Bylaws app

The Field 2026

14 sections / 13 pending / 18 IP minimum / 6 weekly adds / trade review none

Browse rules Ruling assistant Pending

Policy Precedence

Use this ladder whenever chat, an old handbook, a vote, a ruling, and Yahoo settings point in different directions.

1 Yahoo settings Controls automated scoring, rosters, waivers, trades, playoff format, and platform locks.
2 Current bylaws and rule ledger Controls house rules, dispute handling, commissioner limits, voting, money, and manual remedies.
3 Passed votes Valid only when wording, tally, quorum, threshold, and effective date are recorded.
4 Written rulings Case-specific unless the ruling says it becomes precedent and is added to the ledger.
5 Published precedent Helpful guidance, but not binding when it conflicts with current Yahoo settings or written rules.
6 Normal chat Evidence of intent, not enforceable policy by itself.

Rule Sections

Filter by text or by enforcement status. Each section includes the historical problem it is meant to prevent.

14 shown
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1

Rule Authority

Defines what source wins when Yahoo settings, handbook language, chat, polls, and precedent disagree.

House rule

Rules

  • Yahoo settings control automated game mechanics unless these bylaws authorize a manual remedy.
  • The final 2026 Yahoo settings snapshot is locked as the platform baseline once Week 1 scoring begins.
  • If Yahoo settings, a passed vote, and these bylaws conflict before Week 1, the commissioner must publish a correction or confirmation notice before the first affected scoring period.
  • The league must maintain one current bylaws document and rule ledger.
  • Official league notice must be posted in a clearly labeled GroupMe, Yahoo, email, or bylaws-app update that states the effective date, deadline, and affected rule or setting.
  • Ordinary chat is evidence of intent, but it is not policy unless attached to a vote, written ruling, or rule update.
  • No rule change applies retroactively unless every affected manager consents or the change corrects a verified platform or clerical error.

Historical reason

Several historical disputes became harder because managers disagreed over whether chat, old handbooks, polls, or commissioner comments controlled.

Commissioner discretion vs voted rules2023 handbook quorum2024 handbook governance
2

Rosters, Lineups, And Pitching Minimums

Separates Yahoo's 18 IP scoring minimum from the league's full-roster conduct expectations.

House rule

Rules

  • Managers must make a good-faith effort to field a complete and legal weekly roster.
  • All managers, including eliminated or non-contending managers until Yahoo locks them, must avoid roster conduct that intentionally distorts standings, playoff races, payouts, or opponent outcomes.
  • Yahoo's 18-inning minimum controls automated scoring consequences.
  • The full pitching roster conduct rule is separate from the 18 IP minimum.
  • Intentional failure to field a good-faith pitching roster defaults to forfeiture of affected pitching categories after review.
  • No penalty applies for injuries, postponements, rainouts, openers, late scratches, MLB role changes, or Yahoo processing problems outside manager control.

Historical reason

The league repeatedly disputed whether the issue was innings, full roster effort, intent, or commissioner discretion.

2021 low-IP strategy2023 Toth-Craig pitching limit2025 full pitching roster forfeiture
3

Draft Rules

Locks the offline redraft process, draft-pick trade ban, and device rules before draft week.

House rule

Rules

  • The 2026 draft is an offline draft on Sunday, March 22, 2026 at 10:05am CDT.
  • The 2026 season is a redraft season.
  • Keeper rules are inactive for 2026 because Yahoo keeper setup did not work.
  • Draft pick trades are not allowed for 2026.
  • Draft order must be generated by the announced method, timestamped, and preserved before the draft starts.
  • Draft order becomes final when the first pick is made unless every manager agrees to restart before the second pick.
  • Post-draft schedule, opponent, division, or matchup changes are not allowed unless they correct a verified Yahoo or clerical setup error before Week 1 and are approved by the league council.
  • Phones, laptops, tablets, dedicated draft software, automated draft optimizers, draft sheets, research tools, and ordinary draft-prep tools are allowed during the live offline draft unless a restriction is voted on and approved before draft day.
  • Remote or proxy drafting must be approved before the draft starts, with recorded proxy instructions before each proxy pick.

Historical reason

Keeper counts, draft-pick trades, draft order timing, device expectations, proxy support, and remote drafting have all caused confusion. For 2026, the keeper question is closed because Yahoo keepers did not work.

Yahoo keeper setup failed2018 draft order trades barred2024 laptops allowed2026 remote draft support
4

Transactions And Waivers

Uses Yahoo's rolling waivers, 2-day waiver time, 6 weekly acquisitions, and Yahoo can't-cut list as the baseline.

Yahoo enforced

Rules

  • Managers have no season-long acquisition maximum.
  • Managers may make up to 6 acquisitions per week.
  • Waiver time is 2 days and waiver priority is continual rolling list.
  • New players are available as soon as Yahoo adds them.
  • Yahoo's Can't Cut List controls automated restrictions.
  • No paid acquisition system, FAAB budget, or per-move fee is active unless adopted by vote and published in the treasury ledger before the season.
  • A manager disputing a waiver, add, drop, or can't-cut outcome must use the formal dispute process.

Historical reason

Waiver timing and can't-cut questions recur when managers believe Yahoo allowed or prevented something unexpected.

2019 waiver date concern2021 Acuna can't-cut question2023 FAAB rejected
5

Accidental Drops And Platform Errors

Creates a narrow reversal path for genuine mistakes without turning regret into a remedy.

House rule

Rules

  • An accidental drop can be reversed only if reported promptly, normally within 30 minutes.
  • The report must occur before the dropped player's next game begins unless extraordinary platform evidence exists.
  • The manager must provide credible evidence of accidental input, phone issue, platform glitch, or comparable error.
  • No reversal should harm another manager who reasonably relied on the waiver state unless league council approves a fair unwind.
  • Strategic regret is not reversible.

Historical reason

Rosario and Mason Miller outcomes show the league often wants to fix obvious mistakes, but fairness disputes return without precise timing and evidence standards.

2019 Eddie Rosario accidental drop2026 Mason Miller drop reversal2021 waiver glitch evidence
6

Trades

Defines finality, reversals, withdrawn offers, and collusion under a Yahoo Trade Review: None league.

House rule

Rules

  • Because Yahoo Trade Review is None, accepted trades are final once Yahoo processes them unless these bylaws allow reversal.
  • The 2026 season has no completed-trade season cap unless Yahoo settings are changed by valid vote.
  • The historical 7-to-9 outstanding-trade-offer vote applies only to simultaneous outstanding Yahoo trade offers if Yahoo supports and displays that setting; it does not create a completed-trade cap.
  • A processed trade may be reversed only for verified platform error, ineligible manager action, explicit collusion finding, mutual consent before games lock, or a documented withdrawal before acceptance.
  • A withdrawn-offer claim requires timestamped evidence.
  • Collusion requires evidence that managers coordinated to distort competition, evade rules, transfer value for non-league reasons, or benefit a third party improperly.
  • Side agreements tied to trades are void, including cash, future favors, conditional assets, player loans, draft order, keeper rights, off-platform compensation, or promises not visible in the Yahoo trade.
  • Trade appeals must be filed within 24 hours of the Yahoo notice or before any involved player's next game begins, whichever comes first.

Historical reason

Prior trade fights turned on timing, withdrawn offers, arbiter conflicts, review windows, punishment eligibility, and collusion accusations.

2020 draft-pick trades reversed2023 Toth-Bere trade arbitration2026 Judge-Wood collusion allegation
7

Playoffs And Standings

Uses Yahoo's 4-team playoff format, division-winner seeding, and higher-seed tie-breaker.

Yahoo enforced

Rules

  • Four teams make the playoffs in Weeks 24 and 25.
  • The playoffs end Sunday, September 20, 2026.
  • Division winners receive top playoff seeds.
  • Higher seed wins playoff ties.
  • No playoff reseeding is used.
  • Eliminated teams are locked by Yahoo.
  • If Yahoo has not yet locked an eliminated team, that team remains bound by good-faith lineup, trade, waiver, and anti-collusion rules.
  • An eliminated or non-contending team may not make a trade, strategic drop, or coordinated roster action primarily to influence another team's playoff race or payout position.

Historical reason

Standings and matchup disputes become harder when playoff mechanics and eliminated-team authority are not treated as Yahoo-controlled baseline rules.

2019 Craig missed playoffs by tiny margin2026 post-draft opponent switch
8

Money, Dues, And Payouts

The Yahoo league is not a cash league, so side money requires a separate treasury ledger and an activated payout table.

Needs vote

Rules

  • No side buy-in, payout, fine, prize, punishment payment, or standings-money schedule is enforceable unless published in the treasury ledger before the first affected scoring period.
  • If side money is active and the historical standings-money table is adopted, regular-season finish determines the amount owed to the league champion: 1st $0, 2nd $25, 3rd $50, 4th $75, 5th $100, 6th $100, 7th $125, 8th $150, 9th $175, 10th $200.
  • The standings-money table is inactive for any season where the treasury ledger does not confirm side money, source vote, payment deadline, and responsible payers.
  • The treasury ledger must list buy-in, payment deadline, payout schedule, standings money, champion offsets, fines, paid dates, amounts owed, and source vote.
  • If handbook text, chat, and poll results conflict, the treasury ledger controls only if it cites a valid source.
  • No payout rule may change after the season starts unless every affected manager consents.
  • If a manager misses a published payment deadline, the commissioner must issue written notice and a 72-hour cure period before any penalty is applied.
  • Late fees, daily fines, payout holds, future-entry restrictions, or loss of prize eligibility are enforceable only if the treasury ledger adopted them before the missed deadline.
  • No manager may offer or accept side money, payment, discount, or non-league consideration to influence trades, waiver moves, lineup decisions, votes, punishment outcomes, or owner replacement.

Historical reason

Historical payout disputes came from mismatches between polls, handbook amounts, champion offsets, and what managers believed they were owed.

2023 standings-money schedule2024 standings payout reconfirmed2024 payout ladder conflict2024 Brad payout dispute
9

Commissioner And League Council

Keeps commissioner authority useful but bounded, especially when the commissioner is involved in a dispute.

House rule

Rules

  • The commissioner administers Yahoo settings, records votes, publishes rule updates, resolves routine questions, and preserves league records.
  • The commissioner may not create retroactive rules, change payout obligations, alter matchup outcomes, appoint permanent replacement managers, reverse trades, or impose major penalties unless authorized by the bylaws.
  • The commissioner may not silently change Yahoo settings, divisions, schedule, playoff structure, draft order, transaction limits, or payout records after they are published.
  • The commissioner must recuse from disputes involving the commissioner's own roster, trade, payout, matchup, penalty, or owner status.
  • The league should maintain a three-manager league council before Opening Day.
  • Emergency commissioner action may preserve the status quo, but emergency action is not a final ruling.

Historical reason

Many disputes were less about the rule itself and more about who had authority to decide it.

Commissioner discretion vs voted rules2023 commissioner statement2026 midseason owner replacement authority
10

Voting And Rule Changes

Makes poll wording, quorum, threshold, effective date, and implementation status mandatory.

House rule

Rules

  • Every formal poll must state exact proposal text, eligible voters, deadline, quorum, pass threshold, effective date, and whether Yahoo settings must change.
  • Quorum is 7 submitted votes in a 10-team league unless a higher threshold applies.
  • Ordinary offseason rule changes pass if quorum is met and yes votes exceed no votes.
  • Major changes require at least 6 yes votes.
  • Midseason competitive-balance changes apply prospectively and require unanimous consent of non-abstaining managers or deferral to the offseason.
  • After any vote requiring a Yahoo settings change, the commissioner must publish implementation proof, such as the updated setting value or screenshot.
  • If a passed settings change is not implemented before the first affected scoring period, the existing Yahoo setting controls until the change is implemented prospectively or unanimously backdated by affected managers.
  • After a vote closes, the commissioner must publish wording, tally, non-votes, effective date, and implementation status.

Historical reason

Clear votes usually ended disputes. Vague polls created new fights about scope, quorum, timing, or whether anything actually changed.

2023 innings minimum reduction rejected2025 full pitching roster forfeiture2025 outstanding trade limit
11

Disputes, Evidence, And Appeals

Creates one formal path for claims, evidence, emergency freezes, rulings, and appeals.

House rule

Rules

  • A formal dispute begins only when a manager submits the claim, cited rule, requested remedy, timestamped evidence, affected managers, and emergency request if any.
  • Useful evidence includes Yahoo logs, roster screenshots, matchup screenshots, poll results, message IDs, timestamps, handbook sections, and commissioner notices.
  • Screenshots or media evidence should include enough surrounding context to identify the date, platform, affected team, player, transaction, or matchup.
  • Media, PDFs, and screenshots used as evidence should be preserved in the archive or linked from a stable message ID whenever possible.
  • Cropped screenshots, jokes, vibes, writing-style claims, and unsupported recollections may support investigation but are not enough by themselves for sanctions or reversals.
  • Unless a specific rule says otherwise, disputes must be filed within 24 hours of discovery and before fair unwind becomes impossible.
  • Initial rulings must state facts found, rule applied, remedy or denial, precedent status, and appeal deadline.
  • Appeals must identify the factual or rule error being challenged.

Historical reason

The archive contains many screenshots and message fragments, but final clarity drops when the claim, rule, remedy, and ruling are scattered across chat.

media evidence index2023 commissioner statement affects precedent2024 payout ladder conflict
12

Conduct, Integrity, And Technology

Defines good-faith competition, collusion, outside tools, and evidence standards.

House rule

Rules

  • Managers must compete in good faith and manage their own teams.
  • Managers may not coordinate rosters, trades, waivers, starts, sits, or payments to benefit a team improperly or harm another team outside normal competition.
  • Managers may not use side payments, discounts, favors, shared assets, external bets, or off-platform conditions to influence any league action.
  • Public baseball information, news, projections, machine-learning models, AI tools, and personal notes are allowed unless a specific draft or technology rule is voted on and adopted to prohibit a use.
  • Accusations based on screenshots, writing style, jokes, or unsupported recollections require actual evidence before sanctions are discussed.

Historical reason

The record mixes draft-device expectations, phones, proxy rankings, remote support, AI and machine-learning allegations, and broader accusations that lacked clear evidence standards.

2024 laptops allowed2026 remote draft supportAI/ML governance gapmedia evidence index
13

Owner Replacement And Abandoned Teams

Defines resignation, abandonment, caretaker authority, replacement approval, and return rights.

House rule

Rules

  • A manager resigns only by clear written statement or conduct the commissioner and league council determine is abandonment.
  • A co-manager, assistant, shared-login user, or proxy manager may act only if the primary manager gives written notice and the commissioner records the person's authority before action is taken.
  • Each team has one vote; a co-manager or proxy may vote only with recorded authorization from the primary manager.
  • The primary manager is responsible for all authorized co-manager, proxy, and shared-access actions.
  • The commissioner may appoint a temporary caretaker only to preserve roster legality and competitive integrity.
  • A caretaker may not make discretionary trades or strategic drops unless league council approves.
  • A permanent midseason replacement requires commissioner notice and league council confirmation.
  • A returning manager requires league council approval and must not unfairly affect competition or payouts.

Historical reason

Midseason owner replacement and resignation disputes become governance fights when no process exists before someone quits or returns.

2026 midseason owner replacement authority2026 mid-season manager authority
14

Records And Annual Review

Turns rulings and disputes into a durable archive so the same fights do not recur.

House rule

Rules

  • The commissioner should preserve the current bylaws, rule ledger, vote ledger, treasury ledger, dispute rulings, draft packet, and Yahoo settings snapshot.
  • Before Opening Day, the commissioner should publish a preseason lock packet containing the final Yahoo settings snapshot, schedule/divisions, draft order proof, treasury ledger status, league council, approved co-managers, and unresolved clarifications.
  • After each season, every dispute should be classified as rule change needed, precedent recorded, no action, or archive only.
  • Before the next draft, the commissioner should publish updated Yahoo settings, proposed rule changes, open ambiguities, and the final bylaws.

Historical reason

The same themes recur across years because resolved cases were not always converted into clean future-facing rules.

bylaws evolutioncontroversy indexpoll index

Payout Structure

The historical standings-money table is shown here so payout obligations are not buried in old polls or chat. It still needs treasury-ledger activation for any season with side money.

Needs 2026 activation

Regular-Season Finish Amount Owed To Champion

Finish Amount owed
1st $0
2nd $25
3rd $50
4th $75
5th $100
6th $100
7th $125
8th $150
9th $175
10th $200

Yahoo Settings Snapshot

These are platform settings from the 2026 league configuration. They are treated as the automated game baseline.

League Identity

League ID 7181
League Name The Field
Auto-renew Enabled Yes
Custom League URL https://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/the_field
Cash League Settings Not a cash league
Max Teams 10
Invite Permissions Commissioner Only
Make League Publicly Viewable No

Scoring And Schedule

Scoring Type Head-to-Head - Categories
Player Universe All baseball
Start Scoring On Week 1
Weekly Deadline Weekly on Monday
Min Innings Pitched Per Team Per Week 18
Playoffs 4 teams - Weeks 24 and 25, ending Sunday Sep 20
Playoff Tie-Breaker Higher seed wins
Playoff Reseeding No
Divisions Yes, 2 divisions
Playoff Seeding Division winners awarded top playoff seeds
Lock Eliminated Teams Yes

Draft

Draft Type Offline Draft
Draft Time Sun Mar 22 10:05am CDT
Keeper Status Inactive; 2026 is a redraft season because Yahoo keepers did not work
Allow Draft Pick Trades No
Post Draft Players Free Agents

Transactions

Max Acquisitions for Entire Season No maximum
Max Acquisitions per Week 6
Max Trades for Entire Season No maximum
Trade End Date August 6, 2026
Trade Review None
Waiver Time 2 days
Waiver Type Continual rolling list
Waiver Mode Standard
New Players Become Available As soon as Yahoo adds them
Add injured players directly to injury slot No
Can't Cut List Provider Yahoo Sports

Roster And Categories

Roster Positions C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, OF, OF, OF, Util, Util, SP, SP, RP, RP, P, P, P, P, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, IL, IL
Batters R, HR, RBI, SB, OBP, SLG
Pitchers W, SV, HR allowed, K, ERA, WHIP
Lock Benched Players No

Adoption Queue

These are the items the league should explicitly approve so the bylaws become enforceable instead of just nicely written.

Ratify the house-rule authority structure

Without it, old chat and handbook fragments keep competing with current written rules.

Majority with quorum

Elect or confirm a three-manager league council

The council is needed for recusal, trade appeals, owner replacement, and payout disputes.

Majority with quorum

Publish a treasury ledger if any side money exists

Yahoo says not a cash league, so the standings-money payout table needs an external ledger and source vote before it is active.

At least 6 yes votes for payout schedules

Publish the preseason lock packet

The packet locks Yahoo settings, schedule/divisions, draft order proof, council, treasury status, co-manager authority, and unresolved clarifications before disputes start.

Commissioner notice with council review

Publish draft-room device default before draft day

The offline draft packet should clearly state that phones, laptops, tablets, dedicated draft software, automated optimizers, and proxy support are allowed unless a restriction is voted on and approved before draft day.

League vote required for any restriction; commissioner notice for proxy procedure

Evidence Context

The app includes copied archive pages and contact sheets so the bylaws can link back to the findings that motivated them.

Priority evidence contact sheet
Priority local evidence: trade disputes, settings, commissioner statements, roster and payout screenshots.
External evidence contact sheet
External evidence: older rules, roster, waiver, standings, and matchup screenshots pulled from shared links.