This is a new progressive league which will use current players and will only play one WIS season each calendar year.  It is similar to another league I'm in that journeyfan started, but the major difference is that this league will add a salary structure which will hopefully add a lot of tension, without adding too much to the complications.

The basics.

24 Team League.
All current 2012 players will be eligible
League will start as soon as 2012 WIS ratings are out

The opening auction will be an effort.

Each day starting in October, about 20 players will be posted for auction. Each manager will send a ballot to me with sealed auction bids for each player of the 20 that they want to bid on.  I will send my bids to a trusted owner at the beginning of the day.  The players, about 12 batters and 8 pitchers a day will be put up alphabetically.

Late at night the winning bids will be posted in the forums and the next day's bids will be posted.  Tied bids will not be awarded and the player will be thrown back into the pool to be auctioned again at the end of the regular auction.

Each team has $ 1,000 to spend on their players to fill their team.  Remember to leave some money for free agent and rookie signings though.

Once a player is  awarded to a team, that auction value becomes his contract.  For example, Albert Pujols goes for $ 223 in a sealed bid to team A.  Skip Schumaker is awarded to team B for $ 24.

The season will be played in January - Feb. the first year -- hopefully earlier the second year and beyond.

In February the big decision must be made for each person on your roster. You can resign him or release him.

If you choose to resign a player you can resign him for a one year, two year, three year or five year contract.

If you resign him for one year you must give him a $ 15 raise.
Two years for two $ 12 raises.
Three years for three $ 10 raises
Five years for five $ 8 raises.

For example.  You signed Pujols for $ 223. You want to resign him. You can resign him for one year at $ 238, two years at 235-247, three years at 233-243-253, or five years at 231-239-247-255-263.

From March - Oct you will watch your players in real life games seeing if you signed bargains or are going to be screwed for five years by terrible contracts. You also want to follow the free agents.

In October there will be a rookie - free agent auction for unowned players.

Contracts are final. If he dies or moves to Japan, you are still responsible for the contract's full term.

New WIS rated players, unowned players, and free agents will be apportioned by the auction in November.

The reason I think this league will be interesting is that you will have to make decisions on each player and will have to decide how much money to spend of your $ 1,000 and how much to leave for the free agents. For the entire year there will be things to do with your franchise even though only one season a year is played.

Only players with WIS ratings can be auctioned. If a player is owned, but then next year doesn't get a WIS rating (injury or minor leagues) you can keep him for as many years as you want, but you'd still have to give him raises to keep him.

When you sign your contracts in February, you are limited to at most 40 players. When you roster after the October auction, the maximum WIS rated players is 40.

Kind of complicated so ask any questions.

Owners

1. Beernoser

2. rls1

.3 szub

4. journeyfan

5. Knowhim

6. fillies

7. jeffc7823

8. parking31

9. Ox

10 DodgerDon

11 Benfc

12 oli35

13 spid24

14 toddleduc

15 pmars

16 dippedncrack

17 genius2

18 loudawg10

19 jonstephen25

20 jonas1102

21 rejay

22 grayfoxx

23 brucel

24 werewolf

Waiting list

1. diggin4
2. Teamjosh

Cool. I'm in.

The league timeline

Oct - Nov 2012 -- The inaugural auction

Dec - Jan -- play 2012 season

March -- resign your players or cut them.

April - Sept - watch lots of real baseball to see if your players are worthy of the contracts you signed them to.

Oct  2013 -- rookie and free agent auction.

I'll try this

There is not a limit to players on your team. You can have 30 players on your forum roster if you want to pay them. Of course you need to start each season with 25 WIS rated players at least.

I like the idea for the progressive,but what happens if an owner ties up his money in long term contracts and can't field 25 players in a particular season?

There are enough players in the WIS database for 40--45 players for each team if they want to pay them. We'll probably put some limit on it -- maybe the 40 man roster sounds reasonable. In fact I'll stick that in the instructions -- maximum 40 man roster in February, maximum 40 man WIS rated players in October.

Anyway, all you'd have to do is leave yourself 20 bucks out of your 1,000 budget in February so when the auction comes in October you'd have money to buy a dozen or so $ 1 players to make sure you'd have a 25 man roster if everything possible went wrong.

You'd want to leave yourself a lot more than that anyway to enable you to sign some free agents and WIS rookies.

I would be in. Thanks for considering me ;-)

Count me in 'Noser.

Sounds good......Sign me up

This sounds great!  I'm in.

Good question Jeff - yes you can trade players at any time but at the end of the trade, your  salaries can not exceed $ 1,000.

There are two important roster dates though.

In February there will be a cutdown to 40 man rosters when you sign your contracts.
In October at the end of the rookie auction there will be a cutdown to 40 WIS eligible players though you can have more than tat on your roster if you want.

My guess is neither of these numbers will mean very much as few teams will want to pay that many players.

I'm in, sounds good

bump