Benchwarmer Baseball Rules

Player Salaries

Preseason

For first-year leagues, all owners will begin the season with a balance of fantasy dollars equal to the salary cap for that season.  Legacy leagues will be slightly different.  They will begin the season with a balance including the balance at the end of the previous season plus the salary cap figure (see Off Season Procedures for more details).

For first-year leagues, player salaries will be deducted from the balance at the time they are drafted. For returning leagues, player salaries will be paid for when a) players are picked to carry over to the next season and b) as players are selected in the Redistribution Draft. In addition, as players are signed or cut during a league’s free agency period in the preseason, salaries will be deducted as players are signed. If a player is cut in the preseason, that team will receive a 50% rebate of the player’s salary, with the same exceptions as noted below.

Regular Season

Owners will be able to make roster changes that will affect the team's finances as players are added or cut from the roster.  The Commissioner's Office will publish a season schedule, which will also list the pro-rating deadlines for the season.  Owners cutting or trading away a player will be credited with a prorated portion of that player's salary (with exceptions noted below).  In addition, owners signing or obtaining a player in a trade will need to pay only a prorated amount of the salary.  Although there will be some minor modifications, the general rule is that one week of games (6 games) is 4% of the season schedule of 150 games.  Therefore, the prorated amount will decrease by 4% each week.

Exceptions to prorated salary assumption/rebate

Exceptions occur at the beginning and end of the season.  Owners will receive no more than an 80% refund of the player's salary for roster cuts, and will pay no less than 30% of the player's salary for roster acquisitions.

Owners will not receive a salary rebate for a player they release for these situations:

• Contracts at 200 or less are fully guaranteed.  Owners cutting these players at any time during the season will not receive a rebate.
• Players under multiyear contracts do not get any salary rebate.
• All salary rebates end after Week 15.

Note: In trades, player salaries will be fully prorated, without the 80% cap on rebates or 30% floor on salaries. Also, traded players making less than 200 will generate a salary rebate and rebates continue as long as trades are allowed, rather than ending at Week 15.

Team Revenue Sources

Preseason

As mentioned, all teams will receive a cash distribution from the League Office during the winter or, in the case of new leagues, at the time the league is formed.

On Opening Day, all teams receive an extra 2 million Benchwarmer Bucks. This award is actually made at the conclusion of the Week Zero transactions.

Regular Season

Team Performance

During the season, teams will earn additional revenue depending upon weekly performance and position in the standings.
 

Wins: Teams will receive $30,000 per win in a week.

Position: Teams will receive funds based upon their position in the division standings at the end of the week.  Here's where we help keep teams alive - as the money is allocated in reverse order:

• 4th place - $105,000
• 3rd place - $70,000
• 2nd place - $35,000
• 1st place - $0

If there is a tie for any of these positions, it will be broken with the same criteria as free agent signings. For example, if two teams are tied for first, the team that is determined to get the earlier pick during that week’s transactions is considered the second place team here and the other team considered the first place team.

Extra Cash Disbursements

Benchwarmer Baseball will provide an additional 3 million dollars in cash to teams over the course of the season. Each team will receive an extra distribution of 1 million BW Bucks during the last transaction weeks in May, June, and July.

Postseason

Teams receive financial incentives based on how they finished in their division, as well as playoff performance.  This helps to give teams something to play for even in a season where the division title is wrapped up early.

Note - Financial awards for division finish will be awarded as part of the current season's financial balance.  It will count in the derivation of the salary cap.  Following the distribution of the annual cap money, post-season prizes will be awarded.

Player Performance Awards

Teams that have the top hitters and pitchers will earn Benchwarmer Bucks on a weekly and seasonal basis.

Player of the Week - Winners receive a $25,000 bonus for their team.  There are three weekly awards - one each for hitters, pitchers, and relievers.

Players of the Year - Players finishing in high standing for Player of the Year will earn financial benefits for their teams.  These are awarded separately for position players, starting pitchers, and relievers.  POY money is distributed to teams AFTER the off-season salary cap distribution.

• 1st place - $500,000
• 2nd place - $250,000
• 3rd place - $100,000

Benchwarmer All-Stars - Each team will receive $25,000 for each player on the Benchwarmer All-Star Teams.

Major League All-Stars - Each team will receive $10,000 for each player on the Major League All-Star Teams.

NOTE - All-star teams and bonuses will be selected and awarded based on Week 13 rosters.

Carry over

Funds remaining in the team's account after the season will remain with the team for the following season. See Off Season Procedures to explain how this works.

Maximum Cash Balances

Intentionally or unintentionally, it is possible for owners to carry over large sums of cash into the next season.  Over the course of a few years, that could lead to a huge imbalance and allow an owner in a given year to assemble a "super team".  One week before the beginning of a new season (during the financial adjustments for Transaction Week Zero), all teams that have cash balances over $5 million will have those balances reduced to that $5 million mark.

Owners can still accumulate cash after that time - with the $2 million Opening Day cash distribution, salary rebates, and financial gains through wins and position in their division.

The spirit of this rule is to attempt to maintain competitive balance.

Exceptions for Expansion Teams

If leagues undergo expansion, those new teams will not be subject to the limit before their second season and will have a $10 million limit before their third season.  After that time, they will be subject to the same cash ceiling.

Exceptions for First-year Leagues

The maximum cash balance limit will not be enforced in the initial season of any league.