Major Update(s) (Everyone Read)

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Hello Everyone!

As you know, the franchise draft is complete and we are really ready to begin the dynasty! A couple deadlines people should be aware of:

Monday, December 21, 3:00 AM EASTERN (virtually Sunday night) – 50-Man rosters are due with full contract details. (Please refer to the rules for guidance and post all questions in the League Rules Questions so that everyone can see your question and answer as I’m sure others have the same questions.)

Monday, December 28 – Trades may begin to be posted. (I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE all GMs to hold off trading and negotiations before the 50-Man roster deadline. I also stress that teams should listen to ALL OFFERS before making deals. I have already heard of a couple trades that I feel were rushed into and I want to make sure the teams not only understand the value of their players, but also the other offers that might be out there. If you have already “completed” trades I encourage that you re-think your deals and attempt to listen to all offers. Don’t let other GMs bully you into deals!)

Monday, January 4 – Free Agency will begin. (Again, refer to the rules for how to post players to be bid on and the format I want bids)

Some other notes:

I still have not received the payments from everyone. I understand that some of you have made prior arrangements, which is okay, but aside from Rio, I haven’t received the money in the mail from anyone else as of now.

Also, some of you haven’t posted your contact information or agreed to the Constitution. This must be done ASAP!

And as always, I fully expect you all to be active 100% of the time, which requires checking the message board daily. It is also crucial to respect other GMs in the league whether this is ending negotiations when a team says so, responding to PMs, and just general peaceful talk. This league is designed to be fun above anything else and I don’t want arguments to ruin it. If you have an issue with someone, take it up with them, and DO NOT post it on the Message Board.

As of now, that’s everything that needs to be addressed. Good luck to everyone this season, and may the best team win!


COMMISH

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

UPDATE #2
__________

Hey everyone,

As most of you know, trading is now underway. Remember that trades must be agreed upon by both GMs (kind of obvious).

A couple of housekeeping notes:

- You MUST check the board daily. If you fail to do so, you are at risk of being considered inactive and could lose your spot. You must also not only check PMs but you must answer them, even if it's a "I'm still thinking" or something along those lines. It's only respectful for the other GM to know what's going on.

- There are a lot of problems with the initial 50-Man rosters. Please go and check to see if you have problems that need to be fixed.

- A couple GMs I'm worried about are the Pirates and Giants. Erik of the Phillies have told me that they must leave us unfortunately, but I have a replacement lined up, and I also have a couple for the Pirates and Giants if the two of you don't become more active (Giants, you're getting better).

- Free Agency will begin next Monday. Instead of having about a million players posted, we will have a different position each week. For Monday, we will have catchers and relief pitchers be available to bid on, followed by MI and CI, then OF, then SP.

That's all for now. Good luck everyone!

COMMISH

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

White Sox, you're on watch as well. My bad, forgot he was out of town.

[Rob Manfred (Trade Review)]

Rangers are now the newest team on watch.

Reminder to make sure you update your rosters after every single trade and record them in a transactions log. If you do not do so, you will face penalties and may not be able to trade or sign players.

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Hey everyone,

So there's been growing concern about some GMs not updating their rosters or making spreadsheets. While spreadsheets aren't exactly mandatory, it's good for everyone if you make one. Not only does it help the CO, but it also helps you keep track of your salaries easier.

But the bigger concern is updating rosters. This is a requirement. If you do not update your roster with approved trades, you will not be allowed to trade or sign free agents.

That is all.

COMMISH

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

**To clarify, DO NOT update the ORIGINAL 50 MAN, but DO update your team page.

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Hey everyone!

Things seem to be running really smoothly right now. Just a few things before we are fully ready to go:

- the Cubs and Rays need to sign up on CBS. I have sent countless invites and you still haven't signed up. If you don't this week, I will begin to look for replacements for your teams.

- Marlins: I need to see more activity out of you. You're hardly ever on the board.

- I'm a little concerned that I don't see all 30 GMs on daily. I understand that most of the "necessary" tasks are completed, but teams are still trying to make deals and what not before the beginning of the year. Please check daily, even after CBS is up -- the league is still run primarily on the board.

That's about all for administrative things. Here's a couple things that are optional for anyone:

- I'd like to form "Pre-season Power Rankings" but rather have them be up to me, I'm extending everyone the chance to vote for who you think is the best and worst! PM me a list titled "Power Rankings" with your list of 30 teams in order of how you think they are faring for not just this upcoming season, but also in the future.

- I'd also like to ask any of you if you would like to write up a "Customer Review" potentially for the website (pbfantasysports.com). I would appreciate your feedback! PM me whatever you come up with.

These last two things are completely optional, though I think the Power Rankings would be a lot of fun. I'd like to see some chatter on the boards about it!

That seems to be all for now. As always, continue to check the boards daily, only a few days until catchers and pitchers report for Spring Training!

COMMISH

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Hey Everyone,

So with two full weeks down and in the midst of the third week, it's great to see the activity as we continue.

With that, there's one GM who has failed to be active and that's Derek with the Phillies. He will be replaced immediately and if anyone knows anyone that might be interested, let me know.

The Commissioner's Office will also start to randomly go through everyone's roster, and if we see any errors, then the team will not record stats on CBS until the issue(s) is fixed. This is to ensure that the league continues to run smooth and efficient, and to make sure everyone stays active.

Good luck the rest of the way!

COMMISH

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Hey Everyone,

First I'd like to welcome Joe Barber, who's taking over the Phillies for Derek. We are now officially full again. At his request, Joe has been granted the ability to trade right away since his team has several glaring holes.

Also, as I alluded to earlier, we are going to be randomly checking team pages and if there are errors, then you will not record stats on CBS until it's complete.

In the next few weeks (or months) we are going to be compiling spreadsheets of everyone's rosters. You can help expedite this process if you have a spreadsheet of your own, and it would be greatly appreciate if you could send it in an email to me.

That seems to be all for now.

- COMMISH

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Things actually did not work out with Joe, so the Phillies are once again open.

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Everyone,

Great to see that we have such an active and exciting league. Most of the teams on CBS are all bunched up, which suggests parity. Remember to keep checking your teams and setting your lineups. There have been complaints that one GM hasn't been accepting trades they've made here on CBS. If this continues, you know what that means.

But this past week+ we've added Kennedy to the Phillies and Mark to the Pirates. We once again have a full league, and aside from that one individual I alluded to above, I see a full committed league long-term!

One more thing. Remember to update your roster page (salary cap, total players, roster, etc.) and your transactions pages (trades, free agency, waivers, releases, etc.). I go on summer break beginning this Friday so I'll have more time to check pages. If you have errors, your roster will be benched on CBS until the errors are fixed.

In the mean time, good luck to everyone the rest of the year! Go to pbfantasysports.com where I have detailed standings and power rankings updated virtually every week!

- COMMISH

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Hey Everyone,

First off, great to see that we have a full and active league! On any given day we have about 25 GMs check in and there really isn't anyone who's been slacking. Let's keep it up!

As I mentioned several days ago, the Commissioner's Office has been discussing a few issues raised by members of the league and we have come up with some changes and announcements.

Draft Lottery/Tanking/Innings Pitched Requirement:
- As it was mentioned in the league rules and constitution, failing to reach the 30 IP requirement suggests inactivity and it is unacceptable in our eyes to consistently fail to reach the requirement. We do realize, however, that some teams have given up on the season and are trying to improve their chances of getting into the lottery for the top pick. Tanking and missing the 30 IP requirement, however, is not the way to do it - you don't see teams in the pros fail to have legitimate lineups, and the GMs would obviously be on the hot seat. As a result, in order to be eligible for the lottery (bottom 5 teams), you must reach the 30 IP requirement in 3/4 of the remaining matchups. Failure to do so, even with the worst record, will prevent you from having a top five draft pick.

Player Rostering Time Limit:
- Following the signing or trade acquisition of a player, teams will have 72 hours to update their Proboards page to reflect the proper change. If you fail to make the change, the player will become a free agent. Sometimes, however, circumstances arise that prohibit people from checking the board for a few days, and in these cases (vacations and out-of-town especially), this will not apply. In addition, teams will be required to make changes on their CBS roster within two weeks (if you acquire a minor league player and they are not on CBS and are then added to their database without your knowledge, that is a special circumstance and this two week rule won't apply and you will simply be asked to add them).

Salary Changes for Next Season:
- As one GM suggested, it would be much more convenient if we changed the maximum AAS of a player on the 10-man minor league roster from $999,999 to $1,000,000. In the future starting NEXT season, teams will be able to offer $1,000,000 AAS contracts and be able to assign the player to the 10-man minor league team. In addition, all players who are currently signed to $999,999 AAS deals will have their AAS value changed to $1,000,000.
- The other salary change is that we are raising the MLB minimum salary to $400,000 for next year. In other words, the minimum deal a player who has played in a MLB game will be $400,000, even if they were signed to an AAS value of $300,000 - once they make their debut, that value is increased to $400,000. Standard minor league players will still have AAS values of $300,000, but again, if their AAS is less than $400,000, it will be raised to $400,000 after their first appearance in the big leagues. The reason for this change is because MLB recently raised their minimum salary for players on the 40 man rosters to $400,000. For players who were signed to MLB deals this year with salaries less than $400,000 for next year, those salaries will increase to $400,000 (for example, I offer Player X two year deal worth $350,000 this year, and $350,000 next year - his salary will still be $350,000 for this season, but next year it will be worth $400,000).

Salary Cap Tiers:
- The New York Yankees and the Commissioner's Office have agreed to move the Yankees to Tier 2 for the foreseeable future starting in the offseason. The Yankees will still only have the one restricted tag and no franchise tag, as it would be unfair to have the benefits of both tags and 160M salary for this year.

Restricted Free Agency:
- While there have been discussions of modifying the allocation of draft picks, there is no resolution at this time.

That is all for now. Remember to keep checking the boards daily as well as CBS. Good luck to everyone the rest of the way!

- COMMISH

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Hey All,

The waiver trade deadline has passed so the current rosters are what we have for the final week of the regular season and the playoffs.

While on that topic, there are STILL a lot of teams that have a shot to sneak into the playoffs. In the NL, the Astros, Braves, Reds, Padres, and Nationals have locked up spots, but the DBacks, Brewers, Giants, and Cardinals all still have a chance to make it.

In the AL, the Rays, Yankees, Mariners, Blue Jays of clinched spots, while the Indians, Red Sox, Twins, and White Sox are fighting for the last two positions. Good luck to all teams fighting for spots!

In the lottery, several teams have failed to reach the minimum required innings in order to have a top 5 pick. The Athletics have been keeping track and will have a final report next week.

I'd also like to ask everyone to please update their rosters as soon as possible. I'm really busy beginning college so it would be great if everyone would come on and make sure their pages are updated. If you don't, it shows me that you may not be active, and we know what the consequences of that is.

Anyway, good luck to everyone, it's been a great year so far, and the playoffs are just a week away.

- PB

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Hello All,

Congratulations to those who have reached the final four of the league! We have the Astros playing the Padres, and the Yankees playing the Mariners, with the two winners facing off next week in the championship. Good luck to all involved!

For teams not involved in the playoffs, it's time to start looking towards next season. I have opened a thread for everyone to post their free agents, just to make it easier for everyone to recognize. Please do this in a timely fashion, as it is suggestive of one's league activity (and also, please update all roster pages). The thread to post it can be found here: pbfantasybaseball.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=rosterstransactions&action=display&thread=2726&page=1#1285082281

Also, after the season, I will post the complete draft order. Obviously there have been some changes based on our 30 IP requirements, and the A's have helped accumulate the data. We won't have the lottery though until closer to the draft in January.

In other news, thank you to everyone who has given me and my fellow commissioners compliments on a fine season; we couldn't have done it without you! I hope that all 30 GMs return to make next year even better. Even though for many teams there hasn't been a reason to log onto the board recently, it's great to see that people are! Let's keep the activity going, and once again, congrats to everyone, especially the teams still in the playoffs, on a fine inaugural season.

- PB

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Hey All,

Congrats once again to Amy and the Padres for winning the inaugural season of PB's Fantasy Baseball, and also to Rob and the Mariners for placing second! A congratulations is also in order to everybody for making the first season a very successful one. I definitely look forward to continuing playing with all of you.

Now for those who didn't win, focus has immediately shifted to next season. I understand that people want to start trading - as do I - but I'd like us all to take a brief step back for a second before moving forward as there are a few obligations we need to complete before starting the offseason's activities.

First, I want to make sure we have a full league before moving forward. The Blue Jays are currently the only open team, but I would like to make sure that the rest of you are committed to move forward. If you're not, please let me know now as opposed to later, out of respect for the rest of us.

Second, for record keeping purposes, I would like everyone to create an archive thread in your message board with your roster and transactions for the first season. For many of you, it only involves copy and pasting your roster and transactions page into the same thread, but for others (including myself, I need to update trades) it involves a little work. Please understand that this is crucial to helping us maintain credibility and making sure everyone is accountable, and that nothing slips through the cracks. It might be annoying, but it will go a long way to making sure every season is as fun and exciting as this season. Please keep in mind that this isn't a way for the Commissioner's Office to slack, but rather, it makes everything easier for us to synthesize all of the information in a spreadsheet.

Next, if you haven't done so yet, please post your free agents for this offseason in the following thread: pbfantasybaseball.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=rosterstransactions&action=display&thread=2726&page=2 . Please include ALL free agents, even players you're considering tagging (some teams may have to update their list).

After all this, I'll begin asking for next year's payment. This year's division winners are exempt from paying the $20 fee (Rays, Indians, Mariners, Braves, Astros, Padres). For those wondering, I've already sent the award payments to the Padres and Mariners.

This weekend I'll post the draft order with the five teams in the lottery. The lottery won't be held for awhile, as the draft isn't until early January. I'm also holding off on doing the lottery so that teams won't start agreeing to trades involving players they think they will select. For example, whoever has the first pick might begin telling people they'll take Bryce Harper and begin shopping him and a deal might be reached with someone even before the draft. In essence, this would be draft pick trading which isn't allowed. This point is also leading me to consider restricting trading of draft picks to an unspecified date - this is true to MLB as drafted players can't be dealt for a year. I doubt I'd make any restriction to that extent, it would probably be until the beginning of the season, but I think it might be necessary.

That seems to be it for now. As always, continue checking the boards on a regular basis. Once again, congrats to Amy and Rob, and good luck everyone this offseason!

- PB

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Hey Everyone,

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I'm home for the first time in a few months until Sunday, and then I head back to DC. I figured I'd use a little of the time here to reboot the league.

First and foremost, we still have two openings. The Marlins and Cubs are available, though we've had interest from three people lately. They will be given the first opportunity to claim those spots.

For new GMs who have already joined, please copy and paste the old GMs threads into new threads in your respective boards. For those that don't have old threads because the old GM deleted them for whatever reason (ie. Blue Jays), we'll talk about that separately.

Here's what might be most important: I've created a Google doc for everyone that they can edit. I sent the doc to everyone's email that they provided for me here. It is expected that everyone add and begin to edit the doc, using the template provided for each team. Your help will go a long way to making the league much more efficient moving forward. For the record, I've got all the trades listed for everyone, but rosters are absent. If everyone could put their rosters in, that would be spectacular. If we rely on this method, then the archives I proposed earlier will not be necessary.

Once that is completed, I will begin to ask for everyone's payment for this season, which is $20 to those who did not win their division last year. If you have not done so, also post your contact information and agree to the constitution.

I will set a target date of December 15 to accomplish all of this. If you fail to do so, I may be forced to replace you. I'm committed to having a league of 30 active GMs at all times moving forward, and I expect that everyone expects the same.

- PB

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Hey everyone,

This update has two parts. The first is a general update and the second part is the updated offseason schedule. Both have things that must be read.

The Orioles and Blue Jays are available. Both of the old GMs resigned. I ask that everybody help looking for recruits, though I expect to have these spots filled quickly. Any new Blue Jays GM will receive assistance from the CO in compiling the correct roster. Anybody who hasn't done their Google Docs page is also on notice of being replaced (Mets, White Sox, Rangers, Braves, Phillies, Cubs, Astros, Pirates, DBacks, Dodgers, Padres, Giants, Rockies). I find this ridiculous that so many people have yet to do it and your cooperation is a must or you will be booted. If you still don't have access to edit the spreadsheet, let me know ASAP.

EVERYBODY needs to start getting on the board every day. If not, again, you will be booted.

Without further ado, here's the updated offseason schedule.

*UPDATED* 2010-11 Offseason Schedule

Everybody, please look at this updated schedule of events. Because of Christmas and the New Year, several GMs have requested that we push things back a week. The Commissioner's Office has begun its review of the spreadsheet, but has yet to complete the job, so that's another reason for it being pushed back.

*Note: Not all tasks have been pushed back, so please review carefully.

Sunday, December 26 - At this time, the Commissioner's Office is expecting almost all preliminary activity to be completed:

• Updated Proboards Roster
  
• Updated CBS Roster
  
• Post your Contact Information here: pbfantasybaseball.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=contactinformation&action=display&thread=13
  
• Agree to the Constitution: pbfantasybaseball.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=leagueconstitution&action=display&thread=12
  
• Post ALL (including potential franchise and restricted) Free Agents: pbfantasybaseball.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=rosterstransactions&action=display&thread=2726&page=2
  
• Update GOOGLE DOC SPREADSHEET with roster and contracts: spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AsL1BFdCIzyydDRUeV94Q0VXVXRIU2NzblJyZWZoZEE&hl=en#gid=2
  
• Post FRANCHISE and RESTRICTED tag decisions in the appropriate boards from the main forum page.
  
• Pay the $20 fee via Paypal to [e-mail]
  

If you have not completed these tasks by this date, you will be asked to leave, and a replacement will be found.

Monday, December 27 - Trading will officially reopen. Teams CANNOT trade free agents unless they also trade one of their free agent tags and the team receiving the player and tag must use the tag on that player.

Monday, January 3 - Restricted free agency bidding will occur for this week, concluding on Friday, with announcements of winners that weekend. Teams will have 48 hours to determine if they will match the highest bid. Please refer to the rules on further specifics.

Monday, January 10 - Bidding on catchers and relievers will occur for this week.

Monday, January 17 - Bidding on middle infielders and corner infielders will occur this week.

Monday, January 24 - Bidding on starting pitchers will occur this week.

Monday, January 31 - Bidding on outfielders will occur this week.

Monday, February 7 - The Rookie Draft will begin. Teams will have 6 hours to make their selections. Regular free agency will also begin (any position).

Note that these dates are subject to change, but this is the current expectation. SO everybody, get to work!

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Hey Everyone.

A couple updates here. As you should know by now, trading is open for those who have completed their offseason tasks. While completion of the spreadsheet isn't as important, teams must post their free agents, update their Proboards roster, agree to the Constitution, post their contact information, and pay the $20 Paypal fee for the league. Teams are advised to post restricted free agents and their franchise tags ASAP with a crystallized deadline of this Sunday. Restricted free agent bidding will begin Monday.

Even before that, we still have three teams open. We just filled the White Sox vacancy, adding Dwreck to the league, but the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Dodgers are open. I'm in the process of compiling the accurate rosters for these teams, but please help fill these holes.

Moving on, there's an important update in regards to contracts. As Nick and Jason have helped me discover, many players who were thought to be free agents are actually under contract. If a player signed a contract (not an exercised option) before the inaugural season's Opening Day, that player receives that contract, even if it extends their protection. Players such as Ethier and Justin Upton, for instance, have the contracts that were previously thought to not be theirs. Since we were under the impression that they were free agents, teams may still elect for some of these players to actually be free agents if they so choose. Please note that this contract rule does not apply to this season, so players such as Jay Bruce who received a contract extension this offseason, will not have the years that extend beyond his normal protection. I hope this clarifies any confusion.

In other news, I've posted the draft order for the rookie draft to be held February 7. The lottery and other tiebreakers will be determined the night before the draft. Teams will have six hours for their selections. Also remember that second and third round picks may be moved based on restricted free agent results.

That appears to be it on the agenda for now. Now it is REALLY time to start logging on every single day. Too many teams haven't been on recently. Payments are also expected to be submitted ASAP or you will be booted.

Anyway, happy start to the offseason!

- PB

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Hey Everyone,

Great to see all of the activity in the last couple days. A lot of trades! We have welcomed two new GMs - Dwreck for the White Sox, and, Chris for the Orioles. The Blue Jays, Dodgers, and Tigers are available, but I expect to fill those vacancies shortly.

A couple of reminders:

- Rosters must be updated for the 2011 season on the message board. This includes salaries, salary cap, and roster.

- PROTECTION YEARS & SALARIES: Remember to use Cot's for contracts and salary totals but NOT for determining protection years. Cot's lists how many years players are arbitration eligible, but since we use 5 years as opposed to 6 years before a player hits free agency, Cot's is irrelevant for that. The MLB also uses a different method for determining a qualifying season, but we use, for position players MORE THAN 50 games played, for pitchers, MORE THAN 10 starts or MORE THAN 30 innings for relievers and those who started and relieved. Make sure to double check your players' protection years.

- Reminder to check your free agents and players' contracts. Contracts that were signed BEFORE Opening Day 2010 are in effect in this dynasty as opposed to what was previously thought (when rosters locked). That means that players such as Andre Ethier, Justin Verlander, Joe Mauer, etc. who signed extensions that increased their protection are in effect. Any deals signed after that date however are not to be recognized. For players such as Sean Burnett that sign extensions that would lengthen their protection, future years don't count. The extension salary, however, would apply. In Burnett's case, he signed a deal that would pay him 1.4M next year and 2.3M in 2012, but only the 1.4M for 2011 would be in place.

- Many players who are going through arbitration do not have next year's salaries in place yet. Make sure to account and indicate for this on your roster. Arbitration figures will be determined in the next couple months, and the players' salaries here will be those figures when they arrive, and NOT what their salaries were last season.

- Remember that the new league minimum is $400,000 for players who played in the pros. Minor leaguers who are set to make $300,000 will have their salaries increase to $400,000 once they play in the pros and you call them up (example: Desmond Jennings is currently being paid $300,000, but will likely make $400,000 since his promotion is likely). Minor leaguers who have not played in the pros but are on your 40-man roster may still earn $300,000 if they were signed to that deal or an original keeper at the beginning of the dynasty. A player who has played in the pros is ineligible for the 10-man minor league roster once on your 40-man roster. Teams must also have a minimum of 10 minor leaguers and maximum 35 minor leaguers at the beginning of the season and throughout the year.

- All minor leaguers that were signed to $999,999 last year will have their AAS increase to $1,000,000 immediately. The maximum AAS to be eligible for the minor league roster is now $1,000,000 as well.

- You cannot trade free agents unless you trade the player with a franchise or restricted tag that will be used on that player.

- New GMs will be allowed one free release within the first two weeks of their addition to the league. Only players from your original roster are eligible to be dropped (you can't trade for a player from another team to bail them out).

RESTRICTED FREE AGENT BIDDING will begin MONDAY. Teams are allowed to change their franchise and restricted tags up until midnight eastern Sunday night/Monday morning. On Monday I will post all of the restricted players in the Contract Offers section. Make sure you follow the guidelines for restricted bidding, which can be found at the bottom of this link: pbfantasybaseball.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=officialrules&action=display&thread=6 .

If a team signs away an RFA from another team, they will surrender a draft pick, either a second or third rounder, depending on whether or not the team signs another RFA (pick determined by higher AAS). Since all first round picks are protected, teams can only sign up to two RFAs. As a result, teams can only win the opportunity to win two RFAs, so please construct priority lists and send them to the "freeagency" account as well. It is possible that a team could have the highest bid on five players and have their top two bids matched therefore winning no players. It is an imperfect system, but what we have now. Feel free to submit suggestions for future seasons in the appropriate locations on the board. Teams are NOT allowed to trade draft picks.

Lastly and most importantly, fees for the 2011 season are due IMMEDIATELY. If you have not done so, please submit your $20 payment to [e-mail] via Paypal. If you have not done so by January 11, you will be removed from the league. I hope I don't have to do that, but I need to to ensure I have 30 active and committed GMs for the 2011 season. I hope you will all be with us for this year and beyond!

As always, please feel free to ask any questions you might have. I'm looking forward to this season and good luck!

- PB

[Nationals GM (Preston - Old)]

Hey Everyone,

In this update, I want to touch on a few quick things:

RFA - Restricted free agent winners have been posted. Please read all of the postings as it may require you to do something, either to match or decline, or provide a breakdown. Reminder that choosing to decline will net you either a second or third round draft pick. Teams have until MIDNIGHT Monday night/Tuesday morning to make their decisions.

RFA & Salary Cap - During the offseason, teams may exceed the roster size by 5 players and $10M. If you exceed even the $10M bonus, you will have 48 hours to get under, and if you don't, you will lose all of your winning bids AND the corresponding draft picks to the other team. The original team will then have the option to choose whether to match the real life contract or allow the player to be an unrestricted free agent, just like if the player had no offers at all.

Payment - The following teams have yet to pay or make arrangements to pay: Diamondbacks, Orioles, Red Sox, and White Sox (Cardinals, Mets, Blue Jays, Rangers, and Rockies have made arrangements to pay). If you don't pay by MIDNIGHT Monday night/Tuesday morning, you will lose your spot in the league. Please submit $20 Paypal payment to [e-mail], or make other arrangements individually.

Next Week's FA - Catchers and relievers will be available next week. Any free agent must be posted by GMs, as the CO won't do what they did for RFA. Please start posting on TUESDAY as opposed to Monday because of the 72 hour process of RFA.

GENERAL - On Tuesday I will be heading back to school and will thus be much less available on a day-to-day basis. Not only do I have school, but I have several other major commitments that won't allow me to be on as much. I have tried to make everything as clear as possible as I've been on break because I've had the time to do so, but I certainly won't. I hope that everyone is situated and if you have questions, try to answer them by referring to the rules or various announcements. Please also be patient and if things aren't done right away, give a little time. With that said, I love fantasy baseball and I love this league, so I will still be trying my best to keep things the same, but please try to help each other out and ask the other commissioners for help too (I will need you guys to step up too).

That appears it for now, good luck everyone.

- PB