1. Beginning with the 1897/1962 season, the NWPEE will expand from 16 to 20 teams, using WIS Format F: 4 divisions of 5 teams each, interleague play, no wild cards. It is anticipated, pending owner approval, that we will expand a second time (to 24 teams) effective with the 1904/1969 season. The main reason for expansion is that by 1897/1962, our league will be drawing from 32 major league teams, soon to be 36 (by the 1901/1966 season) and then 40 (1904/1969). Concurrent with the 1897/1962 expansion, we will plan to increase the seasonal contract point limit to 80. Pending owner interest, we may consider a further increase in the contract point limit for the 1904/1969 expansion.
2. At the conclusion of the 1896/1961 season, the commissioner will post keeper lists for each of the existing teams in the usual fashion. At this time each owner will designate a “protected keeper” list. These players will not be eligible to be drafted during the expansion draft. The protected keeper list will be capped initially at 5 players, INCLUDING any IR players you wish to protect. All unprotected keepers – including unprotected players on IR – will be eligible to be drafted during the expansion draft.
3. The four expansion teams will have a 16 round serpentine expansion draft: ABCD, DCBA, ABCD, DCBA, etc. They can ONLY draft players who were left unprotected by the original 16 teams in this phase. Again, including unprotected IR players. Rookies and previously undrafted free agents will not be included in this phase.
4. In each block of four rounds, no more than 1 player can be selected from each original team’s roster (in other words, after four rounds of the expansion draft, each original team will have lost exactly one player; after the entire expansion draft, each original team will have lost exactly four players). This rule is to ensure that no existing team is penalized disproportionately.
5. After rounds 4, 8, and 12 each original team will be able to protect 1 additional keeper. Thus each of the original 16 teams will end up with 8 protected players, and each team will lose four of their unprotected keepers.
6. At the conclusion of the expansion draft, each expansion team will have 16 players, and each original team will have 8 protected keepers. Any unprotected keepers who were not drafted in the expansion draft will return to their original teams.
7. All 20 teams will then participate in a rookie/free agent draft of all remaining players. Each team will draft as many players as necessary to fill out their rosters. The expansion teams will be included in the normal random ordering process, and will have the same chance of drafting 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc. as each of the original teams.
8. Starting with the 1897/1962 season, we will expand the contract point limit to 80 points (and continue to allow the 5 point buffer during the season in case of trades). At the conclusion of the rookie/free agent draft, owners will allocate contract points to their new draftees per usual, with the following additions:
a. Owners of the original 16 teams will be able to allocate additional contract points to any player on their roster
b. Owners of the 4 expansion teams will also allocate contract points to the 16 players they drafted in the expansion draft. They will not be beholden to the original contracts of any of those players. If they draft a player with only 1 season remaining on his contract, they may sign him to a longer deal if desired.
9. Assuming the draft runs smoothly, we will run a second, very similar, expansion draft to grow from 20 to 24 teams at the conclusion of the 1903/1968 season.