[jksander]

In the spring of 1876, baseball began to take hold in the heart of the American midwest, with a 16-team major league association known as the Midwest Baseball Association (MBA) taking hold in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia across two leagues, the Great Lakes League (GLL) and the Ohio River League (ORL). A minor league association known as the Indiana-Ohio Baseball Association (IOBA) formed to include AA-level teams that feed into the major league programs, and an eight-team Independent League called the Tri-State Baseball Association (TSBA) formed independently at a low-minors level, with teams spread across Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky.

League setup information / rules, etc. are below. I have created a GM character, who will take over management of a team once we have a significant amount of history within the leagues, and at a point where he’d be of a reasonable age to do so.

The Major Leagues
MIDWEST BASEBALL ASSOCIATION

Great Lakes League
Green Bay Green Stockings
Minneapolis Barons
Bloomington Hoosiers
Fort Wayne Flyers
Indianapolis Grey Stockings
Chicago Internationals
Detroit Arsenal
Rockford Black Hawks

Ohio River League
Louisville Rivermen
Cincinnati Continentals
Evansville Crescents
East St. Louis Locomotives
Lexington Roughriders
Pittsburgh Tin-Knockers
Huntington Appalachians
Owensboro Rum Runners

League Start Date: April 1 (154 game schedule, No Interleague Play)
Trade Deadline: July 31

No All-Star game.
Active Roster of 26, Secondary Roster Size 35, No Expanded Rosters
Spring Training Roster Size: 40
No Foreign Players Allowed
No Waivers, DFA Length of 7 Days
Batter Inj List: 14 Days
Pitcher Inj List: 21 Days
Expanded Inj List: 60 Days
Minor League Option Years: Disabled
Trade Deadline Day Setup: Disabled
Amateur Draft Disabled
Rule 5 Draft Disabled
No 10/5 Rule or trading of injured players
Financials based on 1876, average attendance baseline 12,500
Financial System Enabled, Inflation set to 0% to 3%
Minimum Service Time for one service year: 163
Minimum Service Time for FA: 7 years
Free Agents can come from other leagues
Players can be purchased from Independent Leagues for $10,000.
Arb starts after five years, no “Super 2” players
No minor league free agency
No National Media Contracts (Fixed)
Local Media Contract Baseline: $200
Merchandising Revenue Baseline: $200
Owners Control Budget
Revenue Sharing and Luxury Tax Disabled
No Cash Maximum
No salary cap

League Evolution on only for FA Minimum Service, IL Length, Active Roster Size, Secondary Roster Size, More / Less Pitching, More / Less Offense

Independent Leagues will generate 15 or more players per year.

 
AA League
INDIANA-OHIO BASEBALL ASSOCIATION

Hoosier League
Valparaiso Rail Barons
Michigan City Dunes
Clarksville Explorers
Shelbyville Trailsmen
New Castle Rivermen
Jasper Eagles
West Lafayette Oilers
Jeffersonville Capitals

Buckeye League
Dayton Pilots
Mansfield Surveyors
Columbus Archers
Sandusky Sluggers
Cleveland Plums
Marion Miners
Akron Summits
Toledo Walleyes

League Start Date: May 15 (98 game schedule, no interleague play)

No Designated Hitter
No limit to Roster Size
Same Injury Time settings as parent league
Baseline Attendance: 7,500


The Independent League
TRI-STATE BASEBALL ASSOCIATION

Tri-State Baseball Association
Wilmette (IL) Raiders
Batavia (IL) Eagles
Urbana (IL) Union
Terre Haute (IN) Trailblazers
South Bend (IN) Sluggers
Paducah (IN) Pride
Henderson (IN) Frontiers
Bowling Green (IN) Engineers

League Start Date: July 10 (112 game schedule)

Designated Hitter
26 Man Rosters, Reserve Roster Limit of 20 players, No Spring Training
Batter Inj List: 7 Days
Pitcher Inj List: 15 Days
Expanded Inj List: 60 Days
League uses Reserve Clause Era rules
Minimum Service Time for one service year: 119
Baseline Attendance: 5,000