TRADING

Year-Round Trading: Teams may execute trades at any time during the calendar year, except during designated blackout periods.
Trading Blackout Periods: No trades may be executed during the following periods:
Trade Deadline through Postseason: From the conclusion of Block 9 through the end of the World Series blackout, ending with the announcement of players acceptance or declining of qualifying offers.
Pre-Draft Freeze: The 3 days immediately before the amateur draft
Pre-Free Agency Freeze: The 3 days immediately before the free agency period begins
Trading Freeze Rationale: The pre-draft and pre-free agency freezes ensure these major league events proceed smoothly without complications from last-minute trades. Should these processes become automated in the future, these freeze periods may be shortened or eliminated.
Block Deadline for Immediate Effect: To ensure timely processing, trades must be submitted at least 48 hours before the end of a block to take effect immediately. Trades submitted within 48 hours of a block's end will take effect in the following block.

Players: All carded or uncarded players under contract may be traded, regardless of contract type.
Draft Picks: Teams may trade draft picks for the upcoming draft only. Once a draft concludes (e.g., the 2026 draft), picks for the following year's draft (2027) become tradeable. Future draft picks beyond the next draft may not be traded.
Cash Considerations: Teams may trade league funds as part of any transaction for league-related purposes. Cash trades are subject to the same approval process and objection period as all other trades.
Multi-Asset Trades: Teams may combine any tradeable assets (players/prospects, picks, cash) in a single transaction.

Trade Submission: To execute a trade, both teams must:
Inform the Commissioner of the agreed-upon trade terms
Both General Managers must confirm the transaction
Automatic Approval: All trades are automatically approved, 24 hours after being announced, unless an objection is raised during the objection period.
Objection Period: League members have 24 hours from the Commissioner's initial trade notification to raise objections to a trade.
Commissioner Ruling on Objections: If an objection is raised, the Commissioner will review the trade and make a final determination on whether to approve or reject it.
Trade Processing Timeline: The Commissioner has 24 hours from trade submission to announce the trade to the league across all communication platforms. A complex trade may require a longer investigation, the owners involved are encouraged to give a short description of why a trade benefits them (they may include details they wish the commissioner keep secret) to speed up a review that may get an extended review.
Trade Announcement: The Commissioner announces all completed trades on all league platforms (Discord, league website, email) to ensure full transparency. This process will ideally become automated in the future.

Three-Team and Larger Trades: Trades involving three or more teams are permitted and follow the same approval process as two-team trades.
Multi-Team Confirmation: All teams involved in a multi-team trade must confirm the transaction with the Commissioner before it can be processed.

Salary Transfer: When a player is traded, the acquiring team assumes full responsibility for the player's remaining salary obligations.
Cash to Offset Salary: Teams may include cash in trades to offset salary obligations, but the acquiring team formally assumes the full contract.
Prorated Salaries: For trades executed during the regular season, player salaries are prorated based on the 14-block schedule:
The original team pays salary for all completed blocks
The acquiring team pays salary for all remaining blocks
Playoff salaries are paid by whichever team controls the player during the postseason
Contract Type Transfer: All contract types (Y, Arb, U, F, L, X) transfer completely to the acquiring team with all terms, years, and obligations intact.
No Dead Money on Trades: Trading a player does not create dead money for the original team. Dead money only occurs when a player is released, as specified in Rule 2.5.
Type L and X Contract Obligations: When contracts are traded, the acquiring team assumes all remaining years and salary obligations without modification.
Arbitration Penalty Reset: The only restriction that doesn't carry from a trade is arbitration penalties. If a player has gone to arbitration with a team and is prevented from signing a Type L contract with that team, this restriction does not transfer. The new team would have the ability to sign the player to a Type L contract after the player has been with the team for 1 season, and if they don't are still allowed to bid on them in free agency.

Roster Limits: Teams must remain in compliance with 40-man and 50-man roster limits immediately upon completion of any trade.
Roster Moves to Facilitate Trades: Teams may waive or release players as part of a trade transaction to maintain roster compliance. These moves should be announced as part of the complete trade package.
Processing Order: When a trade includes player releases or waivers for roster compliance, the Commissioner processes these moves in the order that makes the transaction valid.
No Salary Cap/Floor Enforcement During Season: Trades do not trigger luxury tax or salary floor compliance checks during the regular season. Teams must meet these requirements at their designated checkpoints per Rule 2.

Trading Injured Players: Players on the Injured List may be traded. The acquiring team assumes the player with their current injury status and IL designation.
No Conditional Trades: All trades must be final and unconditional. Trades contingent on performance, health, or other conditions are not permitted.
No Trade Restrictions by Contract Type: No contract types include no-trade clauses or trade restrictions. All players may be traded regardless of their contract type.

Collusion Prohibition: Teams may not engage in collusive trades designed to circumvent league rules or provide unfair competitive advantage.
Objection Grounds: Valid grounds for trade objections include:
Suspected collusion between teams
Trades that appear to deliberately undermine competitive balance
Transactions that may violate league rules or spirit of competition
Commissioner Authority: The Commissioner has final authority to reject trades that are deemed detrimental to league integrity, even without formal objections.