PLAYER ACQUISITION DRAFT

For the inaugural season, the draft will begin on March 14th, a Saturday, to maximize participation and potentially complete the majority of selections in a single day.
The draft will be conducted online using stratdraft.com or a similar platform designated by the Commissioner.
Daily operating hours:
- Draft active from 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM Eastern Time daily
- 12-hour window each day
Pick timing and scheduling:
- Weekday picks: 30 minutes per selection (24 picks scheduled per day)
- Weekend picks: 15 minutes per selection (48 picks scheduled per day)
- A fixed daily schedule will be published before each draft day showing the expected time for each pick
Draft duration:
- Year 1 (inaugural season): Approximately one week
- Subsequent years: Expected to shorten significantly

Eligible players must meet ALL of the following criteria:
- Currently under contract with an MLB organization (Major League or affiliated Minor League team, including complex rookie league teams)
- Not eligible for free agency under league rules
- Have not yet met the service time thresholds that would make them a free agent
Re-draft eligibility: A player who was previously drafted but subsequently released by their league team may be drafted again, provided they still meet the eligibility criteria in Rule 3.2.1 and are not yet eligible for free agency.
Automatic contract assignment: Upon selection, all drafted players are automatically assigned a contract type based on their MLB service time and card status (see Rule 4: Player Contracts). These contract assignments are mandatory and cannot be negotiated or altered.
Ineligible players:
- Players who have reached free agency eligibility may not be drafted and must be acquired through the free agency process
- Players from the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) or Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) who are "posted" to MLB are considered free agents and are not eligible for the draft

There is no minimum or maximum number of draft rounds.
Teams may select as many players as they have available roster spots.
Teams may cease drafting at any point once they have filled their desired roster spots.
Last pick rule: Every team must make their own final pick in the draft AND must pay a $1,000,000 fine for each pick they skip to satisfy this requirement. If a team has traded away picks that would otherwise be their final pick, they must:
- Pass on sufficient rounds until they can make their own final pick
- Pay $1,000,000 for EACH pick skipped (whether originally their own pick or an acquired pick)
- Make their own final pick
Final pick declaration: Teams must declare to the Draft Conductor when they are making their final selection to prevent the draft from stalling.

Inaugural season draft order: The Commissioner will determine Year 1 draft order through an interactive process designed to help all league members get to know each other.
Regular season draft order (Years 2+):
- Non-playoff teams draft in inverse order of previous season's winning percentage (worst record picks first)
- Playoff teams draft after all non-playoff teams
- Within playoff teams, order determined by playoff finish (World Series loser picks before winner, etc.)
Tiebreakers (in order of application):
- Head-to-head record
- Division record (if in same division)
- League record (if in same league)
- Coin flip
Anti-tanking provision: If the Commissioner determines that tanking is occurring, they may modify the draft order rules for future seasons.
Expansion draft order (if applicable):
- New expansion teams will be slotted into the draft order
- Multiple expansion teams will rotate draft positions for fairness
- Specific expansion draft procedures detailed in Rule 1 (League Structure & Administration)

Compensation Pick Eligibility
- Teams losing qualified free agents (per Rule 5.2) who reject qualifying offers and sign with other teams during the primary free agency period are eligible for compensatory draft picks.
Compensation Tiers and Placement
`For 12-team and 16-team leagues:`
- Premium tier (contract total value ≥ $50M): Compensation pick awarded after Round 2
- Standard tier (contract total value < $50M): Compensation pick awarded after Round 3
`For 20-team and 24-team leagues:`
- Premium tier (contract total value ≥ $50M): Compensation pick awarded after Round 1
- Standard tier (contract total value < $50M): Compensation pick awarded after Round 2

Order of Compensatory Picks
- Within each compensation tier, picks are awarded in reverse order of regular season standings (worst record receives earliest compensatory pick within the tier). Multiple teams receiving compensation in the same tier will receive picks in order, with the worst team picking first among compensatory picks.

Teams may only trade draft picks for:
- The current year's upcoming draft
- The immediately following year's draft
- No other future years may be traded
Trade submission compliance: Any trade that would violate the minimum pick retention rule will be automatically rejected. Teams cannot temporarily drop below 2 picks with the intention of acquiring picks later to regain compliance.

Transaction freeze: Beginning 72 hours (3 days) before the draft start time, all transactions are frozen. This allows all teams to prepare with identical information.
Trades during draft: Teams may execute trades during the draft, including draft pick trades.
No releases during draft: Teams may NOT release players during the draft period, as released players may be draft-eligible and their release would create unfair competitive advantage.
Pick timing: As specified in Rule 3.1.5, picks must be made within the allotted time (30 minutes weekday, 15 minutes weekend).
Skipped picks: If a team fails to make a pick within the allotted time, their pick is skipped and they may make it up later without penalty. However, the draft continues without waiting.
Final pick declaration: Teams must explicitly declare to the Draft Conductor when making their final selection. Failure to declare may result in the draft waiting unnecessarily for picks the team does not intend to make.
Anti-collusion: Owners must draft with complete independence. Collusion to manipulate draft order, artificially set player values, or coordinate picks in any manner is strictly prohibited and will result in league expulsion at the Commissioner's discretion.

Total roster limit: Teams may carry a maximum of 50 players on their roster at any time.
Carded player limit: Of the 50-player roster, a maximum of 40 may be players who have received a Strat-O-Matic card.
Non-carded players: There is no limit on the number of non-carded players a team may carry, provided the total roster does not exceed 50 players and carded players do not exceed 40. A team could carry 35 carded players and 15 non-carded players, or any other combination within these limits.
Definition of "carded": A player is considered "carded" once they receive a physical card from Strat-O-Matic for any season. Once a player is designated as carded, they permanently retain this status even if they fail to receive cards in subsequent seasons.
Injured players: Players who are on the MLB Injured List in real life and do not receive a physical card from Strat-O-Matic still count toward the respective 40-man (if previously carded) and 50-man roster limits.
During the season a player can be placed on IL if they get injured. They may remain on IL as long as desired by the GM. Players on the 1 block IL don’t count against the 26/28 man roster limit. Players on the 4 block IL don’t count against any roster limts.