Baseball Replay Association 2025 Rules
OFFICERS---The President (aka El Presidente) is responsible for coordinating all league activities, granting and revoking franchises, resolving disputes and conducting all business in the best interest of the league. The league also has a Vice President and a Board of Directors. The Vice President and Board of Directors assist the President in all league matters as requested / required.
DUES--- No dues.
LEAGUE STRUCTURE---The BRA will operate an American and National League, each with three divisions of four teams each. The schedule will be 160 games with 20 interleague games played in July.
ANNUAL BRAFT---By December 31, 2025, the top eight teams (based on previous BRA season home record) will each protect 15 players; the middle eight teams will protect 16 players; and the bottom eight teams will protect 17 players. Final standing ties will be broken using best road record for priority placing. Protected players can be from the team’s BRA roster, rookies from your MLB team or injured (non DMB rated) players who did not play in that season’s MLB. Next year's annual BRAft will start on January 10, 2026 with rounds 1 and 2 (at least) being conducted sequentially via email. The BRAft order for all rounds will be the reverse of the previous year’s total won-lost record. The 8 playoff teams from the previous BRA season will occupy the last 8 slots in the BRAft according to W-L percentage and playoff finish (BRA champion will be 24th.) Starting with round three (or later), 19 players will be selected each day. Managers must submit their daily lists or they will be bypassed for that day and will be penalized by their missed pick being moved to #20 for the next day.
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TEAM ROSTERS---All teams will have 37 players at the end of the BRAft with enough at bats (5500+), GS (160) and IP (1450+) to play the season. It is recommended that each team have at least 750 plate appearances at each position including the DH. One “throw back” round will be held at the end of the June, July, August and September playing month. Any player, whether used up or not, can be replaced in a draft based on the current W-L percentage. A thrown back player cannot be selected in subsequent throwback rounds and becomes a free agent. Selected players can be used for just the remaining games of the regular season and then become free agents. These players cannot be used in the playoffs or be protected on a roster for the following season. Teams are limited to 27 active players per SERIES except for the October playing schedule when the entire 37-man roster is active. Players are limited to positions that they carry DMB ratings. Players rated in CF may play any outfield position while corner outfielders can play only LF or RF. Because of uneven trades, some BRA teams may exceed the 37-player limit but a team who trades itself below the 37 player threshold will not be able to draft additional players to reach the 37 man limit.
DEBUT PLAYERS--- These are listed by DMB as first year players. BRA teams have the rights to any DEBUT PLAYER associated with their MLB franchise. These players can only be kept on a BRA roster by using one of the 15-16-17 pre-draft roster slots. EXCEPTION- DEBUT PLAYER batters with less than 50 at bats and DEBUT PLAYER pitchers with less than 30 IP can be protected and will NOT count against your protected limit of 15, 16, or 17 players but do count against the team’s 37-man roster limit. They are not eligible for the BRA playoffs and cannot be traded. Only players identified by DMB as first year players are eligible for this rule.
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A player can only be a franchise rookie {debut player} ONCE. If they are not protected and go into BRAft and are not drafted by any team, they will become free agents in the following year's BRAft no matter how many at bat or innings pitched. They do not retain their franchise rookie (debut player) status with their BRA affiliate.
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TRADING---Allowed between end of the season (when your team has reported its final home series) and Christmas Eve at 11:59 p.m.; then again at the beginning of the BRAft until Feb. 25 at 0001 PST. No trades are allowed during the playing season. Each manager must email El Presidente for the trade to be valid. Trades may be uneven and contain BRAft picks for the next season only. Any premature trades before season games are completed may incur a BRAft penalty.
PLAYING RULES---Current rules will be used with no pitching warm up. For the 2024 season the 3 batter minimum for pitchers and the extra inning runner on 2nd base rules will be used. Manager profiles will be used to manage visiting teams unless games are played face-to-face or by internet play. The DH will be used in all games. You must play scheduled games (never exhibition). DMB-12b player limit settings within the game will not be used for BRA 2024.
INJURIES--- Injuries will be set to “actual” and will be in effect ONLY for the series in which the injuries occurred. All teams must have at least two players rated at each position for each series. All players should be rested between series. Injuries will be disabled for October and all playoff games. A defined full-time player can still be injured in a BRA series.
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RESTING PLAYERS---Home managers must reset player usage (injuries) before playing each home series.
(Tools / Reset Player Usage / reset usage and reset injuries)
FULL SEASON MLB INJURY OR NON PARTICIPATION—When a BRA roster player misses an entire MLB season due to injury or non-MLB performance, he must be protected by his BRA ownership via the 15-16-17 route, or he will be treated as a free agent in the following year’s BRAft. He would not be a rookie player to a gaining BRA franchise.
BRA ERA SETTINGS---To be computed by EP based on the average of the MLB eras for that season. The correct era will be included on the official BRA disks sent out at the season’s start and every month thereafter.
CONTINGENCY PLAYING RULES---When a visiting manager doesn’t contact his road opponent before the 6th of the month, the home manager is empowered to play the series using the month disk’s MP. When you can’t play a home series, we expect you to contact the visiting manager or EP for help and advice.
BATTER LIMITS--- All batters are limited to 100% of their MLB plate appearance totals unless they total more than 599 plate appearances in real life which makes that player a full timer. The plate appearance log is contained within the DMB game at reports/team roster/ team status.
PITCHER LIMITS--- Starters must be rated as starters and can only start their number of actual MLB starts no matter what their ERA is. Starters must have at least three days rest. The BRA recommends a 5-man pitching rotation. Relievers can work their number of MLB innings pitched. An S/R pitcher is limited to both his GS and IP. Starters must have a relief rating to be used in relief. The only exception is when the computer manager inserts a starter in relief. This situation should be reported to EP to avoid being assessed a penalty for player misuse. Starters who will not start in a playoff series are able to pitch 7 innings in that series.
OVERUSE OF PLAYERS---Each manager is responsible for the management of his/her player resources. Exceeding GS, IP or plate appearance limits will incur an appropriate penalty as determined by the Executive Board. Significant overuse will result in the loss of a protected slot, or BRAft pick or reduction of playing time for the offending player in playoff series. EP assigns penalties based on a matrix which categorizes excesses as fractional to excess. Total penalty points will determine a manager’s loss of player participation and/or a BRAft penalty.
STOLEN BASE ATTEMPTS---Each player is limited to no more than 125% of his MLB attempts. Excesses will be reported to the Executive Board for action.
PLAYOFF SERIES---All series will be scheduled for seven games played in the classic 1-2; 3-4-5; 6-7 format. The wild card team will play the divisional champion outside its own division that had the better record, with the remaining two teams playing each other. Team with the best seasonal home record will have the home field advantage. Wild card teams will always start a series as the visiting team. 27-man rosters for each series. Players must have 51 at bats or more / 30.1 IP or more to be eligible for the playoffs. Batter limitations (in plate appearances) are: 99-5; 199-10; 299-15; 399-23; 499-29; 599-35 and 600+ batters are unlimited. Pitchers must have at least 12 MLB starts to get one start in a playoff series. A pitcher must have 24 MLB starts or more to be able to start twice in a BRA 7-game series. Relievers are limited to 7 IP per series. Starters who will not start in a playoff series are able to pitch 7 innings in that series.
DIVISION PLAYOFFS--- For regular season ties, the tie breaker series will be 3 games; one played by each manager and the decider played by EP. Or all three games may be played face-to-face or by internet connection. Three different starters and relievers limited to 3 IP. At bats limits are: 99-3, 199-5, 299-7, 399-10, 499-13, 599-16. This format will also be used when two teams tie for the wild card berth.
PROTESTS---If a protest is deemed necessary, forward your written protest to EP and to the offending manager ASAP (no later than the 25th of the playing month. Playing your home games carefully will eliminate protests.
DON’T BE LATE---All series files must be in the hands of the Statistician by the 22nd of the playing month. Non reported games or files that can’t be imported by El Presidente will be played automatically on the 23rd of the month.
BE FAIR!---That’s the most important rule of the BRA. We are attempting to simulate the Major League Baseball general manager and field manager experience. Our membership has been carefully chosen and we expect all managers to be complete and timely in all league dealings.
