If exporting your team in Out of the Park Baseball fails with "Error -201: Connect error", the cause is almost always a single setting: FTP Mode is set to Active or Default instead of Passive.
The fix
In OOTP, open File → Online League → Online League FTP Options and set FTP Mode → Passive mode. Save, then export your team again.
That resolves the large majority of -201 reports.
Why Active mode fails
The two FTP modes differ in who opens the data connection:
| Mode | Who opens the data connection | Works on home internet? |
|---|---|---|
| Active | The server connects back to your computer | Usually no — routers and firewalls block it |
| Passive | Your computer opens both connections outbound | Yes |
In Active mode the server has to reach your machine directly. Behind a home router doing NAT, there is no open inbound path, so the connection never establishes and OOTP reports -201. Passive mode makes both connections outbound from your computer, which routers allow by default.
There is no downside to Passive for league play. Use it.
If Passive mode did not fix it
The second cause is a TLS mismatch inherited from your commissioner.
OOTP general managers cannot use TLS. The manager-side FTP dialog offers only Active and Passive — there is no Secure FTP option. But managers inherit the commissioner's FTP Mode through the quick-start file. If the commissioner selected "Passive; Secure FTP (TLS)", your OOTP client is configured to attempt a TLS connection it has no way to make, and the export fails with the same -201.
The commissioner fixes this on their end:
- In OOTP, open Game Settings → Online League → Online League Settings.
- On League File Download and Team File Transfer, set FTP Mode to "Passive; Standard FTP" — not a TLS mode.
- Regenerate the manager's quick-start code and send it again.
Report Upload can stay on TLS if the commissioner prefers, because managers never touch that section.
Other things worth checking
- Stale credentials. If your commissioner rotated the league password, your
saved settings are out of date. Ask for a fresh quick-start code, or download
the league's accounts file and replace the one in your local league's
settingsfolder. - Port. OOTP connects on port 21. If your settings show port 22, that is an SFTP port and OOTP cannot use it — see Does OOTP support SFTP?.
- A VPN or corporate firewall. Both can block FTP data channels. Try disabling the VPN for the transfer.
A related code worth knowing
If you get -202 ("upload error") rather than -201, the meaning is different: OOTP connected and authenticated fine but could not write the file. That is a permissions problem on the server's export directory, not a mode or network problem. The full list is in every OOTP online league error code.
Still stuck?
If you host with SimHosts, your commissioner can run a one-click connection test that opens the exact connection OOTP uses and reports what failed — usually faster than guessing. Otherwise, ask your commissioner to confirm the host, port, FTP Mode, and that your username still exists on the server.