I can't figure out this Rule 5 Draft thing

[Technetium]

It says I'm supposed to move players I want to protect from being taken into the 40-man roster, right? So when I go to the Transactions screen and select minor league players to move, when I try to drag them into the 40-man roster area it says "An error occurred, the 40-man roster is full".

I cannot seem to get players out of the 40-man roster. If I try and drag any of them to the minor league teams, it says "Move Players to the lower section of the page to remove him from the 40-man roster". There are like 4 different "lower sections" of the page, it could really be a lot more clear on where to move him. Through trial and error, there are only two places I can move him where it won't give me that error. I can put him in the "waivers" area but that doesn't remove him from the 40-man roster, or I can put him in the area at the very bottom that says "DROP PLAYER HERE TO RELEASE HIM". When I try to put him there, it says he has a major league contract and cannot be taken off the 40-man roster (every single player in the 40-man roster says this), and that I must put him on waivers or designate for assignment. As I already said, putting him on waivers doesn't take him off the 40-man roster, and it won't let me put him in the area that says "designate for assignment". That gives the same message as trying to drag him into a minor league.

So basically, despite the game telling me I need to protect minor league players I want to keep, I cannot move anyone anywhere no matter what I do.

Someone please help! The online manual was not helpful at all, just told me I need to do something, but not how. What I need are instructions along the lines of "click here, then click here, etc".

[Technetium]

Is the active roster list supposed to be the same size as the 40-man roster list? I think this is what's preventing me from doing anything, because online it says the default for the active list is 25 or something like that. Since the active roster and 40-man roster are exactly the same, all of the players in the 40-man roster have major league contracts and therefore cannot be moved out without placing them on waivers, and then designating for assignment, but that doesn't really help any because then I only have the choice between moving them back into the 40-man roster or releasing them... I cannot put them in the minor leagues where I want them.

I made the mistake of doing just that in desperate attempts to find some way, any way, I can clear out the 40-man roster to make room for protecting minor league prospects... now I have a bunch of players in the DFA and I have to either release them or put them back in the major leagues. They are not major-league level players, and I have other players stuck in my minor leagues that are but I can't move them up because of this.

[Izz]

The active roster is different to the 40-man roster. The active roster is for the players you're currently using to play at major league level. The secondary roster (40-man or whatever your league setting is) includes your 25 active players, plus other players you think you might use over the course of the season/protect from the rule 5 draft.

If under your league settings both are set to the same number (25), then you probably want to change the secondary roster to 40 (though i guess that would all depend what year you're in, and how historically accurate you're trying to be). You can do this through league menu -> league setup -> rules.

When you place a player on waivers, you can't designate them for assignment immediately. You have to wait 3 or 5 days (depending where you are in the season) for them to clear waivers. During that waiver period other teams have a chance to claim those players. Once a player has cleared waivers you can choose to designate them for assignment. You then have 10 days to assign them to one of your minor league teams.

[Technetium]

In the league settings, the active roster is set to 25 and the 40-man roster is set to 40, but when the game gave me control of the ML after my promotion, the active roster and 40-man roster both had 40/40 players in the Transactions window (despite that the league setting has active roster at 25), and the players in both lists were identical, and all of the players in the 40-man roster had ML contracts and could not be removed from the 40-man roster to make room for others without being put on irrevocable waivers. Is that normal?

To make things even more frustrating... After I ended up letting a ton of players go to whittle my active roster down to 25 in prep for the next season (irrevocable waivers was the only way I could get the active roster down to 25), as soon as spring training started, the game threw random minor league players back into the active roster to bring it back up to 40, after I had spent an hour painstakingly distributing the minor league players how I wanted them. I don't even remember which players go where, and some of the players that got put back in for spring training are now giving me the message that they have ML contracts when I try to put them back.

[Technetium]

I am now into the main season on the day of my first game, and when I go to the transactions window, for active roster it says I have "38/25". Does that make any sense?

[MBarrett]

Originally Posted by Technetium

I am now into the main season on the day of my first game, and when I go to the transactions window, for active roster it says I have "38/25". Does that make any sense?

It means you have 13 more players on your Active Roster than is allowed. You need to assign them somewhere else.

[Izz]

Originally Posted by Technetium

In the league settings, the active roster is set to 25 and the 40-man roster is set to 40, but when the game gave me control of the ML after my promotion, the active roster and 40-man roster both had 40/40 players in the Transactions window (despite that the league setting has active roster at 25), and the players in both lists were identical, and all of the players in the 40-man roster had ML contracts and could not be removed from the 40-man roster to make room for others without being put on irrevocable waivers. Is that normal?

To make things even more frustrating... After I ended up letting a ton of players go to whittle my active roster down to 25 in prep for the next season (irrevocable waivers was the only way I could get the active roster down to 25), as soon as spring training started, the game threw random minor league players back into the active roster to bring it back up to 40, after I had spent an hour painstakingly distributing the minor league players how I wanted them. I don't even remember which players go where, and some of the players that got put back in for spring training are now giving me the message that they have ML contracts when I try to put them back.

What are the Team Control settings under your Manager Options? Are you set to manage Roster Moves, or is that set to the computer manager?

When a player goes on irrevocable waivers that doesn't necessarily mean you let them go. If another team doesn't pick them up, you designate them for assignment and can then move them to a minor team. If you designate them for assignment, then take longer than 10 days to do so, then they're released.

[Technetium]

I'm confused why it would even let there be 38 players in a 25-player list to begin with.

anyway, I moved a bunch of them out although that meant putting lots more players on irrevocable waivers again since it seems to have given them all ML contracts or else it gives me that message about the player being out of options...

[Izz]

Originally Posted by Technetium

I'm confused why it would even let there be 38 players in a 25-player list to begin with.

Those would be the players brought up for spring training. If you'd already whittled down your secondary roster to 25, and more were added, that suggests you don't have control of promoting/demoting players.

[Technetium]

Originally Posted by Izz

What are the Team Control settings under your Manager Options? Are you set to manage Roster Moves, or is that set to the computer manager?

When a player goes on irrevocable waivers that doesn't necessarily mean you let them go. If another team doesn't pick them up, you designate them for assignment and can then move them to a minor team. If you designate them for assignment, then take longer than 10 days to do so, then they're released.

Everything is set to be under my control, so I don't know why it filled the active roster from 25 up to 40 with random minor league players when spring training started. and it seems like now the only way I can get them back out is with irrevocable waivers.

[RchW]

Originally Posted by Technetium

Everything is set to be under my control, so I don't know why it filled the active roster from 25 up to 40 with random minor league players when spring training started. and it seems like now the only way I can get them back out is with irrevocable waivers.

They are not random minor league players. They are your prospects and suspects and roster filler ie that third catcher you may need later. I find it hard to believe that all 40 players are out of options. Can you post a screenshot of your transactions page? I rarely have to put more than two players on waivers coming out of ST.

[TGH-Adfabre]

1) Is this a fictional league that you created or a ML quickstart?
2) Do you understand the 40 man and 25 man rosters? How they function and what they are for?
3) When were you promoted? Offseason? After ST started? Regular season? These times have different roster rules? If it was during the regular season was it in September?
4) A simple way to figure out some of this.. Take 5 minutes and go to each player’s contract screen. Check their Minor League Options. There are 2 non funky reasons a player will not be automatically demoted. They are out of option year and must be placed on waivers to be demoted or they have signed an ML contract and can refuse demotion. Are you getting both messages?
5)

Is the active roster list supposed to be the same size as the 40-man roster list?

During Spring Training and September call ups, yes. Pre-September regular season and Playoffs, no.
6)

In the league settings, the active roster is set to 25 and the 40-man roster is set to 40, but when the game gave me control of the ML after my promotion, the active roster and 40-man roster both had 40/40 players in the Transactions window (despite that the league setting has active roster at 25), and the players in both lists were identical, and all of the players in the 40-man roster had ML contracts and could not be removed from the 40-man roster to make room for others without being put on irrevocable waivers. Is that normal?

Yes, depending on when in the season you are.
7)

I am now into the main season on the day of my first game, and when I go to the transactions window, for active roster it says I have "38/25". Does that make any sense?

Yes, kind of, you are in control of your rosters. You have not demoted or released enough players to get down to 25 men. This forces the AI to do it for you or your game cannot advance. I have seen OOTP be funky on the 1st day of the regular season because I did not handle my roster. I think this is a side effect of the other problems and will soon be a non issue.
8)

since it seems to have given them all ML contracts or else it gives me that message about the player being out of options...

I think this is also a product of the other problems. I am betting that once you simmed to the 1st day of the regular season OOTP broke itself, kept the extra players on the Active roster and gave them all ML contracts like they belong there even though they don’t.
9)

Everything is set to be under my control, so I don't know why it filled the active roster from 25 up to 40 with random minor league players when spring training started. and it seems like now the only way I can get them back out is with irrevocable waivers.

When in the season are you?