete by 10:00 PM EST on the Friday prior to the auction, two penalties are assessed: (1) the $2 million fines above and (2) the three teams who have caused the longest delay between picks, counting only the hours between noon and 10:00 PM EST, will each be fined $1 million for each pick remaining in the draft. The delay must be at least 3 hours to qualify for this fine. In this situation the AA draft will be completed on the morning of the Majors Draft before the auction commences.

== Majors Draft ==

[[File:Place_your_bids.jpg|border|right|250px|]]After the AA Draft, LDB will draft [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors players]]. The draft will be in an auction format. The Majors draft will take place at a time determined by the Commissioner(s).

At the draft, teams will nominate players in an order determined by the Commissioner(s). A nominating team will name a player and an opening bid for that player. The bid must be at least the minimum league salary. Other owners may choose to raise the bid on that player. The team that turns in the highest bid will be awarded the player.

Bidding prices are subject to these increments:
* $0.5 million - $9.5 million: $0.5 million
* More than $9.5 million: $1 million

In the event of a tie, deference is afforded to bidders drafting remotely. In the event the tie is between two remote or two present GMs, the tiebreaker will go to the team that comes first in the nomination order after the GM who nominated the player. If a GM is involved in a tiebreaker, they will win the next tiebreaker in which they are involved.

If a player being drafted is an RFA, the team holding RFA rights will be afforded an opportunity to match the final bid once it is determined.

Teams may draft until: (1) they have signed 26 players, (2) run out of money, or (3) pass their turn to nominate a player. The Majors draft ends when no GM can nominate a player for auction. However, if a team reaches the 26-player limit and subsequently drops or trades a player, that team may rejoin the Majors Draft.

===Blind Auction Option===
The Commissioner(s) may timely announce that any number of rounds will be conducted by blind auction. In a blind auction, teams take turns nominating players as they do above. Nominating a player requires the nominating team to post at least a minimum salary bid. Teams then simultaneously make a single bid. Bids under $10 million must be rounded to the nearest $0.5 million, and bids $10 million or higher must be rounded to the nearest $1 million. The highest bid wins the player. Ties are resolved by: (1) deferral, (2) an open "bidding war" process that resembles the Majors Draft, or (3) draft nomination order in the event that nobody defers or offers a higher bid.

== Snake Draft ==

The final component of a season's draft is the Snake Draft, during which time each team may draft up to five additional players for their Majors roster. Players with H1, H2, S1, or S2 contract statuses may fill Snake round draft spots, but must be announced before the Majors Draft starts. Players may not move up or down from Snake Draft slots once the Majors Draft begins.

Every player chosen in the Snake Draft receives the league minimum salary. Up to three Snake draftees may be given non-guaranteed (NG) contracts, which the drafting team must declare as the player is drafted. See [[External Transactions]] for the benefits and limitations of NG contracts. Players drafted as NGs during the auction must remain NGs cannot be converted to K1s prior to Opening Day, except for eligible conversions in lieu of acquiring post-auction K1s, as set out under [[External Transactions]].

== Rule V Draft ==

In order to dissuade teams from retaining players in AA that are performing well in MLB, LDB will hold an MLB Rule V-style draft during each year's All-Star Break. In that draft, teams may poach such players from other teams' farm systems. To be eligible for the Rule V Draft, a player must:
* Currently be in LDB AA,
* Not be a team's designated protected player,
* Be age 23 or above as of the date of the Rule V Draft (birthday on draft day counts),
* Have accumulated 900 PA, 225 IP, or 50 pitching appearances over his career, and
* Currently be on an MLB team's 26-man roster.

The Rule V draft will take place over the All-Star Break each season. During that week, and before the draft begins, teams will be afforded an opportunity to announce one protected player that cannot be drafted and to promote AA players subject to the Rule V draft before the draft. A player may not be designated as a "protected player" in consecutive years. The draft will last until each team passes. Once a team passes, the team may still participate further in the draft. There are no restrictions on the number of players one team may take or have taken from them. The draft order will be non-serpentine, with the order being in reverse order of the then-current standings at the close of the LDB week preceding the All-Star Game. The Commissioner(s) will conduct the Rule V Draft by means they determine.

Teams drafting players by Rule V will be required to keep them on their LDB Majors roster for the following one and one half seasons. Teams may place Rule V draftees on the IL. However, spending a half season on the IL (10 weeks, aggregated over all IL stints) does not count toward the one and one half seasons. Owners will not be required to include Rule V draftees on their playoff roster.

A team that drafts a player in the Rule V Draft and drops that player in the off-season is still accountable for the player’s salary if unclaimed.

Rule V draftees may be traded. Traded Rule V draftees or draftees claimed off of waivers will remain under the same restrictions for teams acquiring them.

If a team is unable to maintain the player in LDB Majors or the IL and cannot move him by trade, the player must be offered back to his original team for $0.2 million. If the original team declines to take the player, he enters general waivers. When an original owner acquires a player back before they have cleared waivers, the original team is under Rule V restrictions described here.

Teams may not change their protected player once the draft begins without either promoting that player or subjecting him to waivers.

<references/>

Internal Transactions

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Internal transactions are transactions within an LDB organization that send players from one roster to another or alter the status of a contract.

== Injured List Transactions ==
A player in the Majors may be moved to the IL when he is on the MLB IL. If a team has space on its IL and a player is placed on the IL according to MLB's official list of transactions, but CBS does not register the player as IL-eligible, the team may temporarily place the player in its minor league system until CBS reflects the injury status. Teams must announce such moves to the league, and shall promptly move the player to the IL when CBS registers IL eligibility.

== AA Transactions ==

=== Promoting Players from AA ===
A GM may promote players in [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]] to the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] at any time, so long as sufficient roster space is available for the promotion. Note that promoting a AA player will start the clock on their eligibility as [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Homegrown_and_Super-twos|a home-grown or super-two player]]. AA promotions occurring during the offseason may be rescinded before the start of the MLB season.

=== Demoting Players to AA ===
No player may be demoted to AA.

== Contract Redesignations ==
Teams may redesignate one or more of its [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|NG players]] as K1s at the league minimum before midnight before the first MLB game following the LDB auction in lieu of acquiring an equal number of free agents as K1s, described below.

Teams may also redesignate the first three free agents per team acquired by midnight before the first MLB game following the LDB auction may be designated K1s at the league minimum.

<references/>

Organizational Structure

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The Game

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LDB is divided into two subsidiary leagues: the Federal League and the Union Association. Each league has two four-team divisions. During the regular season, each team will play another team for one week at a time (Monday to Sunday)<ref>With the exception of the first and eleventh weeks, which may extend beyond seven days.</ref> for a total of 20 weeks, with each statistical category representing one game, meaning 12 games are in play each week. After the regular season, top-performing teams advance to the playoffs.

== Schedule ==
Scheduling will be announced by the Commissioner(s) before the [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]] each year. During the regular season, each team will play the other three teams in their own division twice (6 games), each other team once (12 games), and each team will have two additional non-division intraleague matchups (2 games). Matchups for the extra two intraleague matchups will be determined by the prior season's records. Teams with the two best records in one division in a league will face the teams with the two best records in the other division in that league, and vice versa for the two teams with the worst records in their divisions.

The Commissioner(s) will implement "road trips" where teams play out of their divisions multiple weeks in a row. However, road trips may not be so long that they create a competitive imbalance for teams on long away stretches (as a result of being disfavored in weekly tiebreakers for such periods).

== Scoring ==
Lucid Dream Baseball scores the ten active batters and up to eleven active pitchers each day on the following statistics:

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto" width="500"
|-
! colspan="2" | LDB Scoring
|-
! width="200" | Batters
! Pitchers
|-
| On-Base Percentage (OBP)
| Modified Game Starts (MGS): 3*IP + 2(IP-4) + K - 2H - 4ER - 2(R-ER) - BB
|-
| On-Base Plus Slugging Percentage (OPS): OBP + SLG
| Adjusted WHIP (aWHIP): (H + BB + HBP)/INN
|-
| Runs Scored (R)
| VIJAY: (RIP+3*SV+3*HLD-8*BS-8*RL)/4
|-
| Adjusted Runs Batted In (aRBI) = RBI - GIDP
| Home Runs Allowed (HRA)
|-
| Home Runs (HR)
| Pitcher Strikeouts (K)
|-
| Adjusted Stolen Bases (ASB): SB - CS/2
| Earned Run Average (ERA)
|}

As in baseball, there can be no ties. If a statistical category ends in a tie at the conclusion of a week, the home team will win all such categories. However, any margin of victory in any statistical category, however small, is a victory and not a tie.

== Roster Requirements ==
Each week, each team must meet: the league minimum innings pitched requirement (IP) of 44 innings per week; have an eligible player in each positional roster spot (except designated hitter spots) each day; accumulate a minimum of 50 plate appearances per week; and maintain a roster of 31 players or less (or 26 during playoff matches).

If a team fails to meet these minimum requirements, the following penalties are applied:

=== Batting and Fielding Penalties ===
For every batter missing from a team's lineup on a game day, that team receives one "AAA start" for each missing player, which is 0H, 5 AB with 2 GIDP. After three separate days of batting roster violations, the team is penalized $0.5 million per player per day. The ﬁnes will be deducted from the following season’s payroll.

Teams that fail to accumulate 50 plate appearances in a week will forfeit all offensive categories in that matchup.

=== Pitching Penalties ===
If a team fails to reach the required 44 innings pitched in a given week, that team will automatically lose the following categories: MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA, and VIJAY. These losses will count as losses in the standings and will be known throughout the league as FUs,<ref>Fuck-ups</ref>. In the event two teams playing each other both miss the 44-inning requirement, both will be assigned FUs. Should a team miss the innings requirement more than once, there will be an increasing penalty scale as follows:

* First infraction: warning
* Second infraction: $1 million fine
* Third infraction: $3 million fine
* Fourth infraction: $5 million fine
* Fifth infraction: loss of team's next AA draft pick in possession at the time of the infraction

=== Roster Penalties ===

====Regular Season====
If a team has a roster in excess of the 31-man limit, that team will be: (1) fined $0.5 million per player per day in violation and (2) required to operate with a roster below the roster limit for the number of days and players the team was above the limit (known as a “Sloppy roster”). A team must institute a Sloppy roster immediately upon discovery by the Commissioner(s) until fully served, including playoff matches and, if necessary, the beginning of the following regular season.

However, this penalty will not apply in instances where: (1) players come off the IL during the period stretching 10 minutes before rosters lock until that day's roster can no longer be modified and (2) a team is above the 31-player limit by a number less than or equal to the number of players coming off the IL that day until the next day that rosters lock. If a team announces this situation to the league on the day it happens, it will serve as a safe harbor from any penalties being applied. But if a team does not announce the violation and it is later discovered, the team must demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Commissioner(s) that the team moved such players off the IL after rosters locked. If records are incomplete or inconclusive, the penalties will apply.

====Playoffs====
If an owner fails to set a legal playoff roster before rosters lock on the first day of a playoff week, all active players will automatically be considered part of the 26 man playoff roster. The remaining spots will be assigned to bench players in the order that they appear in MLB games until a team reaches 26 players. If a team starts players such that its roster exceeds the 26-man limit and the violation is discovered during the same playoff period in which it occurred, the team will be: (1) penalized the same as if it had violated the roster limit during the regular season and (2) have any stats accrued by such players removed from the current playoff matchup without another player’s stats being substituted. For any such violations discovered after a playoff period closes, a team will incur penalties the same as if it violated the roster limit during the regular season, except that the financial penalty and number of days a Sloppy roster must be instituted (but not the number of roster slots decreased) will be five times the regular season penalty.

Teams on bye weeks must abide by the regular season 31-man roster rule. If a player comes off the IL during a bye week that puts a team over the 31-player limit, the owner must drop a player within 24 hours or prior to the start of their next matchup, whichever comes first. If a team does not, it will be penalized the same as if it had violated the roster limit during the regular season. Sloppy roster violations may only be served during matchups, not bye weeks.

== McQueeney Performance Penalties <ref>Known as "McQueeneys"</ref>==
The McQueeney Performance Penalty deducts LDB cash from a team's subsequent yearly budget when that team finishes the regular season with a sub-.400 winning percentage (including any FU losses and excluding any FU wins) in the second half of the regular season. The "McQueeneys" will be assessed according to the following formula:

:For a team with x second-half wins, (48-x)*LDB$1.25 million. This formula will be adjusted as appropriate if LDB moves to a schedule that does not include exactly 120 second-half games.

Additionally:

*The McQueeney Penalties shall be capped at a $20 million maximum potential fine.
*The Commissioner(s) may, at their discretion, grant an exemption from the penalties for any team that actively and competently manages its roster throughout the season and does not make a concerted effort to sell players on its active major league roster for future value (i.e., draft picks, cash, or AA players).

For example, a team with 47 second-half wins would incur a $1.25 million penalty, a team with 46 second-half wins would incur a $2.5 million penalty, etc. A team with 32 or fewer second-half wins would incur the maximum penalty of $20 million.

McQueeney penalties for missed innings belong to owners, not teams. When an owner leaves LDB, their McQueeney penalties go with them. A new owner is not responsible for paying the McQueeney penalties that team's previous owner incurred.

However, a new owner can choose to pay the previous owner’s McQueeney penalties and instead opt to be exempt from McQueeney penalties during the new owner's first year of ownership. A team who chooses this option must still actively and competently manage his team, however, or else the Commissioner(s) may override the exemption and impose the fines in full or in part at their discretion. Additionally, this exemption is only available in the event a departing owner leaves with an outstanding fine of $5 million or more. These provisions apply equally to owners who have and have not owned an LDB team previously.

== All-Star Break ==
LDB will not hold regular games during the week of the MLB All-Star Game. That week, at the option of the Commissioner(s), LDB will: (1) hold an LDB All-Star Game and, (2) if easily accomplished, fold any official MLB stats accrued that week into the subsequent week.

The All-Star Game will be held between the Federal League and the Union Association and use official MLB statistics accrued during the week of the MLB All-Star Break. The Commissioner(s) will announce the logistics for such a game, and each of the divisions will select and announce players for the game. All-Star teams can list starting pitcher alternates in case their starters do not pitch at all.

The league that wins the LDB All-Star Game will have home field advantage in the Lucid Dream Series and McQueeney Cup final.

Each league's team will be managed by the owner of the prior season's league champion. The manager will be in charge of conducting the voting for his league's players and tracking their stats. All-Star teams will consist of a full lineup, three starting pitchers, and two relievers. There will be no alternates or lineup changes; if a player goes on the IL or misses the weekend, their spot remains empty. Every team in the league must have at least one player on their league's All-star team. The All-Star Game will use regular season scoring categories. The manager must report the final stats on the Monday following the All-star break and should report the daily stats on Saturday and Sunday.<ref>An easy way to track such scores is to use CBS's "Scout Team" page using the "Last 7 Days" viewing option. The manager may need to calculate rate stats separately.</ref>

There is no home field advantage in the All-Star Game; category ties are treated as ties. If the final score is tied, tiebreakers will be as follows: HR, aSB, Ka, R, RBI, OPS, VIJAY, OBP, WHIP, ERA, MGS.

The Commissioner(s) have discretion to adjust these rules unilaterally prior to the LDB All-Star Game if they deem it necessary. Changes after the All-Star Game has begun require a majority vote.

== Playoffs ==

=== Advancing to the Playoffs ===
LDB Playoffs occur after the regular season concludes. Eight teams make the playoffs: the four division winners and four wild card teams, two from each league. The wild card teams from each league first play each other in a wild card round. The winners of the wild card round advance to the Lucid Division series, where they will play the division winner in their respective leagues with the second best league record (that division winner therefore gets a one-round bye). The winner of the Lucid Division Series advances to the Lucid Championship Series, where they face the team with the best record in their league (the league winner therefore gets a double bye). The home team in the Lucid Dream Series is determined by the winner of the [[#All-Star_Break|All-Star Game]]. The tiebreakers to determine which teams make the playoffs, determine seeding, and home field advantage in the event no LDB All-Star Game takes place are as follows:

# Overall Points
# Head-to-head Record
# Head-to-head Record Excluding Tie Wins
# Wins (excluding tie wins from standings points)
# Intra-division Record
# Overall Roto Performance
# Commissioner(s)’s Coin Flip (with witnesses)

In case three teams are tied in overall points, a three team head-to-head tiebreaker is resolved by independent pairwise comparisons. For example:

:Consider 3 teams: A, B, and C:
:* A beat B in Week 1, 9-5
:* A beat C in Week 2, 10-4
:* B beat A in Week 3, 13-1
:* B tied C in Week 4, 7-7
:* B beat C in Week 5, 8-6
:* C beat A in Week 6, 11-3

:Therefore, head-to-head:
:A vs. B = (9+1) vs. (5+13) = 10 vs. 18.
:So B > A

:A vs. C = (10+3) vs. (4+11) = 13 vs. 15.
:So C > A

:B vs. C = (7+8) vs (7+6) = 15 vs. 13
:So B > C

:Therefore, B>C>A, and so B and C make the playoffs. Theoretically, if A = C in head-to-head, we would have to go to the normal tie-breaking regime above.

In the event pairwise comparison of head-to-head points is circular, then pairwise comparisons of totals runs scored in head-to-head matchups is the next category used. If this is also circular, then total head-to-head HR then K then aRBI are applied (in that order). If still tied, then tiebreaker is determined by fiat by the LDB Commissioner(s)’s preferred method (rock-paper-scissors suggested but not required).

=== Playoff Rosters ===
Once playoff rosters lock for the first time, player adds and drops may only be made by teams that have not been eliminated from their respective post-season brackets. The league will run waivers on Monday morning of each playoff week, and the waiver order will be randomized each week as follows: first, the order of the remaining playoff teams will be randomized, and then subsequently the order of the remaining teams in the McQueeney bracket will be randomized, and will follow the last playoff team. Once waivers have run, additional players may be added until the first MLB game begins on Monday. However, in the event a player comes off the IL after rosters lock, there is no roster violation, but the owner must drop a player within 24 hours or prior to the start of their next matchup, whichever comes first.

Playoff rosters contain 26 players and lock at the start of each playoff round. The 26-man playoff roster consists of: active position players, reserve position players, active pitchers, reserve pitchers, and players potentially activated from the IL. Once rosters lock on Monday of each playoff week, players cannot be promoted from AA until the following Monday. However:

* Players on the IL may be added to the 26-man roster after rosters lock if there is a space reserved for their potential activation.
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster is placed on the IL at any point during the week, an owner may add another player from their 31-man roster to their 26-man roster
* If a player on a team's 26-man playoff roster has not yet played in an MLB game during the playoff week, that player may be swapped out for another player on a team's 31-man roster at any time.

Once a player has been moved off the 26-man roster, he cannot be re-added to the roster. For convenience, teams may place any player who is not on their 26-man roster on any minor league roster.

Players within the 26-man roster may be freely subbed in and out during the playoffs. Each playoff team must accumulate at least 30 IP per playoff week or else they will lose MGS, ERA, WHIP, HRA and VIJAY, just as they would in the regular season.

=== Playoff Scoring ===

Scoring stats for playoff matchups are identical to the regular season's scoring stats.

In the event of a tied category, ties are not awarded to the home team as in the regular season. The team with more wins advances except in situations where there are more ties than wins for either team, in which case a tie results.

In the event of a playoff tie in points, such games will be decided by a tiebreaker pairing offensive and pitching categories, in the following ranked order:

:OPS/ERA
:OBP/aWHIP
:HR/K
:aRBI/HRA
:R/MGS
:aSB/VIJAY

The team that wins the highest ranked pair of categories shall be declared the winner. If all category pairs are split, then the team with the greatest margin of victory in the highest ranked category shall be declared the winner.

:Example 1 (simple tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and ERA. Team A is declared the winner.

:Example 2 (third pair tiebreaker): Team A wins OPS and OBP. Team B wins ERA, aWHIP, HR, and K. Team B is declared the winner.

:Example 3 (margin of victory tiebreaker): Team A wins all offensive categories. Team B wins all pitching categories. Team A wins OPS .850 to .790 (60 point delta). Team B wins ERA 3.50 to 3.00 (50 point delta). Team A is declared the winner (60 point delta to 50 point delta).

=== The McQueeney Cup ===
LDB will award the McQueeney Cup each season to the non-playoff team that wins the McQueeney Cup bracket, which will be played over three rounds in parallel to LDB playoffs. Union and Federal ladders are composed of each divisions' respective four non-playoff teams, seeded in order of regular season finish. The final round includes the winners of the Union and Federal portions of the bracket. The winner of the McQueeney Cup will receive a AA draft pick in the following season's AA Draft that is sandwiched between the first and second round of that draft. In all other respects, McQueeney Cup games are decided as a regular playoff game. The winner of the McQueeney Cup may choose to either take the sandwich round pick or forfeit that pick in exchange for wiping McQueeney penalties to $0, should the team have any.

<references/>

Internal Transactions

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Internal transactions are transactions within an LDB organization that send players from one roster to another or alter the status of a contract.

== Injured List Transactions ==
A player in the Majors may be moved to the IL when he is on the MLB IL.

== AA Transactions ==

=== Promoting Players from AA ===
A GM may promote players in [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]] to the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] at any time, so long as sufficient roster space is available for the promotion. Note that promoting a AA player will start the clock on their eligibility as [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Homegrown_and_Super-twos|a home-grown or super-two player]]. AA promotions occurring during the offseason may be rescinded before the start of the MLB season.

=== Demoting Players to AA ===
No player may be demoted to AA.

== Contract Redesignations ==
Teams may redesignate one or more of its [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|NG players]] as K1s at the league minimum before midnight before the first MLB game following the LDB auction in lieu of acquiring an equal number of free agents as K1s, described below.

Teams may also redesignate the first three free agents per team acquired by midnight before the first MLB game following the LDB auction may be designated K1s at the league minimum.

<references/>

Lucid Dream Baseball League Rules

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Ldbrules:

{| style="float:right; margin-left: 10px; border:0;"
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2007.jpg|border|150px|2007 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2008.jpg|border|150px|2008 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2010.jpg|border|150px|2010 Draft]]
|-
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2011.jpg|border|150px|2011 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|[[File:Draft_2012.jpg|border|150px|2012 Draft]]
| valign="middle"|
|-
| valign="center" align="center" colspan="3"| A study in technological advances of cell phone cameras.
|}Lucid Dream Baseball (LDB) is a fantasy baseball league designed to mirror owning and managing a Major League Baseball franchise as nearly as possible. LDB principally accomplishes this two ways: (1) providing each league member deep organizational tiers that allow all types of players, from marquee superstars to young prospects and (2) calculating player performance from statistics that better measure player performance than traditional fantasy baseball systems. LDB also offers other features that better simulate team management than traditional fantasy baseball systems, including a yearly budget, trades that involve assets other than players, rules for internal team management that mirror MLB, among others.

Each LDB league member will be the GM of his or her own franchise, in complete control of team payroll, roster composition, game lineups, and management of the farm system.<ref>However, a GM may opt to appoint a co-manager. Co-managed teams have one vote on trade vetoes, rule changes, etc.</ref> Financial constraints have been designed to resemble those of the top-tier of MLB organizations, and GMs will have the ability to engage in realistic transactions and roster moves to put their teams in the best position to win. Given the unique features LDB offers, LDB GMs have a higher responsibility to manage their team than they would in an average fantasy league.<ref>[[Legacy_Rules_and_Rules_Board_Reporter#In_re_Robinson_Cano.27s_Contract_Status.2C_2012_LDB_1_.28Feb._16.2C_2012.29|In re Robinson Cano's Contract Status, 2012 LDB 1 (Feb. 16, 2012)]].</ref>
__NOTOC__
==[[Organizational Structure]]==
* [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]]
* [[Organizational Structure#Injured List and Suspended List|Injured List and Suspended List]]
* [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]]

==[[Finances]]==
* [[Finances#Yearly Budget|Yearly Budget]]
* [[Finances#Luxury Tax|Luxury Tax]]
* [[Finances#Payroll|Payroll]]

==[[Keepers and Drafts]]==
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Keepers|Keepers]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#AA Draft|AA Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Majors Draft|Majors Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|Snake Draft]]
* [[Keepers and Drafts#Rule V Draft|Rule V Draft]]

==[[The Game]]==
* [[The Game#Schedule|Schedule]]
* [[The Game#Scoring|Scoring]]
* [[The Game#Roster Requirements|Roster Requirements]]
* [[The Game#McQueeney Performance Penalties|McQueeney Performance Penalties]]
* [[The Game#All-star Break|All-star Break]]
* [[The Game#Playoffs|Playoffs]]

==[[Internal Transactions]]==
* [[Internal Transactions#Injured List Transactions|Injured List Transactions]]
* [[Internal Transactions#AA Transactions|AA Transactions]]

==[[External Transactions]]==
* [[External Transactions#Designation for Assignment|Designation for Assignment]]
* [[External Transactions#Mid-Season Free Agents|Mid-Season Free Agents]]
* [[External Transactions#Waiver Claims|Waiver Claims]]
* [[External Transactions#Trades|Trades]]
* [[External Transactions#Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")|Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")]]

==[[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies]]==
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Rule Changes|Rule Changes]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Commissioner Relief|Commissioner Relief]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Rules Board|Rules Board]]
* [[Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies#Contingencies|Contingencies]]

==[https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Zv1CQUTWkl3Limne9-pJbF_e8yW41Bl1CqWE1ZDktYg/edit?usp=sharing Future Rule Changes]==

==[[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons]]==
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#2021 Draft|2021 Draft]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#H/S Contracts|H/S Contracts]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#K/HTH Contracts|K/HTH Contracts]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#RFA Contracts/Rights|RFA Contracts/Rights]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#Trades|Trades]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#McQueeney Penalties|McQueeney Penalties]]
* [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons#Roster Requirements|Roster Requirements]]

==[[Legacy Materials]]==
* [[Legacy Materials#Legacy Rules|Legacy Rules]]
* [[Legacy Materials#LDB Rules Board Reporter|LDB Rules Board Reporter]]

<references/>

Legacy Rules and Rules Board Reporter

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#REDIRECT [[Legacy Materials]]

Legacy Materials

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== Legacy Rules ==
<gallery perrow="3">
File:Lucid_Dream_Rules_2-2007.pdf|2007 Rules
File:Lucid_Dream_Baseball_2008_Rules_Final.pdf|2008 Rules
File:Lucid_Dream_Rules_2009_Final.pdf|2009 Rules
</gallery>

== LDB Rules Board Reporter ==

=== 2010 Decisions ===

==== In re aRBI, 2010 LDB 1 (Apr. 6, 2010) ====
QUESTION: The Wiki says that aRBI shall be RBI-2GIDP, but the Commissioner stated in an email that aRBI shall be RBI-GIDP. Which formula are we using?

DECISION: The Board unanimously concludes that aRBI should be RBI-2GIDP, as stated in the Wiki. The rule as stated in the Wiki is entirely unambiguous, and therefore carries the day. We recognize that the Commissioner provided a different formula in an email, and that that formula is probably a better one. But the Wiki is the primary source for LDB's Rules, and where it can only be interpreted in one way, that interpretation should usually, and perhaps always, govern.

We should emphasize that, in this case, the rule written into the Wiki is workable and a relatively minor change from the other possible rule. Additionally, to the extent that anybody is harmed by the misunderstanding, that harm falls equally on people who relied on one source and people who relied on the other. Treating the rule stated in the Wiki as definitive thus does not create problems for the functioning of the League, and does not create or exacerbate any avoidable inequities among owners.

Of course, this does not stop the league from changing the rule mid-season, in accordance with the "In-season Rule Changes" provision of the Wiki. Such changes require unanimous consent.

J. Dubner, M. Brophy, and R. Hughes

==== In re Cancelled MLB Games, 2010 LDB 2 (Apr. 12, 2010) ====
QUESTIONS: (1) Do stats from cancelled MLB games count in LDB? (2) If they do not count, what should be the mechanism for getting them tossed?

DECISION: On the first question, the Board unanimously concludes that cancelled MLB games will not count in LDB. On the second question, the Board unanimously concludes that the Commissioner should first look for a way to solve the problem functionally. If a functional fix is not possible, the league will rely on owners reporting cancelled games.

Regarding the first question, the Rules are completely silent on the issue. However, our past practice with CBS was to not count these games. And, as we understand, most if not all fantasy service providers do not count cancelled games. Given our past practice and that the fantasy baseball industry generally does not count these games, we are persuaded that they should not count.

On the second question, we think a technical fix is optimal. If that's not possible, then owners should keep their eye out for canceled games, and email the league when one occurs. Given that most of the league checks scores repeatedly throughout the day, a regular practice of emailing the league when a canceled game is spotted should suffice to catch all canceled games. Note that you should email the league, rather than just Geoff, so that everybody else knows that they don't need to report that game.

We considered proposing a prize for reported games, e.g., a .4M reward to the first team that spotted any given canceled game. Ultimately, we determined that this was unnecessary.

R. Hughes, M. Brophy, and J. Dubner

==== In re Pitchers' AAA Starts, 2010 LDB 3 (Jun. 6, 2010) ====
QUESTION: The Rules designate this as a "3 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 2 HR" penalty, but with no mention of WPA, RE24, or NQW penalties. Does this imply we want no penalty on those categories?

DECISION: The Board unanimously concludes that the rule was inadvertently incomplete as drafted, and should therefore be corrected. AAA starts will now consist of 3 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 2 HR, -3 NQW, -0.40 WPA, and -4.42 RE24.

Charging -3 NQW to a pitcher with the stat line stated in the Rules strikes us as uncontroversial. If a pitcher goes 3 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, and 2 HR, he incurs a game started, but no win or quality start. He almost certainly accumulates a loss as well, leaving him with -3 NQW under our scoring structure.

WPA and RE24 were more difficult to decide, since both are context specific. We thought it most appropriate to construct a fictional, realistic three inning sequence based on the stat line listed in the Rules and adopt the resulting WPA and RE24 values. This is the scenario we decided on:

* Top 1: AAA starter allows 1 run
* Bottom 1: Starter's team gets back a run
* Top 2: AAA starter allows no runs
* Bottom 2: Starter's team gets no runs
* Top 3: AAA starter allows 2 runs
* Bottom 3: Starter's team gets no runs
* Top 4: AAA starter allows 3 runs, pulled with bases empty, no outs

In this situation, the AAA starter incurs -0.40 WPA and -4.42 RE24.

As an aside, we apologize for not deciding this matter quicker, as dictated by the Rules.

R. Hughes, M. Brophy, and J. Dubner

==== In re Waivers, 2010 LDB 4 (Jun. 9, 2010) (Unpublished) ====
QUESTION: Where the rule reads, in part, "waivers always process through the opposite league first, then through the league with the original team's owner..." but the Commissioner later finds that MLB actually processes waivers in the opposite manner (original owner's league first, followed by the other league) should the rule be interpreted to mirror MLB?

DECISION: No. A plain reading of the rule states that waivers process through the other league first, and to read it as the opposite would require a rule change. The rules also clearly state that in-season rule changes require unanimous league consent. In order to change the rule to process through the original owner's league first, therefore, league consent must be gained. Under the Rules, in-season rules changes "are permissible so long as no team objects." Especially because the change that the Commissioner proposes would not injure any owner, the Rules allow him to propose the change to the league, allow a reasonable time for objection, and implement the change if nobody objects.

J. Dubner, M. Brophy, and R. Hughes

==== In re Payouts, 2010 LDB 5 (Jul. 7, 2010) ====
QUESTION: We never really settled what we're going to do about payouts. Can you guys come up with an appropriate structure?

DECISION: The Board unanimously concludes that we will use the same payout structure as last year, but with slight modifications that shift the prize pool in the league champion's favor, while also rewarding teams with second, third, and fourth place finishes. Teams will start being paid back their league fees after 102 wins instead of last year's 100. The remaining prize pool will be split 60-20-10-10% between the first through fourth place finishers, respectively, instead of last year's 65-35% split between the top two.

We find basis for our decision in several unsettled discussions about payout structure, which showed support for last year's payout structure, but with a desire to shift payout to the league champion and top four finishers, especially the league champion. We also found competing ideas for more radically altering the payout structure, but no consensus on them, and some of them were logically unworkable. That said, we think it prudent to keep the system we have, modify it for the changes we find widespread support for, and leave the more radical changes for the offseason.

Under last year's system, each team paid in $60 for the season. After a team won 100 points toward its season record, that team earned $1.00 back for each win thereafter, the break-even point being 160 points. Teams making the playoffs were guaranteed to be at least made whole on their $60 buy-in. Many teams, of course, fell short of 160 wins and did not get back all they paid in. The unpaid funds constituted the prize pool, which the champion and runner-up split 65-35%.[1]

Based on our calculations, we conclude that increasing the requisite points for beginning repayment to 102 and splitting the winnings amongst the top four teams 60-20-10-10% creates a much more desirable net winnings result.

In all other respects, the payout structure should remain the same.

Under this scheme, last year's standings would have resulted in the following net winnings distribution. Note that this is a somewhat extreme case, due to Starr winning so many in-season games above 162. On par, the disparity between the champion and runner-up would be even greater.

{| class="wikitable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto"
|-
!
! New Pool
! Old Pool
|-
| Brophy
| $105
| $99
|-
| Starr
| $50
| $68
|-
| Ian
| $22
| $7
|-
| Jack
| $22
| $7
|-
| Geoff
| $3
| $5
|-
| Dubner
| $1
| $3
|-
| Vijay
| $0
| $0
|-
| Ilan
| ($4)
| ($2)
|-
| Jay
| ($8)
| ($6)
|-
| Nat
| ($24)
| ($22)
|-
| Ray
| ($29)
| ($27)
|-
| Anton
| ($31)
| ($29)
|-
| Ryan
| ($39)
| ($37)
|-
| Sean
| ($67)
| ($65)
|}

Note: we do not warrant the absolute correctness of these numbers, as we worked backwards from the Commissioner's payouts last year. In fact, there is rounding error in them and/or an unaccounted dollar for the requirement that Vijay be made whole on making the playoffs with 159 wins. But they should present a reasonable picture of the result.

[1] The goal of this structure was twofold: (1) make teams out of contention think twice about selling off and (2) encourage teams to continue making day-to-day management decisions to maintain league competitiveness through the entire season.

R. Hughes, M. Brophy, and J. Dubner

==== In re Playoff Pitching Staffs, 2010 LDB 6 (Aug. 29, 2010) ====
QUESTION: May a team place a pitcher currently on the DL on its playoff roster? What about a pitcher in the real-world minor league systems?

ANSWER: Only if the pitcher is scheduled to come off the DL during that stage of the playoffs. The rule requires teams to "bring three starters and two relievers to each playoff round." Because all pitching stats are calculated as rate stats in the playoffs, and there is no innings requirement, a team could game the rule by using 1 superstar and 4 disabled pitchers. Accordingly, it would be best to interpret "bringing" pitchers to the round as selecting pitchers who are on major league rosters; that is, not disabled pitchers or players in the minor leagues.

Because an owner might legitimately want to use a disabled pitcher who is scheduled to come off the DL, they may do so, provided they announce their plan to the league and identify a backup pitcher on their roster who will pitch if the disabled pitcher does not appear in a game that week.

J. Dubner and M. Brophy

DISSENT: I respectfully disagree with the rest of the Board. While the decision we are rendering makes fine sense, I think we are overstepping our bounds. The Rules state that, "[s]hould any ambiguity of these Rules arise, such ambiguity is resolved by the Rules Interpretation Board (Board)." The Board has struggled numerous times this season with what is 'ambiguous' and what is not, mostly at my behest.[1] The rest of the Board takes a much broader view of the Board's power than I think the Rules allow. While I agree it may be desirable to give the Board broad powers, I do not think the Board has the power to render this decision.

Looking over some of our past decisions, most of them involve a question where there was no workable solution within the text of the Rules (see payouts, AAA starts, and cancelled games data). The one decision where we declined to intervene was the aRBI question, where we found a clear, workable standard with no ambiguity. This case is much closer to the aRBI question than to any of the others. Under the Rules, "[t]eams will bring three starters and two relievers to each playoff round." There is nothing ambiguous about this sentence; a team should be able to select any players for the playoff roster, with or without DL or minor league status -- just as it may with offensive players. In fact, I think a short roster would be perfectly acceptable strategy that brings higher risk and reward.

Brophy finds ambiguity in this sentence for other reasons: it doesn't speak of bench sizes or whether players may be subbed in and out. But these are extrinsic questions to the matter at hand, for which I think there is no legitimate ambiguity. Brophy also pointed out that, taken to the extreme, a manager could put all injured players on the playoff roster, which would result in divide-by-zero errors in scoring. First of all, no manager would ever do this. Second, even if one did, the Board would simply need to determine what to do with such score, since the Rules give no guidance.

Dubner made a very compelling case for why allowing guys on the DL or in minors would not effect league intent, and I agree with him. I even think that giving the Board the mission of effecting league intent and broad power to fashion new rules without a league vote is a good idea for next season. But I don't think we have the power to do so right now and that this should go to a league vote.

[1] The irony of 'ambiguous' being ambiguous does not escape me. Neither does the fact that I wrote that portion of the Rules.

R. Hughes

==== In re Tiebreakers, 2010 LDB 7 (Sept. 3, 2010) ====
NOTE: Geoff just sent us an emergency question. Brophy and Starr were disqualified because it affects their playoff match-ups. Anton stepped in as #3.

QUESTION: After the UZR update, it turns out that Nat, Josh and Geoff are tied at the end of week 20. We have no provision for a tie breaker in standings in the Rules. Geoff provided the contents of an email from August last year announcing tiebreakers for 2009.

DECISION: We unanimously conclude that the system used in 2009 should control. Standing will be determined based on the following criteria, in descending order:

# Standings points
# Head-to-head record (if three teams are tied and their head-to-head record results in another three-way tie, we'll ignore this and move on)
# Wins (exclude tie wins and forfeit wins from standings points)
# Tie wins
# InTRA-divisional record
# (god help us all) Overall roto performance
# Commissioner's coin flip (with witnesses)

R. Hughes, J. Dubner, and A. Johnson

=== 2011 Decisions ===

==== In re Multiple AAA Start Penalties 2011 LDB 1 (Mar. 31, 2011) ====

Financial Penalty Vagueness: The Rules Board unanimously declares that the following rule:

For every batter missing from a team's lineup on a game day, that team receives one "AAA start" for each missing player, which is 0H, 5 AB with 2 GIDP. After three batting roster violations, the team is penalized $0.5 million per player per day. The ﬁnes will be deducted from the following season’s payroll. Fines are deducted after luxury tax calculations are made.

Shall be interpreted to mean:

For every batter missing from a team's lineup on a game day, that team receives one "AAA start" for each missing player, which is 0H, 5 AB with 2 GIDP. After three separate days of batting roster violations, the team is penalized $0.5 million per player per day. The ﬁnes will be deducted from the following season’s payroll. Fines are deducted after luxury tax calculations are made.

In Addition, if it is within our power, we would like to submit the following rule change/addendum to the above rule for a league vote:

"If an LDB GM leaves any of the mandatory positions of his lineup empty on the first day of the MLB season, instead of facing the regular penalty of going 0-5 with 2 GIDPs for each empty roster spot, he will instead incur no stats for each empty spot. This rule will ONLY apply to Opening Day."

M. Starr, A. Johnson, and J. Zalman

=== 2012 Decisions ===

==== In re Robinson Cano's Contract Status, 2012 LDB 1 (Feb. 16, 2012) ====
QUESTION: Robinson Cano was erroneously marked as a K2 last year. He was actually a K3. Anton, who purchased him in the auction three years ago, has owned the player for all three years. He said that he had built his team around having Cano this year, but now he should be an RFA instead of a K3 (had he not been erroneously marked). Need a decision about what to do with Cano's status.

DECISION: We find ourselves in the odd situation of having to interpret rules that we no longer have, as they were lost on an old server. However, one of the pieces we have left of the rules is an amendment made during the previous offseason, the "Dubner Amendment," which clarifies the powers and mission of this board:

<blockquote>If the Rules are ambiguous or do not address an issue, the Board should craft a rule designed to best fulfill the goals and intent of the league, but should be mindful of the need to avoid harming or benefiting any individual team or subset of teams that has relied on a valid interpretation of the text of the Rules or would otherwise be affected in a way distinct from the rest of the league. Above all, the Board should be guided by common sense and its understanding of what makes LDB the most functional and the most fun, rather than legalistic or formalistic nuances.</blockquote>

Having no rules to read from, we have to draw on memory to answer this question. We recall no contingency for dealing with the situation where incorrect data entry prejudices a team owner. As such, we need to craft a commonsense decision that fulfills the intent of the league.

We are guided in part by the dispute at the beginning of the 2011 season as to what extent Jay should be penalized after not having set his lineup over multiple days. Part of that discussion focussed on the level of responsibility an owner in this league must have to know his own team. The consensus was that everybody in this league must have a higher responsibility than they would in an average league. We think that is true in this case: an owner should know, without relying on entered data, whether a player has been on his roster for two or three seasons.

We are also guided by situations in the past where the league has had to fashion workarounds in data gaps, especially with regard to fielding data. Given that our league software is far from enterprise-level, owners should expect some reasonable low level of data inaccuracy. That is true in this case as well. One cannot expect every contract status to be correct, especially when it was (likely) entered by hand at some point.

As such, Cano's contract status last season was K3, and he will be an RFA this year. Additionally, Anton must pay the $0.7 million in savings that he received with Cano's more favorable K2 contract designation last season.

We are mindful that we must "avoid harming or benefiting any individual team or subset of teams that has relied on a valid interpretation of the text of the Rules or would otherwise be affected in a way distinct from the rest of the league." We therefore do not opine here on the situation where an incorrect contract status requires an owner to pay back substantially more than $0.7 million in savings.

R. Hughes, I. Marcus Amelkin, and M. Starr

=== 2013 Decisions ===

==== In re Monetary Penalties for AAA Starts, 2013 LDB 1 (Mar. 9, 2013) ====
Our decision today comes in three parts with all agreeing on the first two issues and a split of opinion on the third.

'''QUESTION 1:''' Should monetary penalties for AAA starts be assessed before the luxury tax?

DECISION: As an initial matter, monetary penalties for AAA pitching starts are not included in our current version of the Rules. We lost our copy of the official Rules in 2011 following a server move, and the rewritten Rules applied the penalty only to invalid lineups. But the Board believes that the penalty was in the prior version of the Rules and that its omission was incidental. The penalty had been discussed at length in previous years and there was no reason to think that the league had decided to eliminate it. (Further discussion can be found in the July 2012 email thread entitled "[ldb] REMINDER: make sure your rosters are valid post-trading!") The Board has power to correct drafting errors in the attempt to restore the lost Rules, and will do so here. Accordingly, the penalty is $1 million for each week a team misses the innings requirement, commencing after the team misses innings for the second time in a season. It is imposed at the end of the season, per Geoff's explanation.

R. Hughes, I. Marcus Amelkin, J. Dubner

'''QUESTION 2:''' Should monetary AAA start penalties be levied against teams' budgets the following year, in the event their carryover cash cannot pay the monetary penalties at the end of a season?

DECISION: When we instituted AAA penalties, the intent was to make them punitive and therefore coax owners into managing their teams until the end of the regular season, regardless of their places in the standings. If monetary penalties from AAA starts could not be levied against a following year's budget, a negligent owner could avert the monetary portion of the penalty by simply using his cash -- or not having any. In some sense, that would render the rule meaningless. Accordingly, the penalty should be applied against a team's future budget if he does not have the cash reserves to cover the monetary penalties at the end of a season.

R. Hughes, I. Marcus Amelkin, J. Dubner

'''QUESTION 3:''' How should AAA start penalties affect new owners that inherit teams from previous owners?

DECISION: This season, we have two new team owners: Jeff Peterson and Jeff Jorve (the Jeffs). Prior to their entry to LDB, their candidacies were discussed at length, as was the process by which they would acquire teams. The teams they were inheriting were from Nat Jackson and Jack Murphy. Put simply, Nat had a great team, and Jack had a poor team. Rather than assigning each of the Jeffs one of the abandoned teams, we opted to let them draft players from each of the abandoned teams in order to bring balance to the situation.

Both Nat and Jack's cash situation at the end of the season was fairly meager. Nat had $0.4 million, and Jack had $2.6 million.

But Jack's team also carried along with it a lot of debt. Having incurred AAA starts a staggering 14 times, he incurred $14 million in penalties. The question today is what portion of that debt the Jeffs should shoulder into the 2013 season.

Before we answer that question, a more precise timeline of events that led us to this point is instructive:
#Jack incurred 14 AAA starts last season by missing the innings requirement in 14 of 20 weeks in the regular season.
#A $14 million monetary penalty was imposed on Jack's team at the end of the season for incurring those AAA starts (see above).
#Jack's balance sheet went into the red.
#Five months pass, and Jack then decided he was no longer going to be in the league.

Given that the penalty was imposed seven months ago, we are not deciding whether or not to impose a penalty on the new owners (as the dissent argues) -- we are deciding whether or not to erase the debt that Jack's team incurred at the end of last season.

We are guided in part by the fact that the Jeffs were allowed to dismantle Nat's premiere franchise. That opportunity brought a lot of benefit to their teams. Having assumed the benefits of dismantling Nat's team, we think the Jeffs also need to assume the burden of Jack's debt. The mere fact that Jack left the league does not extinguish the debt; the inheriting owners are acquiring the teams as-is.

We are also persuaded by the situation that purchasers of struggling MLB teams find themselves in. That breed of MLB owners knows the task ahead of them and the time it may take them to create a winning franchise. One of LDB's paramount features is is allowing owners to build a winning franchise over a number of seasons, much like MLB teams do. Coming into the league, the Jeffs also knew the task ahead of them in terms of building a franchise, much like purchasers of MLB teams do.

Accordingly, since the Jeffs split Nat's team, they should split the net debt of Nat and Jack's teams, a total of $5,485,202 each, leaving them with $172,514,799 to start the 2013 season.

We think this is an equitable result, given the benefit the Jeffs received from Nat's team and the expectations they had coming into this league. Additionally, shouldering this debt amounts to being docked only 3 percent of their yearly budget, which is not a significant disadvantage in 2013, and certainly not beyond.

We note that we do not opine on the situation where a new owner inherits a team with debt that significantly burdens him or her in the year s/he enters LDB.

The dissent makes much of an argument that distinguishes between different types of debt: those that benefited former owners and those that do not. We recognize that Starr's goal as Commissioner is to simplify many aspects of the league. Making this technical distinction goes against that effort, which we think is inappropriate. Additionally, such technical distinctions are not well-received by non-attorney members of LDB who are already suspicious of attorneys running the Rules Board. Indeed, the "Dubner Amendment," which modified provisions of the Rules governing this Board says:

:Above all, the Board should be guided by common sense and its understanding of what makes LDB the most functional and the most fun, rather than legalistic or formalistic nuances.

A debt is a debt. Rather than distinguishing between different types of debts, we think it most prudent to hold them all to the same standard.

Lastly, the dissent argues that the new owners are at a "serious disadvantage" not having played in LDB before. Ian notes that he made his division series his first year, won the league his second year, and never considered himself at a "serious disadvantage" upon entering the league. Even if it is true that new owners are at a serious disadvantage, everyone in this league is held to a high standard for running their teams. (See: In re Robinson Cano's Contract Status, 2012 LDB 1.) We should not be in the business of qualifying that expectation. To that end, Ian also notes that prior to his first auction, the league allowed him to give Sean $7 million and Jason Bay (after his one great season) for a more expensive Manny Ramirez, before he had any idea how the game worked.

R. Hughes, I. Marcus Amelkin

'''DISSENT:''' The innings-floor penalty is a penalty. It's designed to punish and discourage negligence. In most cases, including Jack's case, applying it to a new owner does not accomplish either of those goals: the new owner wasn't responsible for the negligence, so doesn't deserve the punishment, and couldn't control the negligence, so the disincentive has no effect. Equally importantly, the new teams gained absolutely nothing from Jack's negligence: he made no trades and acquired no useful assets, but rather left his team to rot. So applying the penalty punishes the new owners for someone else's misconduct, without them getting any benefit whatsoever from that conduct. That's not the purpose of the penalty, and it should not be applied here.

That said, in some cases, a new owner might benefit from the previous owner's negligence: if a previous owner blew up his team and traded away all his starters, then missed the innings floor, the new owner would be inheriting trade acquisitions and cash obtained through the kind of negligence we're trying to prevent. I find this unlikely, since an owner who's likely to leave the league probably would not bother building for the future. But to deal with that possibility, I would support leaving the decision of whether the penalty should apply to the Commissioner or RIB or league on a case-by-case basis, or support enforcing the penalty with a floor at the $178M base salary amount.

Ryan and Ian say that the penalty was "imposed at the end of the season," apparently based on our conclusion that it should be applied before the luxury tax is calculated. I'm not aware of anything in the Rules requiring that interpretation. The penalty is meant to be assessed against next year's salary, so when it is formally "imposed" is an artificial technicality that shouldn't be the basis for our decision.

Ryan and Ian conclude that it's fair to apply the penalty to new owners because (a) the penalty is a debt of the previous owner, and new owners should take on all benefits and burdens of the existing team, and (b) MLB owners take over struggling franchises and have to put in the work it takes to revive them. I don't find either of these arguments convincing. As to the first point, describing the penalty as a "debt" and ending the analysis there ignores the reason the charge was imposed. We pass on debts to future owners because otherwise a creditor will get screwed or the new owner will inherit a benefit without the corresponding burden -- but here, nobody would be harmed by the failure to take away money from the new owners, and the new owners aren't inheriting anything obtained through incurring the debt. The benefit of splitting up Nat's team is simply irrelevant to this question, and in any event is eliminated by having to divide that one good team between two new teams, supplemented by picks from Jack's nearly useless roster. As to the second point, new LDB owners come in at a serious disadvantage no matter what team they inherit; they must learn about high school juniors and incredibly complex rules, while facing owners with nearly a decade's experience. This is not remotely comparable to new ownership of a struggling MLB franchise, who come into control with an experienced staff in place and can hire MLB front-office veterans. We expect a lot of our new owners, of course, but we shouldn't be putting them at an added disadvantage without a good reason.

J. Dubner

=== 2015 Decisions ===

==== In re HTH Keepability 2015 LDB 1 (Mar. 3, 2015) ====
According to Hughes, the rule is ambiguous as to whether:
1) the keeping team must be the team to have picked up the MS player, and
2) whether such player must have accrued statistics for the keeping team or any team.

First, let's take a look at the HTH rule itself --

:Mid-season free agents are automatically free agents after the season ends. However, each team will be allowed to designate one of its mid-season free agents as its "hometown hero" (HTH). K-, H-, S-, RFA, and NG waiver pickups are not eligible; the player must clear waivers if he was on one of these contracts. The HTH must be a player who logged non-September call-up time in the Majors and is no longer rookie-eligible. '''The HTH must also have accrued positive fantasy statistics for the team on the active roster.''' The HTH gets a one-year contract extension at six million dollars, or two million for RPs. The HTH contract cannot be extended beyond that one year. To qualify as a Relief Pitcher, a player must have pitched the majority of innings in the prior season as a reliever.

Hughes argues the following:

:"...'Mid-season' is an adjective that modifies the object "free agents." Under the definition above, "free agents" with mid-season contract status are the class of players who can be nominated as HTH. It doesn't speak to the team that picked them up in the first place at all. So any MS should be able to be kept regardless of what team picked them up."

In regards to the bolded sentence above, Hughes also notes:

:"This proviso was added for the purpose of keeping teams from picking up injured players who got cut (recall: injured Brandon Webb being shrewdly picked up by Brophy). It also doesn't say which team the player has to accrue stats for, so long as they accrue stats for some team."

The language on the LDB Rules Wiki does indeed carry some ambiguity, but since LDB had been operating the last couple of seasons on the notion that only the team that picked up a player on waivers could declare them an HTH, we began to dig through the Google Groups archives for the origin of the rule.

Sure enough, we discovered the following from 2012: (link)

:Geoff Harcourt:

::My proposal for an up-or-down vote is:

::a) In order to be hometown hero eligible, a player must satisfy the following criteria:
::1. Ended the season on a mid-season free agent (MS) contract. This means K-, H-, S-, RFA, and NG waiver pickups are not eligible. The player must clear waivers if they were on one of these contracts
::2. Accumulated some official MLB stats while on the active roster for the team during their season-ending team membership. This means the player was not on the bench while playing in an MLB game and pitched pitched at least one pitch while assigned as SP or RP OR was pitched to while in a non-pitcher, non-bench spot.

::'''These active stats must be accumulated during the season-ending team membership. So if you picked someone up in April and played them, but then dropped them, and someone else picked them up, then dropped them for a season-ending injury, and you picked them back up, that player would not be eligible if they did not accumulate stats for you on the second stint.'''

::b) Hometown heroes will be paid according to the following salary schedule:
::1. Relief Pitchers - 2 million
::2. Catchers - 4 million
::3. All other players - 6 million

::To qualify as a Relief Pitcher, a player must have pitched the majority of innings in the prior season as a reliever. To qualify as a catcher, the number of games played at catcher must be more than 50% of their total games played.

::These provisions will apply to mid-season free agents picked up during 2012 and beyond.

Omitting the "HTH Catchers for $4M", the rule above was voted into LDB law on 3/13/2012.

By a vote of 3-0, the Rules Committee has decided that '''1) the team who picked up the player and still retains him at the end of the season may declare the player an HTH''', and '''2) said player must have accrued positive LDB statistics during its current stint with that team, as it had been voted on in 2012.''' By that logic, this eliminates any loophole of trading an MS player to another team to be kept in the post-season, as the player cannot accumulate any stats for the new team in the post-season.

J. Breisblatt, A. Johnson, and J. Peterson

==== In re HTH Keepability Follow-up 2015 LDB 2 (Mar. 4, 2015) ====

Follow-up question that isn't addressed above: what if a player is picked up as a free agent by team A, dropped by team A, is picked up off three-day waivers by team B (as opposed to being picked up as a free agent), and then accrues positive stats? Dubner has deGrom in that situation, and I have Phil Hughes in that situation. Are they HTH-able, or can we only HTH people who were picked up as free agents?

If it's an MS on waivers, that's perfectly eligible for HTH status. --J. Peterson

Yes, Team B can HTH that MS player. --A. Johnson

Rule Changes, Disputes, and Contingencies

2024-01-27T20:07:49Z

Ldbrules:

== Rule Changes ==

=== Offseason Rule Changes ===
Offseason rule changes are proposed, debated, and voted on as a package in one streamlined rulemaking process during the offseason. The manner in which such process takes place is prescribed by the Commissioner(s). Offseason rule changes may be proposed to the league by any GM and are adopted by a majority of teams voting for or against such changes. At the conclusion of the official rulemaking process, the Commissioner(s) may also announce subsequent rulemaking processes, as necessary, in the offseason.

The offseason, for purposes of rule changes, ends at the keeper deadline.

=== In-season Rule Changes ===
In-season rule changes are strongly disfavored, but may be instituted so long as no team objects. However, this requirement does not apply in the cases of [[#Rule Disputes|rule disputes]].

==Commissioner Relief==
The Commissioner(s) may provide relief to teams in situations where a roster mistake or misunderstanding of the Rules: 1) has no impact on the outcome of any LDB matchup, 2) severely hinders a team's ability to compete in either the short or long-term, and 3) is brought to the Commissioner(s)'s attention promptly.

== Rule Disputes ==

In the event of a dispute over one of these Rules, the Commissioner(s) will resolve it or, if he chooses, nominate one or more GMs to resolve the issue.

== Contingencies ==

=== Data Loss, Unavailability, and Inaccuracy ===
Given the complexity of LDB and the fact that CBS cannot completely accommodate all of the nuances of the game, owners should expect some reasonable low level of data loss, unavailability, and inaccuracy. When such a case arises, the Commissioner(s) will fashion a fix that they feel best furthers the intent of these Rules and the spirit of the league.

In the case of stats accumulated during the resumed portion of a suspended game resumed in a week following the week in which the suspended game took place, per CBS policy, the game stats will only be applied retroactively to the original date if the suspended game is resumed within seven days. All stats accumulated during the resumed portion of suspended games completed after seven days will not count towards any fantasy statistics for the season. If CBS modifies its rules around suspended games, the Commissioner(s) have discretion to score games according to new CBS policy.

=== Unavailable GMs ===
Should a GM become incapacitated, unable, or unwilling to manage their team, the team will be taken under receivership by the league. During receivership, the league shall collectively manage the team so as to maintain competitive balance within the league. The Commissioner(s) will announce the means by which such a team will be collectively managed.

In the case of an incapacitated GM or GM unable to manage their team, if that GM has any chance of regaining the ability to manage within six months or by the next first of March, whichever is longer, the team shall remain in receivership for that period of time. However, if a GM is definitely unable to return, the Commissioner(s) may turn over the team to a new GM as they see fit.

In the case of a GM unwilling to manage his or her team, the team remains in receivership for as long as the Commissioner(s) see fit until it is turned over to a new GM.<ref>Matt McQueeney was unavailable for comment.</ref>

=== MLB Work Stoppage ===
In the event of a season that starts late or misses some mid-season weeks, the Commissioner(s) have discretion to rework the schedule as necessary to facilitate the continuation of the LDB season. The Commissioners will use the [[Special Rules for Shortened Seasons|Special Rules for Shortened Seasons]] as a guide for that purpose.

In the event that games are canceled through the end of the season or where there are insufficient weeks remaining to conduct a full playoff bracket, non-expense portions of LDB dues will be refunded to GMs. If MLB plays games through the All-Star Game break, a league champion will still be decided on the basis of best overall record, but that champion's accomplishment will be marked with an asterisk, otherwise there will be no LDB champion for the year. A team denied a championship due to a shortened season will be known as "Seliged."

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External Transactions

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Ldbrules:

== Designation for Assignment ==
Cut players are designated for assignment. Designation immediately removes the player from the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] and subjects him to a 2-3 day waiver process. Waivers run for at least two days but are processed during the middle of the night following expiration of the 48-hour period. Such players are available to trade during that period if the trade deadline has not passed. If they are not traded during that period, they are given to the highest waiver claimant. If the player is not claimed on waivers, the player is cut. Designation is not revocable. Salary refunds are not applicable to players unclaimed on waivers. See the [[Finances#Payroll|Payroll]] section for more information.

== Mid-Season Free Agents ==
Any unsigned player can be acquired mid-season. Players who are acquired mid-season are MS-contract players, paid a prorated [[Finances#Payroll|league minimum]].

Players drafted in the [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|Snake Draft]] with non-guaranteed contracts may be freely swapped for a replacement player who is of the same type (i.e. position player or pitcher) until the end of April. Replacement players cannot subsequently be swapped for other replacement players. Players dropped with NG status do not confer NG contract status when signed by a new team; such player has MS contract status. Players with NG contracts cannot be kept at the conclusion of the season.

== Waiver Claims ==
All dropped players will be placed on waivers, as described above, for 2-3 days. Any team may put in a claim for a player on waivers, and the player will be awarded to the team that is highest in the waiver order at the time the claim is processed. During the offseason and Week 1 of a new season, the waiver order will mirror the AA Draft order but will not reset until the conclusion of Week 1 of the new season. Starting in Week 2 of the season, the waiver order will be reset at the start of each week to the inverse of the LDB standings. If a team claims a player, they will temporarily drop to the bottom of the waiver order until the order resets. Tiebreakers on waiver claims for teams with identical records will be determined by whatever method CBS utilizes.

Awarding a player results in the acquisition of that player, pending roster space being made available for the new player. The claiming team assumes the remaining salary burden of the player, calculated by remaining weeks in the LDB regular season.

Teams may not claim players that they themselves dropped. Teams must wait until a player clears waivers to reacquire such players.

== Trades ==
Trades may occur at any point in the offseason and regular season, until the league trade deadline. The trade deadline is the end of week 15. All trades must have timestamp of 11:59 PM EST<ref>The standard time zone for LDB is Eastern Standard Time.</ref> on Sunday of week 15 or earlier, or have been announced to the league in a reasonable manner before that deadline.

Trades will be subject to approval by a vote of the other managers in the league. If greater than one-half of the non-involved managers veto a trade, the trade will be cancelled. The veto window is three days. All trades are immediate. A veto of a trade will be prospective; if vetoed, the players traded will have their stats count for their teams that temporarily held them.

Trades may involve players, cash, and other assets, such as, but not limited to, future [[Keepers_and_Drafts#AA_Draft|draft picks]], [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Restricted_Free_Agents|RFA rights]], etc. Trades may include a "player to be named later" so long as that player has not accumulated any LDB stats between the trade and the player changing hands. As a general policy, trades are looked upon favorably, regardless of the types of assets involved. The full terms of a trade need not be fully disclosed to the league and may involve gentlemen agreements and other conditions. However, trades are subject to the following restrictions:

* No trade may involve an agreement to temporarily hold or "rent" a player. Any trade that attempts to work around the ban on renting players is also prohibited. For example, a trade involving an agreement to later send back a player of similar value could be considered a workaround. Whether a trade constitutes a rental or an attempted workaround will be determined by the Commissioner(s).
* Transfer of a player's RFA rights is prohibited once that player is nominated in the [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Majors_Draft|Majors Draft]] or selected in the [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Snake_Draft|Snake Draft]].
* Injury contingencies may be included in trades, but the conditions of the contingencies must be clear to be enforceable. Injury contingencies with ambiguities will not be enforced by the league. Injury contingencies need not be disclosed to the league. But unless there is clear, unambiguous, written documentation of a contingency between the trading parties, a contingency will not be enforced.

In any trade made after the Majors Draft, it is assumed that teams trading away a player pays the salary of such players. However, in any trade made in the offseason or mid-auction, it is assumed that teams receiving players pay the full salary of such players.

==Bets Involving LDB Assets ("Friendly Wagers")==
"Friendly wagers" are the only class of transactions that can include yet-unrealized future assets (money, AA picks past the 2-year allocation window, yet-unborn naming rights to sons/daughters, etc). Friendly wagers cannot adversely impact the competitiveness of the league. If there is question about whether a wager will affect the competitive balance of the league, the Commissioner(s) will determine whether such wager will. All assets involved in friendly wagers will be held in escrow, a spreadsheet that will spell out the parties, terms, timeline, and payouts of the friendly wager. Friendly wagers are bound to the team, rather than the owner, such that a owner's departure does not invalidate the wager (unless specified in the terms of the wager). In the event a team's owner leaves the league, new prospective owners should be made aware of the team's wagered obligations before agreeing to take control of a team, as the assets are held in escrow and will only be released pursuant to the terms of the wager.

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Internal Transactions

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Ldbrules:

Internal transactions are transactions within an LDB organization that send players from one roster to another or alter the status of a contract.

== Injured List Transactions ==
A player in the Majors may be moved to the IL when he is on the MLB IL.

The [[Organizational_Structure#Injured List|Injured List]] (IL) opens on Opening Day.

== AA Transactions ==

=== Promoting Players from AA ===
A GM may promote players in [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]] to the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] at any time, so long as sufficient roster space is available for the promotion. Note that promoting a AA player will start the clock on their eligibility as [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Homegrown_and_Super-twos|a home-grown or super-two player]]. AA promotions occurring during the offseason may be rescinded before the start of the MLB season.

=== Demoting Players to AA ===
No player may be demoted to AA.

== Contract Redesignations ==
Teams may redesignate one or more of its [[Keepers and Drafts#Snake Draft|NG players]] as K1s at the league minimum before midnight before the first MLB game following the LDB auction in lieu of acquiring an equal number of free agents as K1s, described below.

Teams may also redesignate the first three free agents per team acquired by midnight before the first MLB game following the LDB auction may be designated K1s at the league minimum.

<references/>

Internal Transactions

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Ldbrules:

Internal transactions are transactions within an LDB organization that send players from one roster to another.

== Injured List Transactions ==
A player in the Majors may be moved to the IL when he is on the MLB IL.

The [[Organizational_Structure#Injured List|Injured List]] (IL) opens on Opening Day.

== AA Transactions ==

=== Promoting Players from AA ===
A GM may promote players in [[Organizational Structure#AA|AA]] to the [[Organizational Structure#Majors|Majors]] at any time, so long as sufficient roster space is available for the promotion. Note that promoting a AA player will start the clock on their eligibility as [[Keepers_and_Drafts#Homegrown_and_Super-twos|a home-grown or super-two player]]. AA promotions occurring during the offseason may be rescinded before the start of the MLB season.

=== Demoting Players to AA ===
No player may be demoted to AA.

<references/>

Organizational Structure

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Ldbrules: