Press Releases

The Doubleday Baseball League is pleased to announce that the League Office has officially finalized the previously announced franchise relocations for the 1998 season.

The Seattle Pilots have officially relocated to Las Vegas and will now compete as the Las Vegas Angels.

The New York Yankees have officially relocated to Philadelphia and will now compete as the Philadelphia Phillies.

The DBL would like to thank the cities of Seattle and New York for their many years of support. Seattle has been home to multiple DBL franchises throughout league history, while New York held the unique distinction of being the only city to host two franchises simultaneously with both the Yankees and Mets.

At the same time, the league is excited to welcome professional DBL baseball back to Philadelphia for the first time since the Phillies relocated following the 1979 season, as well as welcome Las Vegas as the newest home of a DBL franchise.

The League Office has completed updates to the league website, and all team branding, logos, and references have been updated to reflect these changes.

We look forward to the next chapter of DBL baseball in Las Vegas and Philadelphia.

The Doubleday Baseball League officially announces that the New York Yankees franchise will be relocating and rebranding as the Philadelphia Phillies beginning with the 1998 season.

The Yankees organization has been one of the cornerstone franchises of the DBL since the league’s inaugural 1976 season. For over two decades, the club proudly represented New York City and remained one of the league’s most historic and recognizable organizations throughout its entire existence.

With this relocation, the Yankees era in New York comes to an end — marking the conclusion of one of the longest-standing franchise identities in league history.

The DBL would like to sincerely thank the city of New York for its decades of support and partnership. Since the league’s founding, New York has held the unique distinction of being the only city in the DBL to host two franchises simultaneously: the Yankees and the New York Mets. That chapter of league history now closes as the Mets become the sole remaining representative of New York City within the DBL.

While today is a sad day for many throughout the league, history has shown that baseball can one day return to cities that lose their clubs.

Ironically, the Philadelphia Phillies were themselves one of the original DBL franchises in 1976 before relocating following the 1979 season and becoming the Toronto Blue Jays. Now, nearly twenty seasons later, professional DBL baseball officially returns to Philadelphia once again.

League officials expressed optimism that, much like Philadelphia eventually welcomed baseball back to the city, the Yankees name and franchise identity may one day return to New York sometime in the future.

Additional information regarding the Philadelphia Phillies organization, including logos, branding, and franchise updates, will be released in the coming weeks.

The Doubleday Baseball League would like to announce that Turnpike has been removed from ownership of the Cleveland Spiders organization.

We would like to sincerely thank Turnpike for their time, dedication, and contributions to both the Spiders franchise and the DBL community. Their efforts and participation within the league have been greatly appreciated.

On behalf of the DBL, we wish Turnpike all the best in their future endeavors. The door will always remain open should they ever decide to return to the league in the future.

With this departure, the Cleveland Spiders organization will now enter the ownership search process as the DBL begins looking for new leadership for the franchise. Until new ownership is secured, the league office will assume control of the organization, with Grim handling day-to-day operations of the team on behalf of the league.

The Doubleday Baseball League would like to announce that the 1997 Draft Class has officially been imported into StatsPlus.

In addition, the official draft order has now been loaded, and organizations may begin setting up and organizing their draft boards in preparation for the upcoming Rookie Draft.

The DBL Rookie Draft is scheduled to begin on Friday, June 12th at 9:00 AM Pacific Time.

Draft timing rules will be as follows:

• Round 1 — 24 hours per selection • Rounds 2 through 4 — 12 hours per selection • Round 5 — 6 hours per selection

To help accommodate owners across multiple schedules and time zones, the draft clock will pause nightly between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM.

Organizations are encouraged to begin finalizing scouting reports, ranking prospects, and preparing for potential draft-day trades as the next generation of DBL talent prepares to enter the league.

The Doubleday Baseball League would like to officially announce that the 1998 Rookie Draft will begin on Friday, June 12th at 9:00 AM Pacific Time.

Draft start times by time zone are as follows:

• Pacific Time — 9:00 AM • Mountain Time — 10:00 AM • Central Time — 11:00 AM • Eastern Time — 12:00 PM (Noon) • Atlantic Time — 1:00 PM

The draft will be conducted through StatsPlus.

League administration will be working on setting up the StatsPlus draft environment on Sunday, June 7th, including importing the draft class and official draft order so that owners may begin preparing and organizing their draft boards ahead of draft day.

The league would also like to remind owners that first-round selections will operate on a 24-hour clock in order to allow organizations adequate time to make franchise-defining decisions.

Beginning with the second round, the draft clock will be reduced to 12 hours per selection.

To help accommodate owners across multiple schedules and time zones, the draft timer will pause during overnight hours each day. Additional details regarding overnight pause windows will be communicated prior to the start of the draft.

In preparation for the draft, the league file has now been simmed through December 29th, placing the league calendar one day prior to the in-game draft date.

Organizations are encouraged to finalize scouting reports, evaluate draft boards, and continue trade discussions as the next generation of DBL talent prepares to enter the league.

The Doubleday Baseball League would like to remind all organizations that the Franchise Contract system remains scheduled to be phased out following the 2001 season.

As previously announced, teams may continue to apply Franchise Contracts through the 2000 season only. Any Franchise Contract applied during the 2000 season will cover the 2000 and 2001 seasons before the system is officially retired.

Beginning after the 2000 season, clubs will no longer be permitted to issue new Franchise Contracts.

Remaining Franchise Contract eligibility is as follows:

• Applied in 1997: Covers 1997–2001 • Applied in 1998: Covers 1998–2001 • Applied in 1999: Covers 1999–2001 • Applied in 2000: Covers 2000–2001

Following the completion of the 2001 season, all Franchise Contracts will expire and the system will be fully removed from the DBL contract structure.

Teams are encouraged to keep these timelines in mind as they continue long-term roster and financial planning.

The Doubleday Baseball League would like to announce that updated player demand numbers for both Extensions and Restricted Free Agents are now available on team pages within the Clubhouse Portal.

Owners can locate these numbers by navigating to:

Teams Page → Finance Section → Extensions or RFAs

These demand values are now being generated through the new Clubhouse Algorithm rather than the default OOTP financial system. This marks another major step in the league’s transition toward expanded custom financial and contract systems within the Clubhouse platform.

Owners are encouraged to begin reviewing their player demands and planning accordingly for upcoming extension decisions and Restricted Free Agent negotiations.

Ownership Update – Colorado Rockies, Cincinnati Reds, and Baltimore Orioles

The Doubleday Baseball League is pleased to announce that new ownership has officially been secured for two franchises entering the upcoming season.

The Colorado Rockies will now be operated by chef_joe, while the Cincinnati Reds will now be under the ownership of cheesymoney.

The league would like to welcome both new owners to the DBL and looks forward to their contributions both on and off the field as they begin building the next chapter for their respective organizations.

In addition, the DBL is continuing its search for new ownership for the Baltimore Orioles. If a permanent owner is not secured prior to the start of league operations, the league office will temporarily oversee management of the franchise until new ownership is finalized.

The DBL remains committed to maintaining stability and competitiveness across the league and appreciates the patience and support of all owners during this transition period.

Additional updates regarding league operations and ownership developments will be announced as they become available.

The Doubleday Baseball League officially announces that the ownership group of the Seattle Pilots has successfully negotiated a franchise relocation agreement with the DBL League Office.

Beginning next season, the franchise will relocate to Las Vegas, Nevada, and will compete as the Las Vegas Angels.

League officials and ownership representatives finalized the agreement following extensive discussions regarding the long-term future and stability of the organization. The relocation marks a new chapter for the franchise while bringing DBL baseball to one of the fastest-growing sports markets in North America.

The DBL would like to extend its sincere gratitude to the city of Seattle for its partnership and support throughout the league’s history. Seattle has played host to multiple DBL franchises over the years and has long been an important part of the league’s identity and history.

“The city of Seattle has always been a valued member of the DBL family,” league officials stated. “We thank the fans, ownership groups, and community partners who supported DBL baseball throughout the years. While this chapter is coming to a close, we firmly believe the door remains open for DBL baseball to one day return to Seattle.”

Additional information regarding the Las Vegas Angels, including branding, scheduling, and organizational updates, will be announced in the coming weeks.

1997 DBL Most Valuable Player

The Doubleday Baseball League is proud to announce the winner of the 1997 Federal League Most Valuable Player.

Barry Bonds of the Boston Red Sox has been named the 1997 Atlantic Most Valuable Player winner, earning 43 points on 13 ballots cast.

The Doubleday Baseball League is proud to announce the winner of the 1997 United League Most Valuable Player.

Pedro Martinez of the Montreal Expos has been named the 1997 Pacific Most Valuable Player winner, earning 39 points on 12 ballots cast.