Winter Meetings are upon us and that means loads of transactions are bound to happen. It also means the Rule 5 Draft is just around the corner. It will take place on December 13.
This draft is a good time to find talent that other teams just do not have room for. Players like Roberto Clemente have come out of the Rule 5 Draft before. Though more often than not these selections still need a little more seasoning before their true potential is seen.
Last years top pick, Victor Reyes, is a great example of that. He made the jump from Double A to the majors and hit .222 in his rookie year with inconsistent playing time. While it was clear that Reyes was not quite ready, he flashed potential of what made him look so enticing to the Detroit Tigers.
Other players can be contributors right away. Brad Keller was taken by the fifth by the Cincinnati Reds, then dealt to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. In his rookie year, Keller was worth 2.5 fWAR.
Becoming Rule 5 Eligible
The purpose of implementing the Rule 5 Draft is to keep teams from stashing talent in the minors. Of course, there are several rules to keep in mind.
If a player is not on the 40-man roster and they have a certain amount of experience, they can be selected. The professional experience is key.
For players who signed at 18 or younger, they need five years under their belt to be eligible for selection. If a player signs at 19 or older, it takes just four years to susceptible.
A key component to this whole process is that any player taken must remain at the MLB level for the whole season following their selection. If a team wants to remove their draftee from the 25-man roster, they must put him on waivers. If the player clears waivers he will be offered back to his old team for $50,000. Should the old team not want the player, he can be outrighted to the minors.
Another caveat is that the player needs to procure 90 active days on the roster in order to avoid the same rules applying the following year.
As seen in the case of Keller, Rule 5 Draft selections can be traded. However, that does not lift any of the restrictions on the player.
There are several talented players this year to keep an eye on. For a full list of each team’s top prospects eligible this season, click here.