Guide · Dynasty fantasy baseball
What is dynasty fantasy baseball?
Dynasty fantasy baseball is a league where you keep your whole roster year after year. Instead of starting over each spring, you run a franchise: draft prospects, sign free agents, manage contracts and make trades that shape your team for seasons to come.
Redraft vs. keeper vs. dynasty
| Redraft | Keeper | Dynasty | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roster each year | Fully reset | Keep a few players | Keep your whole organization |
| Prospects | Rarely matter | A bench stash at best | 14-man minor league system |
| Offseason | Nothing to do | Pick keepers, wait | Extensions, cuts, Rule 5, Amateur & Free Agent drafts |
| Player value | This season only | This season + keeper cost | Production, contract, age and trade value |
| Trading | In-season only | Mostly in-season | In-season to the deadline + all offseason |
How a modern dynasty league works
The 40-man organization
Every franchise carries 26 Major League players and 14 Minor League prospects, plus Injured List room. Promote prospects when they're ready and demote players as your roster needs change.
Contracts and a salary cap
Each team works under a $500 cap. Players sign 1–5 year contracts, and in auctions contract years can only go up — nobody can undercut a bid by offering fewer seasons. Cut a player and half his salary stays on your cap for the season.
A real offseason
Extensions open first, then Buyouts & Cuts. After those windows close the league rolls over to the new season automatically, followed by the Rule 5 Draft (December), the Amateur Draft (January) and the Free Agent Draft (February/March).
Trades to the deadline, then all offseason
Trades stay open all season until the commissioner's trade deadline, then reopen for the whole offseason. Rebuilding teams can sell veterans for prospects and draft picks, and contenders can retain salary to make a deal work.
How a dynasty startup draft works
A startup draft is the first draft of a brand-new dynasty league, where every team builds its whole organization from scratch.
Everyone starts from zero
In a startup, every team fills its 40-man organization at once: 26 Major League spots and 14 Minor League spots under a $500 salary cap. There are no existing rosters to protect, so the first season skips Extensions, Buyouts & Cuts and the Rule 5 Draft.
The startup auction
Teams take turns nominating players on a 30-second clock, and a bid in the final 10 seconds resets it to 10. Every bid sets both a salary and a contract length of 1 to 5 years. Contract years only go up, so the startup auction decides who your franchise is built around for seasons to come.
Optional Amateur Draft
The commissioner decides whether the league holds an Amateur Draft for incoming prospects. It's on by default. Drafts in a league's first season can be scheduled any time before Opening Day.
Bringing an existing league over
Already playing somewhere else? Commissioners can import rosters from Yahoo, ESPN, CBS, Ottoneu or Fantrax instead of running a startup, and keep each player's salary and contract.
Contract and salary cap dynasty leagues
In a contract league, every player has a salary and a set number of years. Managing the cap is as important as picking the right players.
One hard cap
Everything counts against one $500 cap: draft picks, free agent auctions, traded salaries and minor league contracts. There's no soft cap or luxury tax.
Going over the cap
You can swing a trade or win a bid that pushes you over the cap. But a team over the cap (or over the roster limits) has its lineup locked until it's back in compliance. Corrective moves like cuts and demotions stay open.
Contracts that expire
Every player signs for 1 to 5 years. Each offseason you can extend players you want to keep before their deals run out. Expired contracts are released when the new season rolls over.
Dead money
Cutting a player leaves 50% of his salary (rounded up) on your books as dead money for the rest of the season. A cheap, long contract on a rising star is the most valuable asset in a contract league.
Dynasty strategy for beginners
Balance prospects and production
Prospects are exciting, but a roster of only futures rarely wins. Decide each year whether you're contending or rebuilding, and commit.
Watch contract lifecycles
A cheap, long contract on a rising star is the most valuable asset in dynasty. Extend players you believe in before they expire, and trade players you won't re-sign while they still have value.
Protect your best prospects
In the Rule 5 Draft, rivals can claim unprotected minor leaguers. Know which prospects you'd hate to lose and protect them first.
Dynasty fantasy baseball FAQ
What is dynasty fantasy baseball?
A format where you keep your entire roster from season to season — Major Leaguers and minor league prospects — and build your franchise through drafts, trades and free agency, like a real MLB front office.
What's the difference between dynasty and keeper leagues?
Keeper leagues let you hold a handful of players and redraft the rest. In a dynasty league you keep everyone, so prospects, contracts and long-term planning matter every season.
How many minor leaguers are on a dynasty roster?
It varies by league. Front Office uses 40-man organizations: 26 Major League spots and 14 Minor League spots, plus Injured List room.
How do drafts work in dynasty fantasy baseball?
After a startup auction, each offseason runs three drafts in order: the Rule 5 Draft in December, the Amateur Draft for incoming prospects in January, and the Free Agent Draft auction in February or March.
What happens in the dynasty offseason?
Managers extend contracts, buy out or cut players, make trades, protect prospects for the Rule 5 Draft, and prepare for the Amateur and Free Agent drafts. The new season starts automatically once the Extensions and Buyouts & Cuts windows close.
Start your dynasty
Front Office handles the contracts, offseason windows and drafts so your league can focus on building franchises.