2024 CBSSports.com Free Fantasy Baseball Challenge Rules

THIS PROMOTION MAY NOT BE USED TO CONDUCT, ADVERTISE OR PROMOTE ANY FORM OF GAMBLING. THIS CHALLENGE IS OPEN TO PERSONS WHO ARE: (A) REGISTERED USERS; (B) LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES (FOR PURPOSES OF CLARITY, PUERTO RICO AND ALL US TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS ARE EXPRESSLY EXCLUDED); (C) AT LEAST TWENTY-ONE (21) YEARS OLD OR OLDER AT THE DATE OF REGISTRATION IN THE CHALLENGE. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. MSG AND DATA RATES MAY APPLY.

1. Introduction2024 CBSSports.com Free Fantasy Baseball
The Commissioner
2. LeaguesSigning Up
Eligibility
Scoring Systems and Player Pool
Private or Public Leagues
Winners Leagues
League Joining Deadline
3. DraftTwo Ways to Draft
Live Draft Instructions
Automated Draft Instructions
4. TeamsOverview
Roster Restrictions — Rotisserie Leagues
Roster Restrictions — Head to Head Leagues
Position Eligibility
5. ScoringOverview
Rotisserie Scoring Systems
Weekly Head-to-Head Scoring System
Statistics Corrections
6. Schedule & Playoffs
(head-to-head leagues only)
Regular Season
Playoffs
7. Lineup ChangesWeekly Lineups
Weekly Lineup Setting Deadline
8. Adding and Dropping PlayersOverview
Free Agents
Waivers
Waiver Rank
Undroppable Players
9. TradesTrade Approvals
Multi-Player Trades
Trade Deadline
10. SportsmanshipGeneral Sportsmanship
Multiple Teams
Collusion
Inappropriate League Communication
11. Legal DisclaimersGeneral Conditions
Internet
Sponsor/Administrator's Mailing Address


IMPORTANT NOTICE: THIS CHALLENGE IS SUBJECT TO BINDING ARBITRATION AND A WAIVER OF CLASS ACTION RIGHTS AS DETAILED BELOW.

1. Introduction

2024 CBSSports.com Fantasy Baseball
Welcome to the 2024 CBSSports.com Free Fantasy Baseball Challenge (the "Challenge"), where you can start your own ten (10) team Fantasy Baseball league (each a, "League" collectively the, "Leagues"), or join an existing League. You can play in a Rotisserie or Head to Head League. No matter what your skill level, you will find that there are a variety of Leagues from which you may choose to participate. Most Leagues include one sentence describing the type of player the League is looking to recruit (e.g., "experts," "beginners," "Mets fans," etc.) so you should have no trouble finding the right League for you. The rules for this Challenge are explained fully in this document. If you'd rather make your own rules than play by ours, check out CBSSports.com' Baseball Commissioner service. Now, get ready to play ball!

If you are a wireless service subscriber and have a smart phone, tablet or wireless device that allows you to access this Challenge, you may enter this Challenge via any of those devices during the Challenge Period (as defined below). You may be charged data rates according to the Terms and Conditions of your Service Agreement with your wireless carrier.

The Commissioner
The Commissioner of a League is responsible for coordinating and managing the League. CBS Interactive Inc. ("CBSI") will serve as the Commissioner for all Challenge Leagues and will be solely responsible for resolving any disputes that arise regarding unbalanced trades, alleged rules violations or anything else. Due to any unforeseen circumstances, including, without limitation, any game(s) cancellation, the absence of game(s) statistics, a pandemic (e.g. Covid-19) and/or any other circumstances, CBSI may in its sole discretion make material changes to this Challenge, including, without limitation, canceling the Challenge and/or concluding the Challenge early. If such changes are necessary, they will be noted in these Official Rules and/or your league homepage.

2. Leagues

Signing Up
You may sign up to participate in the Challenge, during the Challenge Period, actual Playing Period begins after the start of the MLB season; however, the deadline to sign up for the Challenge will be no later than 11:59:59 PM ET on July 9, 2024 (the "Signup Deadline"). "Challenge Period" means the period of time between January 16 and September 29, 2024. "Playing Period" means the period of time commencing on March 28, 2024 and ending on September 29, 2024 and corresponds to the MLB regular season. The Challenge is FREE to play.

In the event of a change to the start or end date of the MLB regular season, the dates of the Playing Period may change to correspond to the MLB regular season at CBSI's sole and exclusive discretion.

NOTE: You may sign up, to play, up to five (5) times (to avoid confusion you can create up to five (5) teams to play) during the Challenge period. If you create multiple teams, each team must be in a different League. Limit of 5 entries per person for the duration of the Challenge.

If you are not a Registered User of the CBSI website (as defined below), you will be prompted to register on the website prior to signing up for the Challenge. There is no cost associated with registering on the CBSI website. As previously noted, we will provide a list of available Leagues for you to choose from after you sign up. By registering and signing up to the Contest, all participants agree to comply with these Official Rules.

Eligibility
The Challenge is open to persons who are: (a) Registered Users; (b) legal residents of the United States (c) twenty-one (21) years of age or older, at the date of registration in the Challenge.

For purposes of these Official Rules, "Registered User" means a person who has successfully completed the registration form and has obtained a User Identification ("ID") and associated password ("Password") on one of the CBSI network of Websites which currently include the following: CBSSports.com and SportsLine.com (collectively, the "CBSI website"). If you are not a Registered User you may become a Registered User and obtain an ID and a Password by completing the CBSSports.com website registration form found here. There is no fee or charge for you to become a Registered User.

All Leagues are subject to the complete applicable Official Rules. Void where prohibited by law.

Employees of CBSI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. and each of their parent companies, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising, promotion and fulfillment agencies (collectively the "Challenge Entities") and members of the immediate family or household of each are not eligible to win. Immediate family member is defined as a parent, sibling or any person residing in the same household as an employee of the Challenge Entities.

3. Draft

Live Draft Instructions
You will acquire players for your team within a League through a draft. Leagues can draft players via one of two ways: a "Live Draft" or an "Automated Draft." During a Live Draft, all ten (10) League participants (the "managers") log in to an on-line 'draft room' at a scheduled time. Each manager, in draft order, has ninety (90) seconds to select an available MLB player for his or her team. This kind of draft is exciting but extremely fast-paced and recommended for experienced managers. See 'Live Draft Instructions' section below.

If you are a beginner or are unable to schedule a block of two (2) to four (4) hours for a live draft, you may prefer to participate in an Automated Draft League. At your convenience, you may simply arrange players, using the "Rank Lists" provided by CBSI, in the order that you'd like those players selected for your team. The Automated Draft is then processed using your lists. The highest-ranked player on your lists who is available, and fits the roster needs of your team, will be selected for you during each round of the automated draft. See 'Automated Draft Instructions' section below.

Scoring Systems and Player Pool
The Challenge allows you to choose one of four different scoring systems — three Rotisserie-style (a.k.a. "Roto") systems and one weekly Head-to-Head points-based system. More information can be found in the Scoring section below. You may also choose one of three different player pools: AL-only, NL-only, or AL/NL combined.

Please note, if you choose an AL-only or NL-only League and one of your players is traded out of the League you're using, that player is put in an "out of League" status. The player will continue to accumulate statistics for your team. However, once you drop that player, he will be removed from your League and will not show up on free agent reports. If you choose to trade that player within your League, he will still accumulate stats for the team he is traded to.

Private Leagues or Public Leagues
If you know all of the managers who are going to be in your League, or you want to recruit specific individuals and/or friends, you may want to join or create a "Private League". The person who creates a Private League sets a password and other managers use that password to join the league. However, please keep in mind that the creator of a League will not have the ability to control any other League functions. If you already know all of the managers in your League and want complete control of your League's rules, you should also check out the CBSI website Baseball Commissioner product, our powerful and fully-customizable stats service.

"Public Leagues" are open to all eligible participants. If you create or join a Public League, you will have no control over who joins the League. Be sure to read the description of the League you want to join to make sure it is suitable for you.

Winners Leagues
If you played a CBSI website League (excluding Commissioner Leagues) in a previous year and won your League, you may be eligible to play in an exclusive "Winners League". To create or join a Winners League, you must use the same CBSI website ID you used when you won your League.

League Joining Deadline
After you become a Registered User, you may sign up and join a League at any time up to the Signup Deadline date. All Leagues are required to have ten (10) managers. Opening day of the MLB regular season is set for March 28, 2024. In order for your League's fantasy season to start with opening day of the MLB season, you must be signed up and your draft started by 11:59 PM ET on March 27, 2024. For purposes of this Challenge, the MLB regular season games scheduled to be played in South Korea on March 20, 2024 and March 21, 2024 will not be included.

Live Draft Instructions
After you join or create a Live Draft League, you will have the opportunity to make changes to the CBSI website default Rank List, which is a list of all MLB players that are eligible to be drafted, ranked from best to worst by the CBSI website Fantasy experts.

It is recommended that you, prior to your draft, organize the Rank List according to your own player preferences. However, you are welcome to leave the Rank List in the order our experts have provided. During the live draft the CBSI website will use your Rank List as a backup in case your time limit expires before you make a pick (explained below).

On draft day, there will be a "Draft Room" button available on your League home page. This link may also available in the Draft Central page of your League. This link will allow entry into the draft room. During the Live Draft, each team will have ninety (90) seconds to select an MLB player. The order of the draft will be randomly generated between midnight and 6:00 AM ET either the day of, or the day before the draft, or for same day drafts once your League aggregates and no later than five (5) minutes prior to the draft date and time. If your League has the mandatory ten (10) managers as of approximately forty-eight (48) hours prior to your scheduled draft date, the League will aggregate and generate a draft order. If not, your League will receive an e-mail explaining that you must have ten (10) managers as of five (5) minutes prior to your draft date and time. Within approximately twelve (12) to twenty-four (24) hours of your scheduled draft time, your League will be moved into the same day draft option to help fill the league prior to the draft time. If your League does not have ten (10) team managers as of five (5) minutes prior to the draft date and time, your League will be disbanded, and each manager will have to join or create another League.

In the draft room, you will be able to place MLB players into a Draft Queue — which is simply a list of players, in order of priority, that you are interested in taking with your next draft pick. When it is your turn to pick, you will have ninety (90) seconds to draft a player. If the ninety (90) seconds pass and you have not manually selected a player, the player ranked highest in your Draft Queue will be automatically drafted. If the Draft Queue is empty, a pick will then be made from your Rank List. In such a case, the highest rated player from the Rank List will be drafted unless that position is filled — in which case the next best available option, at the next highest Ranked position list, will be drafted. The draft order will "snake" at the end of each round, meaning that the team with the last pick in the current round will have the first pick in the next round.

Waiver priority immediately after the draft will be the reverse order of the first round of the draft. So, Team #10 will have the highest waiver priority and Team #1 the lowest waiver priority.

You'll find more help with the live draft in the Help Center, links to the Help Center may be found inside your League pages after signup.

Automated Draft Instructions
Due to the designated hitter ("DH") not being a required position in Automated Drafts, all players listed as DH will be included within the first base ("1B") position for player ranking purposes ONLY.

These players are NOT eligible to start at 1B until they reach the required five (5) games played at that position during this year's MLB season. Until they reach that eligibility, they can only be used at the U ("Utility") position within your League.

As with a Live Draft, after creating or joining an Automated Draft League, you will have the opportunity to rank all the eligible MLB players.

As in the Live Draft, you are not required to make changes to our rank lists; if you choose not to, our default lists, which reflect the rankings of our Fantasy experts, will be used. However, if you decide to organize the lists yourself, you will have up to twenty-four (24) hours prior to your draft day to do so. When there are twenty- four (24) hours left until your draft day, the Rank Lists will be closed and considered ready for the draft.

On the morning of the scheduled draft day, your League's draft order will be randomly generated and an Automated Draft will be conducted. Players will automatically be drafted for you using your personalized Rank Lists. If a personalized Rank List hasn't been created, players will automatically be drafted for you using the CBSI website default rankings. An e-mail will be sent to each manager after the draft has been completed.

Please refer to the table below for the full breakdown of the rounds of the draft. You'll see that the order staggers each round of the draft (team #1 has the first pick in round 1; team #4 has the first pick in round 2, etc.) so that each team will have the opportunity to draft 1st in a round at least once.

Draft Order for a 10-team League
Picks12345678910
Round 1Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10
Round 2Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3
Round 3Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6
Round 4Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9
Round 5Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2
Round 6Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5
Round 7Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8
Round 8Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1
Round 9Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4
Round 10Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7
Round 11Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10
Round 12Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3
Round 13Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6
Round 14Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9
Round 15Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2
Round 16Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5
Round 17Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8
Round 18Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1
Round 19Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4
Round 20Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7
Round 21Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10
Round 22Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3
Round 23Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6
Round 24Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9
Round 25Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2
Round 26Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5
Round 27Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8
Round 28Tm2Tm3Tm4Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1
Round 29Tm5Tm6Tm7Tm8Tm9Tm10Tm1Tm2Tm3Tm4
Waiver priority immediately after the draft will be the reverse order of the first round of the draft. So, team #10 will have the highest waiver priority and team #1 the lowest waiver priority.


4. Teams

Overview
The CBSI website offers two (2) League styles: Rotisserie and Head-to-Head. Each League will have a total of ten (10) teams. Each Head-to-Head style League will be randomly divided into two (2) divisions of five (5) teams each. There are no divisions in Roto Leagues. Rosters in both styles of Leagues will be subject to certain restrictions.

Roster Restrictions — Rotisserie Leagues
During your League's Roto style draft, each manager will draft twenty-nine (29) MLB players. Team's active lineup may be changed weekly. In Roto Leagues, each team may have up to twenty-nine (29) players in their roster, but no more than twenty-three (23) in the active lineup each week. Any player not in the active lineup may be put in reserve status, as long as the total number of players on the roster doesn't exceed twenty-nine (29).

All teams in Rotisserie Leagues must have a minimum of five (5) pitchers in the active lineup. This is the only minimum roster requirement. There are, however, maximums imposed for active rosters each week, as specified in the table below.

All teams will have an additional two (2) Injured ("IL") roster positions that they will be able to utilize through the course of the Challenge. In order to place a player in a designated IL roster spot, the player must have been officially placed on the IL by the applicable MLB team and CBSI been notified of such change. CBSI is not responsible for lack of notification from any such third party not communicating such change. Once a player is officially removed from the IL by the applicable MLB team and CBSI has been notified of such change, and the change is reflected within the product, that player must be removed from the IL spot on your roster the next time you make a lineup change.

Roster Restrictions - Rotisserie Leagues
PositionWeekly Lineup MaxDraft Maximum
Catcher (C)28
First Basemen (1B)17
Second Basemen (2B)17
Third Basemen (3B)17
Shortstops (SS)17
Outfielders (OF)511
Middle Infielder (MI)17
Corner Infielder (CI)17
Utility (U)17
Pitchers (P)915
All Positions23-
Note: Draft Maximum values only apply to Automated Drafts, not Live Drafts. In Live Drafts, you may draft any MLB player you like with each pick. Just make sure your lineup complies with the Roster Restrictions specified above before your fantasy season starts. Your team will not accumulate points for any period in which your lineup does not comply with these Official Rules.

Roster Restrictions — Head to Head Leagues
During your League's Head-to-Head style draft, each manager will draft twenty-one (21) MLB players. Team's active lineup may be changed weekly. In Head-to-Head Leagues, each team may have up to twenty-one (21) players in their roster, but no more than sixteen (16) in the active lineup each Weekly Scoring Period. Any player not in the active lineup may be put in reserve status, as long as the total number of players on the roster doesn't exceed twenty-one (21).

All teams will have an additional two (2) IL roster positions that they will be able to utilize through the course of the Challenge. In order to place a player in a designated IL roster spot, the player must have been officially placed on the injured list by his MLB team, and CBSI' third-party data provider must have provided CBSI with this designation. Once a player is removed from the injured list by his MLB team and CBSI' third-party data provider, and that change is reflected within the product, that player must be removed from the IL spot on your roster the next time you make a lineup change.

Roster Restrictions - Head to Head Leagues
PositionWeekly Lineup MaxDraft Maximum
Catcher (C)16
First Basemen (1B)16
Second Basemen (2B)16
Third Basemen (3B)16
Shortstops (SS)16
Outfielders (OF)38
Utility (U)16
Starting Pitchers (SP)510
Relief Pitchers (RP)27
All Positions16-
Note: Draft Maximum values only apply to Head-to-Head Automated Drafts, not Live Drafts. In Live Drafts, you may draft any player you like with each pick. Just make sure your lineup complies with the Roster Restrictions specified above before the applicable Weekly Scoring Period starts. Your team will not accumulate points for any Weekly Scoring Period in which your lineup does not comply with these Official Rules.

Position Eligibility
Each team has a Utility position, which is a "wildcard" spot where any player, except pitchers, can be placed at any time.

The Utility position is filled in the same manner for both Rotisserie and Head-to-Head style Leagues, although there are differences between Live Drafts and Automated Drafts. In Live Drafts, the first player drafted at a position other than pitcher that is already "filled" (in terms of the lineup maximums specified above) is placed at the one utility spot allowed for in Leagues. In AL-only or mixed Leagues, you can draft an available DH for an open Utility spot as well. In Head-to-Head Leagues, you can still draft a DH if your Utility position is filled and you have a reserve spot available.

In all Automated Drafts, once all batter positions are filled, the next best available batter is placed at the Utility position.

Once the draft is complete, you may select any player from the pool of Free Agents to use at the Utility position.

During the fantasy season, all MLB players will remain eligible at their initial (pre-season) designated primary position and will also be eligible at any position at which they played at least 20 games in 2023 or at least five (5) games in 2024. Also, be aware that a player's primary position may change at any time.

Due to the unique nature of the MLB players Shohei Ohtani and Brendan McKay, in AL-only and mixed Leagues, Ohtani and McKay will automatically receive a primary position of Designated Hitter (DH) however, they will also be eligible for the Starting Pitcher (SP) position at the beginning of the "Playing Period." Due to their DH eligibility, they will also be able to be slotted into the Utility (U) position. If Ohtani or McKay plays five games at any other position during the 2024 MLB season, they will gain eligibility at that position as well. During this 2024 MLB season and/or in subsequent seasons, the CBSI Fantasy team will evaluate the eligibility of Ohtani, McKay and any other players who in CBSI's judgment may be viable for fantasy Leagues as both hitters and pitchers. Decisions of the CBSI Fantasy team on these matters are final and binding in all respects.

5. Scoring

Overview
CBSI website offers four scoring systems to choose from. Three (3) of which are Rotisserie-style, where each team is ranked in a number of statistical categories and points are awarded based on a team's ranking in each category. The fourth (4th) scoring system is a weekly Head-to-Head points system, where the team earning the most points wins the week's matchup.

Rotisserie Scoring Systems
In a Rotisserie League, your team is awarded points according to its order of finish in each statistical category. Your team's point totals for each category are then added together for your team's overall score, and standings are based on these overall scores. The first-place team in a statistical category (e.g., Home Runs) gets 10 (ten) points, second-place 9 (nine) points, and so on with the last-place team in the category getting 1 (one) point. If two (2) teams are tied within a category, each team receives an average of the total points available; so for example if two (2) teams tie for first place in a category, each team gets nine and a half (9.5) points rather than ten (10) points usually to the first-place team and nine (9) points to the second-place team and so on. The tables below list the specific statistical categories for each of the Rotisserie scoring systems available.

Traditional Rotisserie
Batting CategoryPitching Category
Team Batting AverageTeam Earned Run Average
Runs Batted InWins
Home RunsSaves
Stolen BasesTeam WHIP [(walks+hits)/innings pitched]


5x5 Rotisserie
Batting CategoryPitching Category
Team Batting AverageTeam Earned Run Average
Runs Batted InWins
Home RunsSaves
Stolen BasesTeam WHIP [(walks+hits)/innings pitched]
RunsStrikeouts


Roto-Plus Rotisserie
Batting CategoryPitching Category
Team On-Base PercentageTeam Earned Run Average
Team Slugging PercentageWins
RunsSaves
Runs Batted InTeam WHIP
Rotisserie Notes:
  • Each team's pitching staff must accumulate at least nine hundred (900) innings pitched over the course of the season or it will be placed in last place in the team ERA and WHIP categories. Each team's batters must accumulate a total of at least three thousand nine hundred and fifty (3,950) at-bats or it will be placed in last place in Batting Average (or On-Base Percentage and Slugging Percentage in Roto-Plus Leagues).
  • There will be no tie-breaker to determine Rotisserie League champions.
  • Pitchers' hitting stats will not generate any hitting points, and batter's pitching stats will not generate pitching points.

    MLB Players Shohei Ohtani and Brendan McKay's point accrual as Pitcher, Hitter or Utility as applicable, will depend solely on which position group they are placed in your Active Lineup. If Ohtani or McKay is placed in a Pitcher position, he will ONLY receive points that he accrues as a Pitcher for that week. If Ohtani or McKay is placed in a Hitter position, he will ONLY receive points that he accrues as a batter for that week.

  • In the event that any regular MLB game(s) are cancelled, due to rain, act of God or for any other reason, and the make-up game is scheduled to be played after September 29, 2024, the statistics accumulated in such games will NOT be counted towards your team's overall Rotisserie score.
  • In the event that there are any MLB teams that end up in a tie at the end of the regular MLB season, wherefore a tie-breaker game(s) is needed to determine the MLB teams that will participate in the MLB Playoffs, and such tie-breaker game(s) is/are scheduled to be played after September 29, 2024, the statistics accumulated in such games will NOT be counted towards your team's overall Rotisserie score.

Note: Categories that are based on percentages (e.g., Batting Average, Earned Run Average, etc.) are determined by adding the individual numbers of every player on your team, and then computing the average. We do NOT compute a percentage for each individual player and then compute a team average. For example, if you have two (2) batters -- one goes 1-for-1 (1.000 BA) and the other 0-for-4 (.000 BA), then the team BA is .200 (1-for-5), NOT .500 (the average of 1.000 and .000.)

Weekly Head-to-Head Scoring System
The Challenge also offers a weekly Head-to-Head scoring option. During each week of the Playing Period, which runs Monday to Sunday (each, a "Weekly Scoring Period") (with the exception of week 1 which takes place from Thursday-Sunday), two (2) teams face each other in a Head-to-Head matchup. Each team earns points based on statistics accumulated by its players during the applicable Weekly Scoring Period. Point values are listed in the table below.

For each Head-to-Head style matchup, the team with the greater number of points during a Weekly Scoring Period will earn a Win and the team with the lesser number will earn a Loss. In the event of tie, the team with the better tiebreaker total will earn the win. The tiebreaker is computed as follows: (RBI + Runs)/2 — Pitching Runs Allowed. In the event that a tie remains, the win will be awarded to the home team. Standings are based on teams' Win/Loss records.

Head to Head Point Values
Batting CategoryPoint ValuePitching CategoryPoint Value
Single1 pointWin7 points
Double2 pointsSave7 points
Triple3 pointsQuality Start3 points
Home Run4 pointsStrikeout.5 points
RBI1 pointBase on Balls-1 point
Run1 pointInning Pitched3 points
Base on Balls1 pointHits Allowed-1 point
Stolen Base2 pointsEarned Runs-1 points
Strikeout-.5 pointHits Batsman-1 points
Caught Stealing-1 pointLoss-5 points
Hit by Pitch1 point 
Head-to-Head Notes:
  • A team's score is tabulated daily.
  • Pitchers' hitting stats will not generate any hitting points, and batter's pitching stats will not generate pitching points.

    MLB Player Shohei Ohtani point accrual as Pitcher, Hitter or Utility as applicable, will depend solely on which position group he is placed in your Active Lineup. If Ohtani is placed in a Pitcher position, he will ONLY receive points that he accrues as a Pitcher for that week. If Ohtani is placed in a Hitter position, he will ONLY receive points that he accrues as a batter for that Week.

  • A player will accumulate hitting stats whether or not he plays at the position designated by the Commissioner. (e.g., J.T. Realmuto is listed at C on a Fantasy team's roster and he plays 1B in a particular game. His hitting stats in that game will still count towards his Fantasy team's total points.)
  • Only official regular season MLB games will be used to determine Fantasy points. Minor league or exhibition stats generated by your players will not be used.
  • In the event that during the regular MLB season there are any cancelled MLB games, due to rain, act of God or for any other reason, and the make-up game is scheduled to be played after October 1, 2024, the statistics accumulated in such games will NOT be counted towards your team's Head-to-Head score.
  • In the event that there are any MLB teams that end up in a tie at the end of the regular MLB season, wherefore a tie-breaker game(s) is needed to determine the MLB teams that will participate in the MLB Playoffs, and such tie-breaker game(s) is/are scheduled to be played after October 1, 2024, the statistics accumulated in such games will NOT be counted towards your team's Head-to-Head score.


Statistics Corrections
Your League's pages will be updated to reflect official MLB statistics corrections that occur up to seven (7) days after the game has been completed. For example, for a Saturday game, the official scoring change would have to be made by the following Saturday to be included in our statistics. If the change is made any later, it will not be included in our statistics and your official fantasy scoring will be based on the original statistic. The final week of the fantasy regular season as well as throughout the fantasy playoffs, statistics will be final on the Monday morning, at 6 a.m. Eastern Time ("ET"), after the Weekly Scoring period has concluded.

For games that are suspended and resumed at a later date, the same rules outlined under Statistics Corrections above will apply to H2H Leagues only. Players that accumulated statistics/fantasy points for the portion of the game played on the scheduled date will apply to your lineup for the that same period/day. The portion of the game that is completed after the statistical corrections deadline is applied, will NOT count towards your statistics/fantasy points. If a suspended game is completed within the statistics correction deadline, the statistics/fantasy points will retroactively be applied to the scheduled date on which the game was initially started. For all Roto Leagues, any statistics from the completion of a suspended games will be applied retroactively.

6. Schedule & Playoffs (For Head-to-Head Leagues)

Regular Season
The MLB regular season runs for 26 weeks, including the 2-week All-Star Period from 3/28/2024 through 9/29/2024, the Playing Period. Rotisserie style Leagues will run the entire Playing period and there are no playoffs. This Schedule & Playoffs section applies only to Head-to-Head style Leagues. Please note, that any MLB regular season games played after 9/29/2024 will NOT be included in the Challenge for either Head-to-Head or Rotisserie Leagues.

For Head-to-Head ("H-t-H") Leagues, the Playing Period is divided into two (2) separate periods, the "H-t-H Regular Period" and the "H-t-H Playoff Period." The H-t-H Regular Season will run for twenty-three (23) weeks from March 28, 2024 through September 8, 2024. The H-t-H Playoff Period will run for two (2) weeks, from September 9 to September 22, 2024. During such H-t-H Regular Season, each team will play in twenty-three 23 Weekly Scoring Periods Head-to-Head matchups as follows:

  • Three (3) matchups versus every divisional opponent (12 matchups total)
  • Two (2) matchups versus every non-divisional opponent (10 matchups total)
  • One (1) additional matchup versus a random team either divisional or non-divisional (one (1) matchup total.

If you sign up and draft after the first Weekly Scoring Period of the Playing Period or draft after the deadline to be eligible to start your season on Weekly Scoring Period 1, you will be play less than twenty-three (23) weekly matchups but the H-t-H Playoff Period will still start on 9/9/2024.

Playoffs
When the twenty-three (23)-game H-t-H Regular Period ends on September 8, 2024, four (4) teams from the league will make the fantasy playoffs.

The winners of each division in your League, based on win/loss record, will go to the playoffs as the top two (2) seeds. The division winner with the better regular season win/loss record will be the #1 seed and the other division winner will be the #2 seed. The remaining two (2) playoff spots ("Wildcards") will be filled with the two (2) teams with the best win/loss records, excluding the division winners.

If there is a tie for the order of playoff seeds, the following tie-breakers* will be used.
  1. Year-To-Date ("YTD") Points Scored
  2. YTD Points Against*

If there is a tie for a division lead, the following tie-breakers* will be used.
  1. YTD Points Scored
  2. YTD Points Against*

If there is a tie for a Wildcard spot, the following tie-breakers* will be used:
  1. YTD Points Scored
  2. YTD Points Against*

*Note: YTD Points Against is determined by the competitor that has the highest YTD Points Against Total.

Teams with the higher seeding will be awarded home-field advantage for each playoff matchup. Each playoff matchup will run from Monday-Sunday.

In the event of tie in a playoff matchup, the team with the higher seed position will win the matchup. For example, seed #1 seed vs #4 matchup tie, seed #1 would advance.

For teams that do not qualify for the playoffs, the season will effectively end. No further add/drop transactions will be permitted for any team that does not make the playoffs, or for any team that is eliminated from the playoffs.

Playoff Schedule
Semi-Finals 9/9-9/15World Series 9/16-9/22World Series Results
#1 vs. #4
#2 vs. #3
Winner of #1/#4 vs.
Winner of #2/#3
Winner: Champion
Loser: Second Place
7. Lineup Changes

Weekly Lineups
The Challenge uses weekly lineups for all Leagues. A week runs from Monday's games through Sunday's games (with the exception of Week 1, which runs from Thursday to Sunday and Week 17 All-Star Period which takes place from 7/15-7/28) and, once a week begins, lineups can't be changed for that week. Each week, managers have the opportunity to select their starting lineup for the upcoming week. If a manager does not set a lineup for a particular week, the manager's lineup from the previous week will be used. If a manager has an Illegal lineup (it does not comply with these Official Rules), their team will score zero points for the scoring period. In the event of suspended games, see Section 5 above.

Weekly Lineup Setting Deadline
The deadline for setting your lineup is five (5) minutes before the first MLB game in which each individual MLB player's in your fantasy team is scheduled to play for the applicable weekly period. For clarity, if a MLB player does not have a scheduled game on Monday, that player will remain unlocked until five (5) minutes prior to the scheduled time such MLB player's team plays their first MLB game. Please note that player involved in a delayed or postponed game will lock at the originally scheduled lock time.

8. Adding and Dropping Players

Overview
Throughout the season, you may want to improve your roster by adding available free agents and dropping players that aren't performing to your expectations. With only two (2) exceptions, there are no limits to the number of Add/Drops you can request, nor are there any transaction fees.

  1. The first exception is when a manager drops his entire team or a significant number of players, also known as "team dropping". Team dropping has a negative impact on the League and as such, any manager who elects to drop his team shall be subject to immediate removal from the League. Players selected from waivers or added from free agency that were part of a team drop may be reversed at CBSI's discretion. In such move reversals, the waiver ranks will not be reset. The 2024 CBSSports.com Free Fantasy Baseball Challenge uses weekly lineups, so any changes made may go into effect for the following week's games.
  2. The second exception is abuse of the waiver process. This is when a team manager adds then drops a series of players, putting those players on waivers and making them inaccessible to other team managers. Such an action could result in forfeiture of points as well as that team manager being blocked from making any additional add/drops for the remainder of the season, in some cases dismissal from the League as determined solely by CBSSports.com.

If either of these situations occurs within your League, please contact the CBSI website through the Help Center as soon as possible. All decisions regarding enforcement of the exceptions to unlimited Add/Drops will be made by CBSI in its sole and exclusive discretion.

Free Agents
Any player not on any other team's Fantasy roster and not on Waivers (discussed below) is considered a Free Agent. In Weekly Leagues, requests for free agents are effective for the following week's games. For example, if a manager adds a Free Agent and drops a player on Wednesday, the roster is instantly updated for the following week, but the "pre-Add/Drop" roster is still in effect for the remainder of the current week's games. The deadline for submitting a Free Agent request is thirty (30) minutes before the first game of the scoring period in order to have the transaction effective for that week.

Waivers
In order to provide an equal opportunity for all managers to add players that are new to the free agent pool, a Waivers process is used. Managers' requests to add players on waivers are not executed immediately but are put in a pending status for at least twenty-four (24) hours. This allows multiple teams to request the same players. Every night between midnight and 6:00AM ET a Waivers process will be run, executing the pending requests in Waiver Rank order (explained below). All transactions during the waiver process are effective for the next scoring period.

Waiver Rank
As stated, during the waiver process, pending transactions are processed in Waiver Rank order. The team with a waiver rank of 1, considered the highest, will get its first requested player. After the transaction is executed, the team's waiver rank is then set to ten (10) (last), and all other teams move up one (1). The initial waiver rank of the season is based on the reverse order of the draft. The team that selected last in the first round of the draft will have a waiver rank of one (1).

If a team's highest pending transaction becomes invalid because another team received the requested player, the transaction gets deleted and the team's next transaction, if one exists, becomes that team's highest. If a team doesn't have any pending transactions because all players requested were taken by other teams, or the manager simply didn't request any players, there isn't any penalty and the team's waiver rank will not be changed.

Undroppable Players
To maintain the integrity of your League, you will be prevented from dropping certain star MLB players throughout the season. CBSI, as commissioner of all CBSSports.com Fantasy Baseball Leagues, will decide - in its sole and exclusive discretion - which MLB players are undroppable. If there are players we've deemed undroppable on your roster, they will not be displayed on the Transactions, Add/Drop page. You may appeal to CBSI for permission to drop an undroppable player; however, CBSI will make the final decision on all undroppable player requests in its sole and exclusive discretion. Appeals can be sent via the Help Center page and should include the names of the players you want to add and drop.

9. Trades

Trade Approvals
In an effort to prevent collusion among managers, and to ensure fair competition, a trade voting and approval process is used. After a trade is accepted by the system, it will enter the voting process that will last for at least one (1) full calendar day (the "Voting Period"). If four (4) managers in your League object to the trade within the Voting Period, the trade will not be immediately executed, and instead go to the Commissioner for approval. The Commissioner will review such objected trades in a timely manner and decide if such trades are to be executed or rejected; the Commissioner decisions are final. Trades made on Saturdays, which four (4) or more managers object to, may NOT be effective for the upcoming play period, as these are now subject to Commissioner approval.

If four (4) managers do not object before the Voting Period is up, then your trade will be processed overnight. As an example, a trade made at 5 P.M. ET Tuesday will not execute at 5 P.M. ET Wednesday but will be processed between midnight and 5 AM ET Thursday morning, to allow for the Voting Period to conclude. Therefore, all trades must be made (i.e., accepted by both parties involved and without objection from at least 4 other managers) prior to 11:59 PM ET each Saturday night to be effective for the following week. However, please note, that trades that do not meet the necessary number of objections are still subject to review by the Commissioner, to determine fairness principles are followed and to keep the integrity of the league. Any trade reviews and determinations by the Commissioner are final.

Trades that go to Commissioner for approval on Monday will be processed after the lineup locks on Monday. Please always check your team Monday morning.

Multi-player Trades
Managers can enter unbalanced multi-player trades such as trading three (3) players for one (1) player. However, the maximum roster size (and the position restrictions) will ultimately be enforced. If a trade is executed and your resulting roster has greater than the maximum number of players allowed, or it violates the other position requirements, you will be required to enter the necessary transactions to correct your roster. If your roster is not legal by five (5) minutes before the first game of the week, your players will not accumulate statistics or points for the ensuing week.

Trade Deadline
In an effort to keep the integrity of the League, a deadline for trades will be imposed at 11:59 P.M. ET 08/14/2024. No trades can be accepted after the aforementioned date. If a trade is performed on 8/14/2024, it will still be allowed to go through the voting process.

10. Sportsmanship

General Sportsmanship
By participating, you agree to abide by the general sportsmanship and fairness rules set forth in these rules and fantasy games in general. You further agree to accept and abide by the rulings and the decisions of CBSI regarding all questions of sportsmanship and fairness. If a manager does not comply with the sportsmanship and fairness rules as embodied in these Official Rules, or CBSI determines (in CBSI's sole and exclusive discretion) that a manager has acted in an unsportsmanlike or unfair manner, CBSI reserves the right to disqualify the manager and/or remove that manager from the League. In the event CBSI removes a manager from a League, all decisions by CBSI in sportsmanship and fairness related matters will be final.

Multiple Teams
In order to keep the Leagues as competitive as possible, managers will only be allowed to have one (1) team in a League.

Collusion
CBSI does not permit two (2) or more managers in the same League to work together to better one (1) team at the expense of the other (for example, making one-sided trades, one team dropping highly-rated player(s) so the other team can pick them up, etc.).

Inappropriate League Communication
The Fantasy and League Message Boards, League News area, League Email Address and Chat Room are available for you to communicate with other League managers. We ask that you refrain from posting or sending messages that could be construed as offensive to other managers. Inappropriate communication can also include spamming other League team managers with trade offers and posting multiple messages on the message board. If a team manager is unable to abide by the guidelines specified in the Paramount Terms of Use, CBSI reserves the right to terminate that team manager's ability to communicate within the League.


11. Legal Disclaimers

All participants agree to abide by the terms of these Official Rules and the Legal Disclaimers below, and by the decisions of CBSI, which are final and binding on all matters pertaining to this Challenge.

General Conditions
By entering, each entrant accepts and agrees to be bound by these rules and by the decisions of CBSI, which shall be final and binding in all respects. Further, each entrant also acknowledges and agrees to the Paramount Terms of Use and Paramount Privacy Policy, incorporated herein by reference.

All federal, state and local, and laws regulations apply.

CBSI is not responsible for lost, late or misdirected on-line entries or transactions, for incorrect, inaccurate or incomplete entry information whether caused by a participant, equipment, or technical malfunction or for any human error, technical error or malfunctions. CBSI reserves the right to halt or modify the Challenge at any time during the Challenge period if events beyond their control compromise the Challenge fairness or integrity.

CBSI, in its sole discretion, may disqualify any entrant from participating in the Challenge and refuse to award points, if entrant engages in any conduct CBSI deems to be improper, unfair or otherwise adverse to the operation of the Challenge or detrimental to other participants. Such improper conduct includes, but is not limited to, falsifying personal information required during Challenge registration violating any term or condition stated herein, accumulating points or through methods such as automated computer scripts or other programming techniques, allowing others to use the entrant's personal information for the purpose of accumulating points, tampering with CBSI's administration of this Challenge, or intentionally trying to defraud, reverse engineer, disassemble, decompile or otherwise tamper with the computer programs on this Web site.

CBSI reserves the right to modify these rules for clarification purposes without materially affecting the terms and conditions of this Challenge. This Challenge is not affiliated with or endorsed by MLB or any MLB team. This is a game designed to increase consumer awareness of and interest in the CBSI website.

This Challenge may not be used for any form of gambling.

Internet
If for any reason the Internet portion of the program is not capable of running as planned, including infection by computer virus, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes beyond the control of CBSI which corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of this Challenge, CBSI reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process, and to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend the Challenge.

CBSI assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, or alteration of, entries or transactions. CBSI is not responsible for any problems or technical malfunction of any telephone network or lines, computer on-line systems, servers, or providers, computer equipment, software, failure of any e-mail entry or transaction to be received on account of technical problems or traffic congestion on the Internet or at any Web site, or any combination thereof, including any injury or damage to participant's or any other person's computer related to or resulting from participation or downloading any materials in this Challenge.

Lost or Corrupted Entries
The Challenge Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, lost, late, incomplete, corrupted, stolen, misdirected, illegible or postage due entries or mail if applicable; or for any computer, telephone, cable, network, satellite, electronic or Internet hardware or software malfunctions, unauthorized human intervention, or the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry or other information, or the failure to capture any such information. The Challenge Entities, are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by registration information submitted by end users or tampering, hacking, or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Challenge, and assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to the Challenge.

Damaged Property
Challenge Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, injury or damage to any entrants or to any other person's computer or property related to or resulting from participating in this Challenge or downloading materials from this Challenge.

CAUTION: ANY ATTEMPT BY A PARTICIPANT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE ANY WEB SITE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THE CHALLENGE IS A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, CBSI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES FROM ANY SUCH PARTICIPANT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

In the event of a dispute, entries made by Internet will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the e-mail address submitted at time of entry. "Authorized account holder" is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an e-mail address by an Internet access provider, on-line service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning e-mail addresses for the domain associated with the submitted e-mail address.

Any entry that is incomplete, late, or does not include a validly issued User ID will be disqualified.

In the event that the Challenge is challenged by any legal or regulatory authority, CBSI reserves the right to, in its sole and exclusive discretion, discontinue or modify the Challenge, or to disqualify participants residing in the affected geographic areas. In such event, CBSI shall have no liability to any participants who are disqualified due to such an action.

Challenge Errors
The Challenge Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with typographical, human, technical or other, errors and/or ambiguity: (a) in the Challenge; (b) in any related advertising or promotions of this Challenge; and/or (c) in these Official Rules including but not limited to errors in advertising, the Official Rules. In the event of any ambiguity(s) or error(s) in these Official Rules, Administrators reserve the right to modify these Official Rules for clarification purposes or to correct any such ambiguity or error(s) without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Challenge.

Release and Indemnity
Each entrant in the Challenge, including, without limitation, the Winner, hereby releases and agrees to hold harmless the Challenge Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies from any and all liability for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to person, including death, and property, arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, participation in this Challenge and participation in any activity related to this Challenge.

Limitation of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranties
IN NO EVENT WILL THE CHALLENGE ENTITIES, THEIR PARENTS, AFFILIATED AND SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES AND ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION AGENCIES, BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICE AND/OR THE CHALLENGE, DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM THE SERVICE AND/OR THE CHALLENGE. IN NO EVENT SHALL CBSI'S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES, OR CAUSES OF ACTION EXCEED $100. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, EVERYTHING ON THE CHALLENGE AND THE SERVICE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.

Binding Arbitration
The parties waive all rights to trial in any action or proceeding instituted in connection with these Official Rules, including, without limitation, the Challenge. Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to these Official Rules and/or the Challenge shall be settled by binding arbitration in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of JAMS in accordance with the JAMS Comprehensive Arbitration Rules and Procedures, as modified by the JAMS Consumer Arbitration Minimum Standards. Class arbitrations and class actions are not permitted under any circumstances. Any such controversy or claim shall be arbitrated on an individual basis and shall not be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of any other party. The arbitration shall be conducted in the State of California, in the City of San Francisco.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction
THESE OFFICIAL RULES AND THE INTERPRETATION OF ITS TERMS SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA WITHOUT REGARD TO ITS CONFLICTS OF LAWS RULES. For any matters which are not subject to arbitration as set forth in these Official Rules and/or in connection with the entering of any judgment on an arbitration award in connection with these Official Rules and/or the Challenge, the parties irrevocably submit and consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the California state and federal courts located in the City of San Francisco and State of California. The parties agree not to raise the defense of forum non conveniens.

Sponsor/Administrator's Mailing Address
CBS Interactive Inc., 1401 W. Cypress Creek Road, Suite 200, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309