Quote from nershabainco (Commish)(MLM-Jays) on February 27, 2026, 8:47 pm

Original:

Rule 5 Draft rules / things to consider:

7.1- You must have and pay 50% of League minimum Salary ($337,500 in 2050) per pick for every Rule 5 selection you make. This Fee comes from your available "MONEY FOR FREE AGENTS"
For example if you wanted to pick 5 guys would need $1,687,500 in Team cash for the 2047 Rule 5 draft.

7.1A- On the Day of The Rule 5 Draft the League collects the Fee from the claiming team and holds the Cash Fee until April 1st.

7.1B- If the claiming team returns the player on or before March 31st (before the contract becomes a major league contract) they will receive a full refund IF accepted back to the original team. The original team must choose whether to “accept” or “reject” the return of a rule 5 player. This must be posted like a trade just like returning a Rule 5 pick.

7.1C- If the Original team “rejects” a rule 5 player being returned, The original team will still receive the Payment Fee from the claiming team, however, the claiming team will have all Rule 5 restrictions removed from the claimed player they attempted to return to the original team.

7.1D- The original team receives a Payment for lost Rule 5 and “rejected” players on April 1st.
This money will be traded to the team you take the player from.

7.2- If you select a player that player must stay on your active 26-man roster for the entire season or the player will be returned to the team you selected him from.

7.3- Teams may trade a player selected in the Rule 5 Draft, but the same rules regarding roster placement apply to the player's new team. The player must stay on the active 26-man roster or the player will be returned to the team he was selected from.

7.4- Service year calculation errors: Occasionally the service time calculation in-game is incorrect. This can cause players who should not be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft to be eligible. The commissioners will search for and correct as many of these errors as they can.

However, it is each manager's responsibility to find service time errors in their organization.

If a service time error is not found before the Rule 5 Draft and the player in question is drafted, the player *will not be moved back* to the team he was drafted from.

7.5- The Rule V pool is not yet final during the sim in which it first appears. Teams still have time to protect players on this next export after the pool is revealed. As a result of this, some players you try to select may not even be there when I run the rule 5 sim. A good example of this is the 3 latest Free Agents who just signed: These guys are currently DFA'd because their GMs have not yet had a chance to place them on the active or 40-man roster and are therefore currently listed as eligible, Do not expect the pool to be exactly the same when selections start being made. Any player who has just signed as a free agent and is DFA will not have claims accepted.

7.6- If you do not have the available "MONEY FOR FREE AGENTS" to make a selection and you make a selection the player will be returned and you will be put 50% of the League minimum Salary ($337,500 in 2050) into the negative!

7.7 - IF you claim a player via the rule 5 draft and decide to demote or release the player ( Return the player to the team you claimed him from ) you must notify that team immediately and then post the transaction in the accepted trade thread as a trade to be processed by the commissioner. DO NOT RELEASE THE PLAYER. This will give the original team a chance to open a spot on the 40-man roster or accept the player back into their organization via DFA. If you release the player the original team has a full 40-man roster the player will end up in free agency and that just isn't fair. Failure to post a returned player as a trade will result in a $675,000 fine and you will surrender your 18th OR lowest draft pick to the original team.. If you notice that a player who was claimed from you is in the FA pool notify a commish and it will be corrected (the player will now be on a Major League contract and require a 40-man roster spot)

7.8 - Cash trades can be processed before the Rule 5 sim to accommodate claims.

NEW:

7.1 – MLM Rule 5 Draft Rules:
- Each Rule 5 selection costs $675,000.
- Selecting team is charged $675,000 to next year’s Misc. Player Expenses per pick.
- The team losing the player receives $675,000 cash immediately per pick.

7.2 – Returning a Rule 5 Player:
- All returns must be posted and processed as a trade with 50% salary retained.
- Do NOT release the player or return him in-game.
- This prevents the original team from absorbing a full MLB contract mid-season (salary cap implications).
- Original team still nets a financial gain after payment and retention.
Penalty:
- If a Rule 5 player is released or returned in-game, the player will be traded back to the selecting team, then properly returned to the original team with 100% salary retained, plus a $500,000 fine to next year’s Misc. Player Expenses.

7.3 – Roster Requirement:
- A selected player must remain on the active 26-man roster for the entire season or be returned.

7.4 – Trading Rule 5 Players:
- Rule 5 players may be traded.
- The 26-man roster requirement remains in effect for the acquiring team.

7.5 – Service Time Errors:
- Commissioners will attempt to correct service time errors.
- Managers are responsible for identifying errors within their own organization.
- If an error is not corrected before the draft and the player is selected, the selection stands.

7.6 – Final Draft Pool:
- The Rule 5 pool is not final when first revealed.
- Teams may still protect players on the following export.
- Some listed players may not be available at draft time.
- Newly signed free agents who are DFA at the time of the pool reveal are not eligible for selection.

Notes:
- This system is simpler.
- All teams can participate (no upfront FA cash requirement).
- Administered once.
- Losing a player always results in a net financial gain.