9/27/23
- The lineup/transaction deadline for Week 26 (1st week of the
playoffs) has been moved to Sunday, October 8 at midnight
Eastern. It will take some time to set up the playoff brackets.
9/10/23
9/8/23
- Free agent signings are closed; Transactions for the next 2
submissions are for only cuts and IR moves
9/3/23
- Roughly about the same time every year, from the September 1
posting for Games 124-126...congratulations to our
first Division Champions:
(See
standings for all leagues)
- this time it's 4 teams clinching a playoff spot
-
A League About Nothing - Kramer Division: NYC2ATL Pee Wee Blackbirds
(owner Ricardo Alexander) - Repeat division winner; 6th overall
-
American Association - Philadelphia Athletics Division: Cleveland Spiders
(owner Michael Rudolph) - 4th consecutive division title; League champ in 2021 and 2020
-
Redbirds League - Dean Division: Orion's Solar Kings
(owner David Henning) - 9th division win; 2 league championships (2018 & 2015)
-
Marxball - Groucho Division: Sanity Clause & the Seven Elves
(owner Sherman Wan) - Repeat win, 5th overall; 2017 league champion
9/2/23
- Reminder - this is the final week to sign free
agents. Week 25 transactions are only for cuts and IR
moves.
8/30/23
- This week is the final week to sign free agents
8/24/23
- Ohtani and the "Extra" slot in your lineup -
This will be something that will get written over the winter
and it's partially the result of moving in a rule change really
quickly and not thinking through all possible outcomes:
- The "Extra" slot on your active roster is meant to be
used to allow Ohtani to both hit and pitch for you.
While he's just one guy, for lineup and game play purposes
he has to look like two different players.
- With the announcement that he's done pitching for 2023,
it's likely that many of you will want to move Ohtani the
pitcher onto your taxi squad. However, at that point your
team will still show the Extra lineup slot available and now
potentially you've got an advantage over other teams by
actually having one more player to use than they do.
- To move Ohtani the pitcher out of the way, you'll need
to move him into the Extra slot. If you put him on
Taxi, I'll adjust it manually during transaction processing.
- September roster expansion
- In Weeks 23-25, your taxi squad and minor league players
can fill in for your lineup if there are any empty spots.
- Optionally, you can place your taxi/minors players in
priority order - otherwise we fill them in randomly.
We're setting lineups now for Week 23 (deadline 8/30)
8/18/23
- We've got some magic numbers appearing in the standings, so
some teams are getting close to locking in a division title
8/17/23
- September roster expansion comes into play for game lineups
during Week 23. However, since several of you have lots of
teams, you can begin ordering your taxi squad and minor league
players a week early.
8/11/23
- This is the final week that you can move players to the
Prospects Roster (deadline 8/16)
- Every 5 weeks we change the
transaction deadline day to better match the mapping between MLB
games and BWB games. Starting this week, and through the
end of the regular season, our lineup/transaction deadlines are due on Wednesdays
-
see Season Deadlines
8/10/23
- Today is the final day for trades -
deadline is 7 PM Eastern
- Check all your teams to see if you have any
pending trade offers
8/7/23
- With Game 100, we've hit the 2/3 mark of the regular season
8/6/23
7/21/23
- First round draft picks of 2023 are now in the player list.
You can sign them this week.
- Not all players have signed contracts yet. Players
who do not sign will be removed from the player list. Good
for us - the signing deadilne is July 25, so you'll have
time to change your picks before the deadline. We'll
skip an unsigned player if he's still on your list (that
won't waste a pick).
- How to find the picks? On the player selection
screen, use the "Other" filter and you'll find an option for
"First Round (2023)"
- You'll also find them by looking for players who are new
to the list in Week 18, although they will be mixed in with
other players added this week by making their first MLB
appearances.
7/17/23
- Normally, transaction order and weekly cash payments for
game results and division position are on a 2-week delay. For
example, the Week 16 transaction order was based on the
standings after Week 14 and the cash for Week 14 game results
were credited during the Week 16 transactions. With the
All Star break, we're now off a bit. The earliest that I
can finish Week 15 games is Friday so that means the earliest I
can set a new transaction order based on Week 15 is Saturday -
and the weekly deadlines are shifting to Thursday. So
there's no change in transaction order this week and there will
be no cash distributed for game results or position this week.
We'll be on a 3-week lag until MLB catches up. This was
mentioned as a possible side effect when moving the weekly
deadlines a few days earlier at the start of the season.
7/11/23
- Upcoming dates/deadlines of note:
- Friday, July 14 - During Week 16 processing, all teams
get an extra 1000 in cash
- Thursday, July 20 - We switch weekly deadlines to
Thursdays - Week 17: the contract extension
deadline
- Thursday, July 27 - Week 18: The week that 2023 first
round draft picks will be available to sign
- Thursday, August 10 - Week 20: Trade deadline
- Wednesday, August 16 - Week 21: Final week to add
players to the Prospects Roster
7/10/23
- For Week 16 lineups - you may reorder your pitching
rotation from scratch - we will not check on games of rest
between Weeks 15 and 16 - it's our version of the All
Star Break. Lineup deadline is Friday night.
- All teams will get a cash distribution this week of 1
million Benchwarmer Bucks (1000) in advance of the contract
extension deadline on Week 17 (deadline July 20)
- To be clear, I floated potential rules changes in the
spring that might affect the playoffs and the off-season
transaction order. There are no changes coming in these areas
for this year's playoffs or for the off-season between 2023 and
2024. If you still want to weigh in on any options around that
or read what others have said, visit the
Benchwarmer Baseball Blog and check out the
comments on the two topics.
7/8/23
- Next week's transactions - for Week 16 - would normally mark
a week where we move the transaction deadline a day ahead - from
Friday to Thursday. Since there are no MLB games on
Thursday and I didn't have the transactions done earlier on
Saturday, we'll keep Week 16's deadline as Friday night.
7/2/23
- At Game 75 we're at the halfway mark of the regular
season
- Reminder - this is the final week to get a prorated salary
rebate for any players you release.
6/25/23
- Coming up: 3 weeks of games within your division
6/5/23
- At Game 50, we hit the 1/3 mark of the regular season
6/4/23
- Every 5 weeks we change the
transaction deadline day to better match the mapping between MLB
games and BWB games. Starting this week, and through Week
15, our lineup/transaction deadlines are due on Fridays
-
see Season Deadlines
5/31/23
- Upcoming dates/deadlines of note:
- Friday, June 9 - with Week 11 we switch to Fridays at 7
PM Eastern for lineup/transaction deadlines
- Friday, July 7 - Week 15 marks the last chance to
release a player and receive a salary rebate for the season.
Also at this point, the prorated amount for signing a free
agent locks at 40% for the remainder of the season.
- Thursday, July 13 - During Week 16 processing, all teams
get an extra 1000 in cash
- Thursday, July 20 - Week 17: the contract extension
deadline
- Thursday, July 27 - Week 18: I expect this will be the
week that 2023 first round draft picks will be available to
sign (I could push it a week earlier, but I don't believe
that I want this to happen the same week as the contract
deadline).
5/2/23
- With Week 4, we start 8 weeks
of games outside your division
4/25/23
- Every 5 weeks we change the
transaction deadline day to better match the mapping between MLB
games and BWB games. Starting this week, and for Weeks
6-10 our lineup/transaction deadlines are due on Saturdays
-
see Season Deadlines
4/28/23
- Week 3 complete - That's all for
the first round of games within your division. For the next 8
weeks you'll be playing against teams outside your division.
4/25/23
- Week 5 is the final week to cut players and receive an 80%
salary rebate of their 2023 salaries. After this week, the
rebate drops by 4% every week.
4/19/23
- It's a little early in the season - 24/25ths of the regular
season still remains - but here's our 1-page look at comparing
teams across all the leagues in the BWB universe:
Around BWB
4/13/23
- We are underway - it's BWB Opening Day! Week 1 Begins - Game 1 posted
4/11/23
- Sometimes things just take a while to get done - we're ready
to start playing games
- If all goes well and as planned, Game 1 should be up on
Wednesday night and the remainder of Week 1 after that.
4/5/23
- Week One
Transactions Posted
- Contract extensions were processed pre-transactions and
then we did a financial
update (see the update for April 2). At that point, any
team with a cash balance above 7000 (except orphans) had
their balance reduced to 7000.
- Players will start getting added to the player list from
here on out - as they appear in their first MLB game
- Players are only added at the time of the posting of
transaction results - so you don't have to be searching
daily for new additions.
- You'll find the new players in the player/free agent
list - find the drop down box for "New in 2023" -
players are listed by the first transaction week in
which they can be signed.
- If things work out OK with everything behind the scenes, I
hope to start posting some game results this weekend.
4/3/23
- I sent out an email reminder earlier today that if your team
has a cash balance above 7000 (the 5000 maximum plus the 2000
given to all teams last week), you can avoid losing cash above
the 7000 limit by signing contract extension(s) this week.
- Those extensions are done first thing this week - then
we check the balances for 7000 - and reduce as necessary.
- What I forgot to put in the email is
that current orphan teams - or an adopted orphan that got
its 4000 cash in Week -1 or Week Zero - are not subject to
the 7000 maximum. If you're a foster owner for an
orphan team you do NOT have to reduce that team's cash.
- Counting Ohtani as both hitter and pitcher has some glitches
- your roster page should be OK for showing the roster limits
(max players, max players over 250, etc.) - but the transaction
checking is not working yet - it's probably counting him twice.
So you may be seeing some transaction errors of going over 45
players or too many players making over 250 - even if you're not
submitting any transactions. You're going to have to check
those manually this week and do your own counting.
3/28/23
- Week Zero
Transactions Posted
- Any teams with cash balances above 5000 were slated to
be cut down to that level (exceptions: new leagues, new
owners taking over orphan teams, and orphans adopted on or
after Week -2) - however, as we've done in previous
seasons, we'll extend that. More details will be
posted on Wednesday
- Teams were then provided with an extra 2000 in Opening
Day cash
- Week One Transaction/Lineup Deadline - modified from
Sunday to Monday, April 3 at 7 PM Eastern -
see Season Deadlines
- For the announced rule change that Shohei Ohtani can be used
as both a hitter and pitcher in the same game:
- Teams with Ohtani now have an "extra" player on the
roster - one Ohtani that can be used as a hitter and one as
a pitcher
- These teams will now have a leftover player - either
hitter or pitcher - that will go into a new "Ext" (Extra)
slot
- The roster and lineup change pages should be OK - but I
need to make changes on the pages for drops, contract
extensions, trades, and player lists - those will come soon
- I'll have more details on how this works later in the
week - I'll email Ohtani owners first with what to expect
- 2023
Rules Changes
- We've noted most of these either on the site or via
email - but there is one change that hasn't been discussed:
When we set the starting pitchers for each game, if the
scheduled starter cannot be used, we will now first check
lower in the rotation and then check the spot starters
instead of doing the spot guys first.
- There's another note on the changes that needs to be
added based on moving the deadline days up a little bit this
season. I'll have that up later this week.
- Potential future rules changes
- See the
Benchwarmer Baseball Blog for 2 open threads about
changes that people have suggested over the years: modifying
the off-season transaction order and expanding the playoffs.
Please add your thoughts to the discussion.
3/26/23
- Getting your team's cash balance below 5000 during this
week's transactions -
- Don't forget that salary rebates will add back to your
cash. If, for example, you're cutting Edwin Diaz and you
paid his full salary this season, you'll be getting an 80%
rebate which is 4302 back into your cash balance. It might
be better to wait until Week 1 to cut him.
- Make sure that on your transaction page, you check to
see what the estimated cash balance will be after
transactions. You can see all your teams in one glance if
you check all your
transactions. Look for cash balances in either
red or green to see if you're going to lose money.
- Cash estimates after transactions do not include trades
- if you've got a trade happening this week, you'll need to
do some math yourself.
3/25/23
- Weekly deadlines for
transactions and lineups
- Some web enhancements -
- On the player list and for picking free agents, we're
now showing the percentage of ownership (and change from
last week) and you'll find some additional filters for your
search:
- Under "Position" you can search for middle
infielders (plays either 2B or SS) and players eligible
for multiple positions
- Under "Other" you can search for players where
ownership percentage went up or down by 10% or more from
last week
- On the All My Players
page, you can now perform certain actions that can help you
if you've got a lot of shares of a certain player:
- Submit transactions to release a player from all
your teams
- Submit transactions to move a player to IR for all
your teams
- Change the lineup slot to "M" or "T" (or clear the
slot/position) for the player on all your teams.
- This is a broad brush approach as it will make the
change on every team - but should save you some time and
clicks.
- You're still going to need to
check all your rosters
and check all your
transactions to make sure those moves are legal
3/15/23
- Orphan teams are now eligible for trades. If you've tried to
request a trade with an orphan team or if you're a foster owner
running an orphan team and haven't been able to trade, that
should all be open now.
3/24/23
3/21/23
- Week -1 Transaction
Results Posted
- Next deadline - Week Zero: Sunday night, March
26 at midnight Pacific (a few extra hours - this
will show on the site as a deadline of 3/27/23 3 AM EST)
- We're getting down to the wire for the final
touches on your rosters heading into the season.
- After the Week Zero transactions - teams in returning leagues will lose any cash balance left
over 5000 at that time (and then all teams get an
extra 2000). Starting a few years ago, there are
exceptions to this rule:
- Any orphan teams acquired by an owner for his/her
initial season of BWB are not subject to the maximum
cash balance
- Any orphan teams acquired where the extra 4000 cash
is credited on Week -2 (3/12) or later does not have to quickly
reduce (We're currently in Week Zero, so pick up an orphan
now and your cash is safe)
- And - any teams
currently in orphan status will not be subject to a cut.
-
See the rule
- Week 1 lineups will be tentatively due on Sunday, April
2 - I need to do some last checks on the MLB schedules
before finalizing this date.
3/7/23
- Payment information is NOT yet set up for 2023, so no need
to pay yet - that's coming soon.
2/28/23
-
Redistribution Draft
2023 - Rounds 3-5 posted
- We now move on to normal weekly transactions - in the
preseason, deadlines are Sunday nights at midnight Eastern
- All transaction types are open - signings, cuts, trades,
and contract extensions
- Next deadline is for Week -3, Sunday night,
March 5 at
midnight Eastern
- 2023
Rule Changes
- As previously announced, the fee for moving players to
the Prospects Roster increased from 250 to 500
- For multiyear contracts, the minimum contract amount was
increased for years 1 and 2 of the contract
2/21/23
2/8/23
2/2/23
- Redistribution Draft deadline is Sunday night. You can
check the lists for all your
teams to see if you have any errors.
- I still could use some foster owners to do
the draft lists for orphan teams. Let me know if you are willing
to do that.
- I missed these messages to take fosters - Mike Quinn,
Bill Munger, Craig Burke - I am travelling on Thursday, so I
should be able set you up with some orphans very late
Thursday night or on Friday morning.
1/27/23
- I've had delays in some setup tasks and won't be ready to
process the Redistribution Draft on time - so I'm going to
push back the first deadline to Sunday, Feb. 5 at
Midnight Pacific
- If anyone is interested in becoming a foster owner for one
or more of our orphan teams, please let me know your interest
and how many teams you could do. Primarily I'm looking for
someone to be able to get them through the Redistribution Draft
until someone adopts them permanently.
1/23/23
- Sorry - much later than planned - the
transaction order is
now final for the Redistribution Draft
1/18/23
- After some feedback and consideration, I'm striking the new
rule that would allow for salaries above the minimum for players
coming from Japan and other foreign leagues (and restoring
normal calculations for former-MLB players who return). Above
all, BWB salaries are not predictive - they are based on MLB
performance - so we'll keep it that way right now.
1/15/23
- Results of carryover choices posted. View the
Transactions page to see
the cuts in your league.
- 125 New players added to the game based on the 40-man
rosters
for MLB teams
- This is the only player addition until after
Opening Day
- To find them - In the filter/search area of the player
lists, look for the "New in 2023" menu -
See the list of new players
- The 2023 Redistribution Draft is now open. You'll 2
weeks to make your first selections. Deadline is Sunday
1/29/23 at Midnight Pacific (will show on the web as
1/30/23 3 AM EST)
- Visit your team roster to see the link to begin making your
picks.
- For more information, see the rules regarding the
Redistribution Draft
- There are 2 weeks to do your list for Round 1, but you
should consider building for all 5 rounds - or at least as much
as you can, because if any of your listed picks/alternates are
gone by your turn in the order, we'll pull up picks from Round 2
and beyond to make sure you get 3 selections.
- After Jan 29, we post the results of only Round 1 only - any
drafted players will be removed from the remainder of your
lists.
- You'll have almost 2 weeks to redo draft lists (if you choose),
then we post the results of only Round 2 (again removing
drafted players from your rounds 3-5)
- Then one more week for an optional redo of your draft
lists, and we post the results of Rounds 3-5
- The season calendar of deadlines
is not yet updated for 2023, but the
deadlines for the Redistribution Draft are:
- Sunday evening 1/29 Midnight PST - First submission - we post results for Round
1
- Sun night 2/12 Midnight PST - Adjust your lists for Rounds 2-5 - we post
results for Round 2
- Sun night 2/19 Midnight PST - Adjust your lists for Rounds 3-5 - we post
results for the remaining 3 rounds
- Any players on your
Prospect Roster have been moved back to your 40-man roster.
You can begin to move players to prospect status again after the
Redistribution Draft.
- Note - the draft order has not yet been verified or updated to
move division winners into picks 13-16 of the draft order. That
will happen within a few days.
1/11/23
- Roster deadline moved to midnight EST on Thursday night.
- Orphan Teams - very late, but
here's the initial
list of available orphans for 2023. There will be more
added once I verify some "no answers" on returning will indeed
become orphans. Email me if you want to pick up any of
these orphans and we still might be able to get you to pick your
roster cuts/keeps.
- Players of the Year
listings are now final. There may be slight changes from what
was previously listed as the rankings through Week 25 as
performance for the whole season was added into the calculation
in addition to the accumulated weekly scores.
- Team finances are updated to
reflect the POY awards
1/10/23
1/6/23
- There are several set up/administrative tasks that I didn't
get completed before going on vacation and, though I brought my
computer along, I should have been realistic that I wouldn't
have an opportunity to work on during this week. I'm not going
to be ready to process cuts on Sunday, so I'll pass additional
time on to you.
- The roster cut down deadline is moved to
Thursday, January 12, 7 PM Eastern
- I'll work on the cuts Thursday night and open up the
Redistribution Draft list by Friday 1/13. That will
give you 3 full weekends to work on that prior to the
first draft deadline of Sunday 1/29.
1/1/23
- I'll also have more on rule changes coming up, but here are
a couple to be aware of as you make your final roster
adjustments:
- Salaries for players coming from Japan/Korea or other
foreign leagues may not be automatically set to 100 as has
always been done. This will be a subjective call - looking
at stats in the other system, contract size for MLB, etc.
- Costs to store players on the Prospects Roster will rise
from 250 to 500. I'm tempted to make it higher, but we'll
see how this works.
|
