CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MICHIGAN MUD HENS - 2021 ACBA CHAMPIONS!
Reminders and upcoming dates:
***The following dates are tentative and may be rescheduled to allow for discussion of pertinent league matters***
- December 14 - Hall of Fame Voting Ends
***The following dates are tentative and may be rescheduled to allow for discussion of pertinent league matters***
- December 10-12 - 2022 Draft Lottery (aiming to hold live via conference call)
- December 15 - Winter Meetings End
- December 22 - Buyout Period Ends (will be one week after Winter Meetings conclude)
- December 20 - 2022 Calendar Released
Agenda for the 2021 Winter Meetings:
Proposals will be subject to voting, but clarifications will be added to Rule Book for 2022 at discretion of the ACBA Commissioner.
LEAGUE STRUCTURE (SECTION 1)
League Contraction
Proposal #1: Contract from 14 teams to 12 teams (eliminate two vacant franchises) - PASSED (10-0)
Proposal #2: Eliminate Washington and Zion Canyon franchises - PASSED (12-0)
Proposal #3: Net cap money traded to/from contracted franchises remains effective for existing teams - PASSED (14-0)
Proposal #4: Players from contracted franchise rosters to be freed from contract and enter supplemental one-round draft with full lottery - FAILED (2-12)
Proposal #5: Draft picks from contracted franchises to be replaced by draft picks traded to contracted franchises (randomized as necessary) or end-of-round picks - PASSED (14-0)
Proposal #6: Players from contracted franchise rosters to be freed from contract and enter normal draft pool - FAILED (8-10)
Proposal #7: Players from contracted franchise rosters to enter supplemental one-round draft as is with normal ACBA lottery process and tradeable picks; undrafted players freed from contracts and enter normal ACBA draft - PASSED (10-6)
Division Realignment
Proposal forthcoming to address competitive balance (namely AL vs NL). Rule 1.03 indicates division alignment determined by lottery.
MINOR LEAGUE ROSTERS (SECTION 7)
Minor League Eligibility Good for Season
Proposal that if a player starts the current season below career AB / IP thresholds, they will retain their minor league eligibility for the duration of that season. However, it should be noted that does not guarantee they will be eligible for carryover at the end of the current season. It simply means, for example, if they had 499 AB or 199 IP prior to current season, they will not lose their minor league eligibility during the current season as soon as they get 1 AB or 1 IP - they will simply not be eligible for carryover to next season.
Minor League Pitcher Eligibility and Carryover Thresholds
Proposal(s) (still to be defined) regarding pitcher carryover eligibility. Currently a pitcher with 100-199 career IP can be placed on a minor league roster, but they cannot be carried over even if less than 60 IP during current season. However, a hitter with less than 500 career AB can be placed on a minor league roster and can be carried over as long as less than 200 AB during current season. The pitching eligibility and carryover thresholds should be consistent, or at least both closer to 200 IP.
Clean Up Rule 7.02 Language to Match Fantrax Settings
Pending any other proposals that may be approved this offseason impacting eligibility requirements, clarification to be made on Rule 7.02 to match the existing Fantrax settings (in real-life minor leagues, inactive, or free agent; or <500 AB career prior to current season; or <200 IP career prior to current season).
POSITION ELIGIBILITY (SECTION 8)
Pitcher Eligibility / Usage
Proposal to combine Rules 8.03 and 8.04 into one rule that permits only one MLB start per calendar day across the two positions. If you want to use a pitcher who currently is only eligible as RP but is getting a start, you are likely punting the opportunity for any points at your SP position since most relievers do not qualify at SP. While the counterargument is that you cannot start someone at OF, for example, in ACBA when they are only currently eligible for 1B, you could still start that player at 1B or UT even though that is not where they are playing in MLB that day. The primary intent of the rule should be to prohibit an ACBA team from getting the benefit of two starts / guaranteed outings. This would especially help teams in the month of April when a prior year RP gets stretched out and wins a SP rotation spot..
INJURED RESERVES (SECTION 9)
Injured Reserve Slots Between Draft and Opening Day
Clarification to be added specifying that red flags are sufficient for adding to Injured Reserve slots prior to Opening Day. However, beginning Opening Day, only players with red flags that have white crosses (formal MLB injured list designation per Fantrax) are eligible for Injured Reserve.
Injured Reserve Slots Opening Day through World Series
Proposal that only players on the official MLB Injured List qualify for ACBA Injured Reserve slots. Closes ambiguity around true minor leaguers, whom Fantrax will only tag with green flag. Current language for Rule 9.02 specifies red flag with white cross (which Fantrax uses for official MLB Injured List only), but that relies on Fantrax methodology to be consistent with ACBA rules. Clarifying this rule would also make managing injured reserves more effective and efficient for owners and commissioner by enabling us to utilize automated enforcement feature in Fantrax premium settings.
PLAYER CONTRACTS (SECTION 11)
Contracts vs Non-Contracts
Clarification to be added to Rule Book that specifically states that players can be on your roster (active, minors, or injured) without being under contract and without counting toward salary cap spend - they are just subject at the end of the year to minor league carryover thresholds, and if they are over the limits, they go back into next year's draft pool. Also will state that there will still be salary figures visible in Fantrax on non-contract players, but they do not count towards cap. Also, the cap spend and space per Fantrax is irrelevant - Payroll workbook in Google Sheets is the record of fact with regards to contracts and cap spend.
Contract Restructuring
Section 11 or 15 - team acquiring a player who is already under contract may restructure the remaining contract terms. This would include a higher increase scale (i.e. $3/year instead of $2/year) and a minimum guaranteed number of remaining years (i.e. three years with new team without ability to buy out, or without ability to buy out at half price). Exact proposal, including whether a new owner could take advantage of this option when taking over a team, to be finalized ahead of the Winter Meetings.
Contract Extensions
Potential proposal whereby an owner could extend any contract (perhaps one extension per team per year or every two or three years); timing, frequency, parameters to be defined
CONTRACT BUYOUTS (SECTION 12)
In-Season Buyouts
Clarification such that the player must play 2 full seasons before the half-salary buyout kicks in. (Rule 12.02)
Additionally, all players who have been bought out may not be signed - must go through next draft. Loophole is the brief period between draft and contract deadline.
FREE AGENCY (SECTION 17 + OTHERS)
All Free Agent Market Openings
Proposal forthcoming to address the mid-day free-for-all scramble for all FA market openings (post-draft, roster expansion, postseason). Needs to be more organized and less interfering with workday. Likely to involve either a lottery or waiver priority.
Post-Draft Free Agency
Clarification to be added to rule book - Section 17 - any systematic hiccup (i.e. ability to claim free agents not yet turned on) will result in a postponement of the period kickoff by at least 15 minutes to allow all owners to have time to receive notification and prepare for the new kickoff. Commissioner will also add turning off waivers and turning on claims/drops to post-draft checklist.
Late-Season Roster Expansion
Clarification to be added to Rule Book to clarify timing, legal moves, and related rules enforcement.
Late-Season Free Agency
Proposal to keep free agent market open through final week of regular season. Currently the market closes for the final week, then reopens briefly for start of each playoff round. Need to ensure any impact to the playoff free agency market is clearly laid out.
AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION (SECTION 22)
Reorganization of Rule Book
Proposal that the Commissioner reorganize the ACBA Rule Book this offseason. League has been around 2+ decades and has ever-growing rule book to match. Goal would be to make more efficient to find applicable rules for current owners, and help new/prospective owners get up to speed more easily. Some sections could probably go unchanged, while others have overlap but are not currently sequential. Would occur either before or after incorporating any clarifications or approved proposals for 2022. Can do a word count pre- and post-reorg to confirm matches, as well as a mapping of pre-reorg Rule # to post-reorg Rule #.
Annual Publishing and Review of Rule Book
Proposal that a redline version of the rule book comparing current vs prior year shall be generated and distributed to all league owners at least one week prior to final publishing ("constitutional lock date"). When editing the rule book within the website, there is no way to see version history or otherwise easily identify where and what changes were made. This will make the editing process more robust, provide increased transparency, reduce the risk of oversights that could be realized during the course of gameplay, and allow time for owners to review changes and express and resolve concerns before the lock period begins (after which it takes 85% approval to change rules until the next offseason).
Proposals will be subject to voting, but clarifications will be added to Rule Book for 2022 at discretion of the ACBA Commissioner.
LEAGUE STRUCTURE (SECTION 1)
League Contraction
Proposal #1: Contract from 14 teams to 12 teams (eliminate two vacant franchises) - PASSED (10-0)
Proposal #2: Eliminate Washington and Zion Canyon franchises - PASSED (12-0)
Proposal #3: Net cap money traded to/from contracted franchises remains effective for existing teams - PASSED (14-0)
Proposal #4: Players from contracted franchise rosters to be freed from contract and enter supplemental one-round draft with full lottery - FAILED (2-12)
Proposal #5: Draft picks from contracted franchises to be replaced by draft picks traded to contracted franchises (randomized as necessary) or end-of-round picks - PASSED (14-0)
Proposal #6: Players from contracted franchise rosters to be freed from contract and enter normal draft pool - FAILED (8-10)
Proposal #7: Players from contracted franchise rosters to enter supplemental one-round draft as is with normal ACBA lottery process and tradeable picks; undrafted players freed from contracts and enter normal ACBA draft - PASSED (10-6)
Division Realignment
Proposal forthcoming to address competitive balance (namely AL vs NL). Rule 1.03 indicates division alignment determined by lottery.
MINOR LEAGUE ROSTERS (SECTION 7)
Minor League Eligibility Good for Season
Proposal that if a player starts the current season below career AB / IP thresholds, they will retain their minor league eligibility for the duration of that season. However, it should be noted that does not guarantee they will be eligible for carryover at the end of the current season. It simply means, for example, if they had 499 AB or 199 IP prior to current season, they will not lose their minor league eligibility during the current season as soon as they get 1 AB or 1 IP - they will simply not be eligible for carryover to next season.
Minor League Pitcher Eligibility and Carryover Thresholds
Proposal(s) (still to be defined) regarding pitcher carryover eligibility. Currently a pitcher with 100-199 career IP can be placed on a minor league roster, but they cannot be carried over even if less than 60 IP during current season. However, a hitter with less than 500 career AB can be placed on a minor league roster and can be carried over as long as less than 200 AB during current season. The pitching eligibility and carryover thresholds should be consistent, or at least both closer to 200 IP.
Clean Up Rule 7.02 Language to Match Fantrax Settings
Pending any other proposals that may be approved this offseason impacting eligibility requirements, clarification to be made on Rule 7.02 to match the existing Fantrax settings (in real-life minor leagues, inactive, or free agent; or <500 AB career prior to current season; or <200 IP career prior to current season).
POSITION ELIGIBILITY (SECTION 8)
Pitcher Eligibility / Usage
Proposal to combine Rules 8.03 and 8.04 into one rule that permits only one MLB start per calendar day across the two positions. If you want to use a pitcher who currently is only eligible as RP but is getting a start, you are likely punting the opportunity for any points at your SP position since most relievers do not qualify at SP. While the counterargument is that you cannot start someone at OF, for example, in ACBA when they are only currently eligible for 1B, you could still start that player at 1B or UT even though that is not where they are playing in MLB that day. The primary intent of the rule should be to prohibit an ACBA team from getting the benefit of two starts / guaranteed outings. This would especially help teams in the month of April when a prior year RP gets stretched out and wins a SP rotation spot..
INJURED RESERVES (SECTION 9)
Injured Reserve Slots Between Draft and Opening Day
Clarification to be added specifying that red flags are sufficient for adding to Injured Reserve slots prior to Opening Day. However, beginning Opening Day, only players with red flags that have white crosses (formal MLB injured list designation per Fantrax) are eligible for Injured Reserve.
Injured Reserve Slots Opening Day through World Series
Proposal that only players on the official MLB Injured List qualify for ACBA Injured Reserve slots. Closes ambiguity around true minor leaguers, whom Fantrax will only tag with green flag. Current language for Rule 9.02 specifies red flag with white cross (which Fantrax uses for official MLB Injured List only), but that relies on Fantrax methodology to be consistent with ACBA rules. Clarifying this rule would also make managing injured reserves more effective and efficient for owners and commissioner by enabling us to utilize automated enforcement feature in Fantrax premium settings.
PLAYER CONTRACTS (SECTION 11)
Contracts vs Non-Contracts
Clarification to be added to Rule Book that specifically states that players can be on your roster (active, minors, or injured) without being under contract and without counting toward salary cap spend - they are just subject at the end of the year to minor league carryover thresholds, and if they are over the limits, they go back into next year's draft pool. Also will state that there will still be salary figures visible in Fantrax on non-contract players, but they do not count towards cap. Also, the cap spend and space per Fantrax is irrelevant - Payroll workbook in Google Sheets is the record of fact with regards to contracts and cap spend.
Contract Restructuring
Section 11 or 15 - team acquiring a player who is already under contract may restructure the remaining contract terms. This would include a higher increase scale (i.e. $3/year instead of $2/year) and a minimum guaranteed number of remaining years (i.e. three years with new team without ability to buy out, or without ability to buy out at half price). Exact proposal, including whether a new owner could take advantage of this option when taking over a team, to be finalized ahead of the Winter Meetings.
Contract Extensions
Potential proposal whereby an owner could extend any contract (perhaps one extension per team per year or every two or three years); timing, frequency, parameters to be defined
CONTRACT BUYOUTS (SECTION 12)
In-Season Buyouts
Clarification such that the player must play 2 full seasons before the half-salary buyout kicks in. (Rule 12.02)
Additionally, all players who have been bought out may not be signed - must go through next draft. Loophole is the brief period between draft and contract deadline.
FREE AGENCY (SECTION 17 + OTHERS)
All Free Agent Market Openings
Proposal forthcoming to address the mid-day free-for-all scramble for all FA market openings (post-draft, roster expansion, postseason). Needs to be more organized and less interfering with workday. Likely to involve either a lottery or waiver priority.
Post-Draft Free Agency
Clarification to be added to rule book - Section 17 - any systematic hiccup (i.e. ability to claim free agents not yet turned on) will result in a postponement of the period kickoff by at least 15 minutes to allow all owners to have time to receive notification and prepare for the new kickoff. Commissioner will also add turning off waivers and turning on claims/drops to post-draft checklist.
Late-Season Roster Expansion
Clarification to be added to Rule Book to clarify timing, legal moves, and related rules enforcement.
Late-Season Free Agency
Proposal to keep free agent market open through final week of regular season. Currently the market closes for the final week, then reopens briefly for start of each playoff round. Need to ensure any impact to the playoff free agency market is clearly laid out.
AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION (SECTION 22)
Reorganization of Rule Book
Proposal that the Commissioner reorganize the ACBA Rule Book this offseason. League has been around 2+ decades and has ever-growing rule book to match. Goal would be to make more efficient to find applicable rules for current owners, and help new/prospective owners get up to speed more easily. Some sections could probably go unchanged, while others have overlap but are not currently sequential. Would occur either before or after incorporating any clarifications or approved proposals for 2022. Can do a word count pre- and post-reorg to confirm matches, as well as a mapping of pre-reorg Rule # to post-reorg Rule #.
Annual Publishing and Review of Rule Book
Proposal that a redline version of the rule book comparing current vs prior year shall be generated and distributed to all league owners at least one week prior to final publishing ("constitutional lock date"). When editing the rule book within the website, there is no way to see version history or otherwise easily identify where and what changes were made. This will make the editing process more robust, provide increased transparency, reduce the risk of oversights that could be realized during the course of gameplay, and allow time for owners to review changes and express and resolve concerns before the lock period begins (after which it takes 85% approval to change rules until the next offseason).