2021 - Major League Baseball Players Association

1 THE OFFICIAL PROFESSIONAL Baseball RULES BOOK Office of the Commissioner of Baseball 245 Park Avenue New York, New York 10167 Copyright 1988, 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010,2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 The Commissioner of BaseballRULE 1 (a) Conditions to Relocation to Another Club s (b) Number of (c) (d) 2 Player Limits and Reserve (a) Reserve (b) Maximum Number of Reserved Players ..4(c) Active Lists ..5(d) Voluntarily Retired, Restricted, Disqualified and Ineligible (e) Military (f) Suspended List ..9(g) Major League Disabled List ..9(h) Minor League Disabled List and Temporarily Inactive 11(i) Players Signed after 13(j) Players Signed for Future 13(k) Designated 14(l) Re-Signing of Coach or Manager as Player .. 14(m) Limitations on Coaches, Player-Coaches and 14(n) Major League Bereavement / Family Medical Emergency 16(o) Major League Paternity Leave 17 RULE 3 Eligibility to Sign Contract, Contract Terms, and Contract 18(a) Eligibility to Sign Major League or Minor League 18(b) Uniform 25 Major League RULESTABLE OF CONTENTSiPage(c) Contract Terms for First-Year Player 26(d) 37(e) Reporting and Filing of 37(f)Contracts in 37(g) Contacts and 38(h) Tender of Contract Renewals or Salary 41(i)Uniform Manager s and Employee s 42(j)Certain Payments 42(k) 43 RULE 4 First-Year Player 43(a) Players 43(b) Selection 43(c) Order of 44(d) Effect of Selection on 46(e) Negotiation 47(f)Closed 48(g) Effect on Player 48(h) If Selected Player Does Not 49(i)

2 If Player Is Not 49(j)Medical 49(k) Forfeited Draft Lottery and Competitive Balance 54(l) 57 RULE 5 Annual Selection of 57(a) 57(b) Method and Priority of 57(c) Players Subject to 58(d) Consideration, Payment, and 59iiPage(e) Player-Managers .. 60(f) Covering 60 RULE 6 Selected 60(a) 60(b) Offer of Outright Assignment 61(c) Active List 62(d) Salary on 62(e) Draft-Excluded 62 RULE 7 Termination of Player-Club 63 RULE 8 Major League Unconditional 63(a) Waiver 63(b) Procedures for Obtaining 63(c) Restrictions on Unconditional Release Waiver 63(d) Effect on Player 63(e) Waiver Claims and 64(f)Notice to Player of Waiver Claims, and Right of Player to Terminate 64(g) Notice of Termination If No 64(h) Salary 64(i)Re-Signing of Released 65 RULE 9 Assignment of Player 65(a) 65(b) Closed 67(c) Assignee Club s Responsibility for Bonus Provisions in Player s 67(d) Veteran 67(e) Consent to 67(f)Injury 67iiiPageRULE 10 Major League 69(a) Definitions.

3 69(b) When Waivers Are Required for 70(c) The Procedures for Obtaining 70(d) Waiver Claims and Awarding of 74(e) Restrictions on Waiver 78(f)Effect on Waivers of Transfer of Optional 79(g) 79(h) Player 80 RULE 11 Optional 80(a) 80(b) Limitations on 81(c) Limitations on Optional 82(d) Number .. 82(e) Closed 83(f)Salary 83(g) Salary on Option or 83(h) Salary Between Season 83(i) Player Loans .. 83(j) Reacquiring Player .. 84 RULE 12 Transfer 85(a) 85(b) 85(c) 85(d) 85(e) Consideration Must Be in Definite 85(f)Transfers When 86(g) Salary Between Season 86ivPage(h) 87 RULE 13 Suspended 87(a) Misconduct or 87(b) Player Not in 87(c) Appeal .. 88 RULE 14 Retired 88(a) 88(b) Playing While 88 RULE 15 Restricted, Disqualified and Ineligible 88(a) Restricted 88(b) Disqualified 89(c) Ineligible 89(d) Action by Commissioner or the Commissioner s 89(e) Player 90(f)Effect on Player 91(g) 91(h) 91(i) 91 RULE 16 Reinstatement of 91(a) 91(b) Player on Restricted 92(c) Player on Voluntarily Retired, Disqualified or Ineligible 92(d) Player 92(e) Reinstatement Before 92 RULE 17 Player 93(a) First-Year 93(b) Part-Season 93vPage(c) Delay in 93(d) Minimum 93(e) Renewal of 93 RULE 18 Playing Otherwise than for 93(a) Winter 93(b) Exhibition 94(c) 94(d) All-Star 94(e) Hall of Fame 95(f) Foreign 95 RULE 19 Umpires and Official 95(a)

4 95(b) 95(c) Control of 95(d) Official 96(e) Umpire 96(f)Umpires Acting as 96 RULE 20 Conflicting 97(a) Ownership and Financial 97(b) Loans to and Relationships with 97(c) Loans to Clubs and Other 98(d) League 98(e) Within Club .. 98(f)Winter 98(g) Application to Major League 98(h) Information to 98viPageRULE 21 99(a) Misconduct in Playing 99(b) Gift for Defeating Competing 100(c) Gifts to 100(d) 100(e) Violence or 101(f)Other 101(g) No Discrimination .. 101(h) Rule to Be Kept 101 RULE 22 Claim 101(a) Discipline .. 101(b) 101(c) Time for 102 RULE 23 102 RULE 24 Suspended 102(a) Discipline .. 102(b) 103(c) 103 RULE 25 Uniform Playing 103(a) Official Baseball 103(b) Playing Rules 104(c) Duties of Playing Rules 104(d) Official Scoring Rules 105(e) Duties of Official Scoring Rules 105(f)Copyright and 105viiPageRULE 26 Gate 105(a) Paid 105(b) Assessment of Paid Attendance 106(c) Establishing Admissions 106(d) Free 106 RULE 27 [Reserved].

5 107 RULE 28 107 RULE 29 Major League Disaster 107(a) Event Qualifying as a 107(b) Procedures .. 108(c) 111 RULE 30 111(a) Checks .. 111(b) 111(c) 112(d) 112 RULE 31 112 RULE 32 112(a) Major Leagues .. 112(b) Minor Leagues .. 113 RULE 33 Qualification for Post-Season 115(a) Division 115(b) Wild Cards .. 115(c) Tie-Breaking 115 RULE 34 Post-Season 129(a) Wild Card Game .. 129viiiPage(b) Division 129(c) League Championship 131(d) World 132 RULE 35 Post-Season Supervision by the 132 RULE 36 Pennant and 132(a) World 132(b) 132(c) League Champions .. 132 RULE 37 Post-Season 132(a) Order of 132(b) Postponed and Suspended 133 RULE 38 Post-Season Series 134(a) By 134(b) By Commissioner .. 134 RULE 39 Post-Season Playing 134 RULE 40 Players Eligible for 134(a) Players 134(b) Coaches 138(c) Players Eligible Minor League 138 RULE 41 [Reserved].

6 139 RULE 42 Post-Season 139(a) Paid by 139(b) Clubs 139 RULE 43 Post-Season Playing 139 RULE 44 Post-Season 139(a) 139ixPage(b) Free List 140(c) Tickets .. 140(d) Seat 140(e) Ticket 140(f)Daily 141 RULE 45 Division of Post-Season 141(a) 141(b) Players .. 141(c) Clubs Commissioner s 144(d) Guarantee of Players 145 RULE 46 Bonus 145(a) 145(b) 145 RULE 47 Exhibition 146 RULE 48 Obligations of 146 RULE 49 [Reserved].. 146 RULE 50 Enforcement of Major League 146(a) 146(b) Payment of 147(c) Continuity of Assignments, Agreements and 147 RULE 51 Classification of Minor 147(a) League 147(b) 147 RULE 52 Major and Minor League Territorial 149(a) Home 149(b) New 149(c) Overlapping 150xPage(d) Exceptions .. 151(e) Recognition of Future Rights .. 152(f)Approval of Minor League Territorial 152(g) Loss of Territorial 152 RULE 53 Minor League Expansion, Contraction, Relocation, and 153(a) Expansions or Contractions of Minor 153(b) Relocation of Minor League 155(c) Change in Classification(s) of Minor Leagues or League Affiliations of Minor League 156(d) Admission of New Leagues to a Minor League 157 RULE 54 Regulation of Minor League 158(a) Approval of Control Interest 158(b) Monitoring Continued Financial Viability of Minor League Clubs.

7 167 RULE 55 Minor League Free 170(a) Eligibility for Free 170(b) Successor 170(c) List of Eligible 170(d) Petitions for Changes to 170(e) Final 171(f)Restrictions on Outrighting Potential Minor League Free 171 RULE 56 Standard Player Development 171(a) Exclusivity .. 171(b) Applicable Authority and Incorporated 172(c) Duration and 173(d) Negotiation of New PDC 173(e) Other Affiliation 175(f) 176xiPage(g) Rights and Obligations .. 177(h) Scheduling .. 181(i)Playing 181(j)Relocation or Change in League Affiliation of Minor League 181(k) National 182(l) Extent of Club s 182(m) 182(n) 182 RULE 57 Travel Standards for Minor League 182(a) 183(b) 183 RULE 58 Standards for Minor League Playing 184(a) 184(b) Monitoring of 184(c) Failure to Meet Ballpark 184 RULE 59 Lien on 185(a) Amount and Priority of 185(b) Deductions.

8 186(c) Effect of 186 RULE 60 189 ATTACHMENT 3 Minor League Uniform Player 190 Addendum 200 Addendum 211 Addendum 212 Addendum 215xiiPageATTACHMENT 12 Notice to Player of Release or 216 ATTACHMENT 52 Major and Minor League 218(a) National League 218(b) American League 219(c) International League (AAA) 221(d) Mexican League (AAA) 222(e) Pacific Coast League (AAA) 223(f)Eastern League (AA) 224(g) Southern League (AA) 225(h) Texas League (AA) 225(i)California League (A) 226(j)Carolina League (A) 226(k) Florida State League (A) 227(l)Midwest League (A) 228(m) South Atlantic League (A) 229(n) New York-Pennsylvania League (Short-Season A) 230(o) Northwest League (Short-Season A) 231(p) Appalachian League (Rookie) 231(q) Pioneer League (Rookie) 232(r)Gulf Coast League (Rookie) 232 ATTACHMENT 54 Standard Minor League Financial 233 ATTACHMENT 56 Standard Form Letter Establishing 245 ATTACHMENT 58 Minor League Facility Standards and Compliance Inspection 246xiiiPageIMPORTANT NOTE: TO THE EXTENT OF ANY CONFLICTBETWEEN THE PROVISIONS OF THESE RULES AND THEPROVISIONS OF THE CURRENTLY EFFECTIVE BASICAGREEMENT BETWEEN THE Major League CLUBS AND THEMAJOR League Baseball Players Association , THE BASICAGREEMENT SHALL IN ALL RESPECTS 1 CIRCUITS(a) CONDITIONS TO RELOCATION TO ANOTHER CLUB S TERRITORY.

9 A Major League Club, in order to relocate within the home territory of another MajorLeague Club, must comply with the following conditions:(1) The Major League Club intending to so relocate shall give notice of suchintention to the Commissioner not later than midnight of October 31 of the year next preceding the first year it proposes to operate a second Major League Club insuch home territory.(2) Such Major League Club shall satisfy the Commissioner as to the bona fidesof such Club s intention to operate in such home territory on a long-term basis andas to the financial ability and character of the owners of such Club to maintain suchClub for a period of five years.(3) Any park owned or occupied by such second Major League Club in such hometerritory shall be located not less than five air miles distant from the park of the Clubfirst located in such home territory, unless the two Clubs mutually agree otherwise.

10 (4) Such second Major League Club, before commencing its first year ofoperation in such home territory, shall pay to the Club already located in such home territory such sum of money as the Commissioner deems appropriate under thecircumstances and in addition shall pay to the latter Club one-half of all sums paidby the latter Club to Minor Leagues or Clubs as compensation for inclusion of suchhome territory in a Major League . Any disputes as to the amounts paid as suchcompensation shall be determined by the Commissioner.(b) NUMBER OF CLUBS. In no event shall any home territory in either MajorLeague circuit have more than two Major League Clubs. 1 Major League RULESMLR 1(a) to 1(b)(c) NOTICE.(1) A Major League Club desiring to locate in a home territory in which a Minor League Club is operating must file notice of its intention to do so with theCommissioner between October 1 and October 31 (both inclusive) next precedingthe first season it proposes to operate in such city.