First off, let me start by acknowledging that this was my owner personal screw-up. Not looking to lay blame on WIS or anyone other than myself, but I'm extremely frustrated and need to vent.

Can anyone give me a good reason why I have 10 calendar days to assign a FA to my team, but only 6 calendar days (the duration of Spring Training) to assign a Rule 5 acquisition?

I wont bore anyone the gory details of my entire situation, but I had a Rule 5 guy that I couldn't assign to my ML team until I traded a player off my ML roster, and I couldn't trade that player until he healed from his injury, so I had no roster spot.

Knowing that I had 10 days to assign FA signing, I figured I also had 10 days to assign a Rule 5 signing. On Day 7, I would be able to trade the injured player, open his roster spot, and assign my Rule 5 guy to my ML team. Everything would be perfect. But then, after Spring Training ended, he was automatically waived.

Now, after searching the Knowledge Base, I see that I only have until the end of Spring Training to assign him.

Would it not seem a fair assumption to think that I would have the same # of days to assign a player, regardless of how I acquired him? Outside of having to dig thru countless KB articles, how else should I have known this?

Thanks for letting me vent.

Yeah, um, I'm talking about the time between acquiring him via the Rule 5 and assigning him to my ML team. I know he needs to stay there once he gets assigned.

He has to be assigned there before you play a game or else he isn't on the roster like he needs to be.

Sorry man, you just aren't understanding my point.

After Spring Training, all the players go to their teams (ML, AAA, AA).  You gain access to your minor league Rotations/Lineups.  Since this guy was not assigned to the Major League team before that point, he was not on the Major League Roster.  Since he is a Rule 5 guy, not being on the ML roster means that he is offered back.  You do not have 10 days.  You have until that point.

Right. I understand that much.

But, outside of reading thru the KB, how should I have known that I only had until the end of ST to assign him? ANY other time I acquire a player (FA, trade, etc), I have 10 days to assign that player. How should I have known that for a Rule 5 guy, I only have 6 days to assign him?

I obviously won't make this mistake again... its just frustrating to make it the first time, and am trying to understand how I could have known not to let this happen.

He's saying that a Rule 5 acquisition has to be on your roster the ENTIRE BL season.    That begins when ST ends.   You know when service time begins.

Big League game #1 had not yet been played. He was auto-waived during the limbo between the end of ST and the beginning of the regular season.

By your definition, I should've had until game 1 of the season to assign him to my BL team.

I guess what I'd like is some kind of notification that a guy is going to be auto-waived before it happens. If all players had the same # of days between "acquisition" and "needing assignment", it would not be necessary... but as is, there seem to be different scenarios that need micro-managing.

Fair enough.   Since it's in the Knowledge Base, that's how you should have known.   The KB is there for a reason.

So really, your question is "Why did the auto-offer-back occur on the cycle immediately after spring training ended rather than on the last cycle immediately before the regular season started?".

I'll take a shot at that.  It's durring that PM2 part 2 cycle when a lot of post-spring training events happen.  Your major league roster is reset such that all ST invitees are removed from the roster, and the minor league rosters are "unfrozen" such that you can start setting pitching rotations, lineups, depth charts, etc.  From an "event" point-of-view, it's logical that the R5 auto-offer-back would take place at that time.  It would make less sense for one specific post-ST event occur at a different time from all other post-ST events.

You could have put the injured guy on the DL, opening up a spot, then traded him when his DL stint was over.  Though you probably didn't view that as a necessary option if you felt you had 10 days to assign him.  We've all been burned by assumptions before.

But I agree that notification to your team inbox would be an easy preventative step to add to the process.  This would include any time the sim is going to automatically do something with your roster.

It's also in the HELP on the Rule 5 results page.

"What happens after I draft a player? - After you draft a player, he will join your franchise and appear in your group of players needing assignment. You then have until the end of Spring Training in which to put him on your big league roster. If you don't put him on your big league roster by then, the player will go through the Rule 5 Offer back process..."