Happy New Year!
Looking for an OOTP22 Fictional League with a solid core of owners, 10 years of consecutive league history, and a different type of challenge from MLB-format leagues in the form of Promotion and Relegation? Then the International Baseball League is for you!
The IBL was founded in OOTP 20 starting with the year 2021, and is now in the 2031 off-season, with arbitration and free agency looming. The League has 24 teams across three tiers (Gold, Silver, and Bronze), each with full minors and 40 man roster. Teams play 140 games a year in-season. At the end of the playoffs, 2 teams from each league are promoted/relegated.
The league sims 4 days a week (Mon, Wed, Fri, Sun), with each sim covering typically 7-9 in-game days, depending on the placement of off-days in the schedule for the regular season. Off-season sims (not including stops for special events, such as arbitration) are either one or two in-game weeks long. It's a steady pace, but one that keeps the league moving.
The Important Details:
- Constitution Located Here
- Communication Mode: Slack (will provide invite after talking with you)
- Stats+ Site: Located Here
- Current version: OOTP 22, move to newest version by league vote and not before 50% off sale
- Current Season: 2031 (started 2021)
- Players: 100% Fictional
- DH: Required
- Minors: AAA, AA, A, A- and R
- International Complex
- Ratings scale is 20-80
- Roster expansion with about 30 days remaining in season
- Full Amateur Draft
- Rule 5 Draft
- Budgets vary by Tier
- Trading Allowed except with any AI -controlled teams
- Scouting on
- Coaches are off
- Incentives in place to encourage participation in league awards
- Rule Changes are voted on and approved by owners
State of the League:
The League had a series of significant departures in real-world 2021 but a core group of owners, with a new Commissioner (me), preserved the league and guided it through the 2030 off-season and into an extremely successful and competitive 2031 season, where many of the promotions/relegations/playoff spots came down to the final series of the year! We're now in the start of the 2031 off-season, and we've got three openings ready for you!
Open Teams:
Baltimore Riot (Finished 6th in Silver)
This is a team that hasn't seen a lot of success overall in the IBL, bouncing between Silver and Gold for its entire life and with an overall record of 734-806. Last year started hopefully with the team competing early on, but they fell back and were nearly relegated. They have a lot of funds for free agency, and a great outfield, but not much else. There's no help in the farm, either, with the prospects overall only ranked 7th out of 8 in Silver. However, the silver (get it?) lining is they have a lot of SP help on the way and are in one of the bigger markets in the whole IBL. The team needs an active GM to take the reigns and clean up. A little maintenance can go a long way here.
Santo Domingo Toros (Finished 8th Gold, moving down to Silver)
This team moved up to Gold a few years ago, and was holding serve in the middle until a late collapse against Philadephia. There's not a lot in farm system and the budget is modest. Unfortunately, there's not much room for free agents to help, either. The team has a good bullpen that might be useful to trade for building back up. It seems like the team needs a reset, either soft or hard, depending on the team's GM's view on whether the current players are underperforming or need to be upgraded. A good challenge for someone who wants to have a team where money isn't the key to success.
Toronto Raptors (Finished 5th in Gold)
Once the premier team of the Gold League, without a strong leader at the top, the aging Raptors are in danger of going extinct as an elite force. They're a roster that's on its downside, but they have a lot of money to work with next year, some strong players still ready to contribute, and could be kept in Gold. Or you could try to retool, maybe take a year or two off Gold status, and return the team to the very top of the heap. Not a lot of help in the minors, just to warn you in advance. The team is pretty money-locked for 2032, but should have a large amount of funds the following off-season.
This is a perfect time to join, see what you have, and make plans to rule the league in 2032!
If you're interested in joining the IBL, please send me a message and let's chat! We look forward to having you as our newest GM!