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Designated for Assignment (DFA)
The term designated for assignment, frequently abbreviated as "DFA," is a classification for players that are temporarily not on any roster in a team's organization. In OOTP, the DFA area comes into play in numerous situations, but only in leagues that have affiliated minor leagues:
Essentially, the DFA rule allows a team to leave a roster spot open while it figures out what it's going to do with a player. As we'll see below, there are certain situations in which a team needs a player's permission to either trade him or send him to the minors.
Once the DFA time has expired, you will not be able to advance the game date until you have either assigned the player or released him.
- When you have acquired a new player, by draft, trade, waiver claim, or free agency
- When you waive a player, under certain circumstances
- When you remove a player from the secondary roster
What is Designated for Assignment?
DFA is essentially a sort of 'limbo' where a player goes when he's temporarily not on any roster. The most common use of DFA is when you take a player off your secondary roster, and he has to clear waivers. When you want to remove a player from your secondary roster, it's usually because you need that spot for another player. Without DFA, you wouldn't be able to add another player to your secondary roster until the waived player cleared waivers. Luckily, when the player is designated for assignment, he doesn't count toward any roster limits, such as the active or secondary roster limits. So as soon as one player is DFAed, you are free to add a new player to the secondary or active roster.Essentially, the DFA rule allows a team to leave a roster spot open while it figures out what it's going to do with a player. As we'll see below, there are certain situations in which a team needs a player's permission to either trade him or send him to the minors.
Viewing the DFA Area
Your DFA (designated for assignment) area can been seen on the Waivers and DFA subpage of the Transactions page. Again, this page is only available if you have affiliated minor leagues.
What Can I Do with a Player on the DFA List?
Once a player is designated for assignment, you can do the following things with him.- You can assign him to your active roster. You must put the player on the secondary roster as well.
- You can assign him to a minor league roster. Players with five or more years of major league service can refuse assignment to the minors. If the player has a major league contract, he must be placed on the secondary roster before being assigned to the minors. If the player has no minor league option years remaining, he must clear irrevocable waivers before being assigned to the minors.
- You can attempt to negotiate a trade involving the player.
- You can release the player.
Designated for Assignment Time Limit
Players can remain on the DFA list for only a certain number of calendar days. By default the value is 10 days, but this is also customizable in the Roster Rules section of the Rules page during game creation, or after game creation by navigating to OOTP Menu | Game Setup | League Setup tab | Rules tab.
Once the DFA time has expired, you will not be able to advance the game date until you have either assigned the player or released him.
