[BigRed75]

I would think that if you are doing pro/rel, you wouldn't have minor league affiliates, just a reserve roster. Heck, you'd probably have a fictional league, most likely.

If you look at the sport(s) with pro/rel, they have reserve rosters, not minor league affiliates. Now, in some countries (i.e. Spain and Germany) the reserve teams play in the pyramid system, not in a reserve league. If the parent club gets relegated to the same league as the reserve squad, then the reserves get bumped down, too, no matter how well they finished.

If I was doing a pro/rel league, and I wanted minor league affiliates, here's how I would do it: I would have two or three "major" leagues with different financials. The parent clubs would bounce around those leagues, and the worst club in the worst major league wouldn't get relegated. Essentially, it's a closed system. The minor leagues would sit under that.

Yes, there's no facility in this set up for minor league teams to get promoted, but in my mind, why should the Buffalo Bisons, say, move up to the Major Leagues if they are successful with players under contract to the New York Mets? Especially if the Mets can recall those players whenever they choose.

You may or may not like the idea of a closed system. I think that if you truly want a scenario where someday you may see the Batavia Muckdogs playing in the American League, you need to go with reserve rosters and have the Muckdogs sign their own players and earn it honestly. But then again, I've never played or set up a pro/rel league, so take it with a grain of salt.