The deadline for Major League teams to set their 40-man rosters in advance of next month’s Rule 5 Draft is tonight at 8pm ET. As such, baseball fans should expect to see a flurry of activity over the next 11 hours. There will be likely be players designated for assignment, outrighted and claimed off waivers in addition to multiple smaller-scale trades as teams make room on their own 40-man rosters and also pick up fringe 40-man candidates out of other organizations.
The Rule 5 Draft will take place on the final day of next month’s Winter Meetings (Dec. 14) and allow clubs with open space on the 40-man roster to select Rule 5-eligible players out of other organizations. Rule 5 eligibility is dependent on the age at which a player signed and that player’s experience.
A player that signed at 18 years of age or younger and has played five seasons of pro ball with his organization is Rule 5 eligible if he is not added to the 40-man roster today. Players that signed at 19 or older and have played four seasons are also eligible to be selected if they’re not added to the 40-man roster today. (In other words, college draftees out of the 2014 class, high school draftees out of the 2013 class and most international amateurs signed in the 2013-14 international period are eligible this year if not protected.)
Readers looking for the most obvious candidates to be added can reference this excellent piece from Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. As Mayo notes, there were seven players on MLB.com’s Top 100 prospects list that needed to be added as of this morning: Gleyber Torres (Yankees), Eloy Jimenez (White Sox), Brent Honeywell (Rays), Austin Meadows (Pirates), Stephen Gonsalves (Twins), Jake Bauers (Rays) and Tyler O’Neill (Cardinals). Clearly, all seven of those players will be added to the 40-man roster today.
Mayo also provides a team-by-team rundown of the players from each club’s organizational top 30 prospect rankings that must be protected by tonight’s deadline or else exposed to Rule 5 eligibility, and MLBTR’s Jason Martinez has provided a team-by-team list of some notable players that are Rule 5-eligible as well.
Here’s a quick team-by-team look at the number of open 40-man spaces each team presently has to work with as of this morning:
American League West
- Astros: 2 open spots (depth chart)
- Angels: 8 open spots (depth chart)
- Mariners: 4 open spots (depth chart)
- Rangers: 10 open spots (depth chart)
- Athletics: Full (depth chart)
American League Central
- Indians: 3 open spots (depth chart)
- Twins: 7 open spots (depth chart)
- Royals: 5 open spots (depth chart)
- White Sox: 4 open spots (depth chart)
- Tigers: 9 open spots (depth chart)
American League East
- Red Sox: 3 open spots (depth chart)
- Yankees: 3 open spots (depth chart)
- Rays: 8 open spots (depth chart)
- Orioles: 10 open spots (depth chart)
- Blue Jays: 4 open spots (depth chart)
National League West
- Dodgers: Full (depth chart)
- D-backs: 3 open spots (depth chart)
- Rockies: 7 open spots (depth chart)
- Padres: 2 open spots (depth chart)
- Giants: Full (depth chart)
National League Central
- Cubs: 6 open spots (depth chart)
- Brewers: 5 open spots (depth chart)
- Cardinals: 5 open spots (depth chart)
- Pirates: 4 open spots (depth chart)
- Reds: 7 open spots (depth chart)
National League East
- Nationals: 5 open spots (depth chart)
- Mets: 5 open spots (depth chart)
- Braves: 4 open spots (depth chart)
- Marlins: 6 open spots (depth chart)
- Phillies: 2 open spots (depth chart)
Here’s something that’s confused me. Is it 5 seasons played or 5 seasons since the signing? Eloy Jimenez was signed August 1, 2013, but didn’t play until 2014.
signed. Most IFA don’t play the year they are signed if they’re very young
Wow. I understand the rules for drafted players but I don’t understand why international players, often signed at 16, is only five seasons. Look at the two Phillie catchers. Jorge Alfaro is 24 and out of options. Andrew Knapp is 26 and hasn’t used any.
Yeah I feel like it has to be different for kids who sign that early.
Alfaro was signed at age 17 in 2010, then was added to the 40-man in 2014, so that he wouldn’t be eligible to get picked before 2015. Since then, he’s spent 3 seasons on the 40-man, but only cracked an MLB roster partway through 2017 – his 3rd option year.
Knap, on the other hand, was drafted at 21 in 2013. He didn’t need to be added to the 40-man until this year (the 5th Rule 5 draft after signing), but he spent all of 2017 in the majors, so he hasn’t had to use any options.
The whole point of the Rule 5 is to prevent teams from stockpiling talent in the minors at MiLB salary rates if other teams would be willing to pay them MLB salaries. You get a window of exclusivity (essentially 8 years, if you burn all options) for being the team to take the initial risk on signing him, but that doesn’t mean you get to hold onto him indefinitely. If you’re willing to sign a kid at 16/17, then that implies you see talent in him, and you see enough that you’re willing to take the chance on him not needing to “fill out” past his early 20s to start being worth it.
Very well written take on this. Thank you
Actually since Knapp was drafted at 21 he had to go on the 40 after 2016, the 4th Rule 5 draft after his signing.
Rule 5 doesn’t really prevent teams from stockpiling since only about 15-20 are drafted and half of those players get returned. So most teams lose 1 player at most. There are a lot of players teams don’t add to the 40-man who spend another year in the minors.
What prevents stockpiling is Rule 55. Any player not on the 40 man who has played any part of 7 seasons in the minors becomes a free agent. This allows a player who hasn’t been given an opportunity to get one elsewhere.
They become free agents after six full seasons.
That’s 6 full seasons on the 40-man roster. Years off the 40-man don’t count as service time towards FA eligibility. In theory, if a team didn’t add a player to the 40-man until it was necessary to keep him from Rule 5, a team would have 10 years of control (4 years MiLB, plus 6 years 40-man).
Of course it prevents stockpiling. You only have 40 roster slots, and other teams are eligible to take any other player they like (who’s had a chance to showcase/develop) for a grand total of $50K.
If a player spends 7 years in the minors that means he wasn’t good enough to protect, and nobody picked him in the Rule 5. Stockpiling talent requires that the player have enough talent to be interesting, otherwise you’re just stockpiling career minor leaguers.
“Any player who signed at 18 or younger and has five seasons of professional experience, and any who signed at 19 or older and has four seasons in pro ball, is eligible for the Rule 5 Draft unless he’s protected on his organization’s 40-man roster.” (Technically the age is based on the June 5th immediately prior to signing – not a very important distinction in players drafted in the Rule 4, but potentially important for international signees, who don’t all get picked at the same time)
If you were 18 on the 6/5 immediately prior to being signed, and the upcoming Rule 5 draft is the 5th one since signing, you’re eligible to be drafted unless your team adds you to the 40-man. If you were 19 on the 6/5 immediately prior to being signed, and the upcoming Rule 5 draft is the 4th one since signing, you’re eligible as well.
Head. She gave head.
Better get her on the 40 man to protect her from the rule 5 draft
That’s how you lock up a 40 man roster spot!
Again, I don’t think Torres needs to be protected. He’s only played 4 seasons so he should have one more year to go. I guess we will find out tonight.
He needs to be protected according to other writers here and from BR.
And he doesn’t need to be protected according to other writers I’ve seen.
I guess it’s signed, not played
He was drafted in 2013. I remember it well.
He played as a pro in 2014,2015, 2016, and 2017.
If you’ve played in 4 full seasons, you’re eligible. Three full seasons for older players.
Yes you are correct with your dates for Torres, however you are wrong about the Rule 5 rules:
(From another MLBTR article from today)
Note: Players that signed at 18 years of age or younger and have played five seasons of pro ball are Rule 5 eligible unless added to the 40-man roster today. Players that signed at 19 or older and have played four seasons are also eligible if they’re not added to the 40-man roster today. (In other words, college draftees out of the 2014 class, high school draftees out of the 2013 class and most international amateurs signed in the 2013-14 international period are eligible this year if not protected.)
Torres signed as a 17 year old and only played 4 seasons. He shouldn’t be eligible and I don’t think he is. If he was, surely Cashman would have already added him by now.
This is what I asking about above. If Torres was signed before the end of the minor league season in 2013 he’s eligible.
Torres signed as a 16 year old.
He was signed on July 4th or 5th.
If the Yankees were the Browns they would leave Torres off and another team would take him because they suck as a franchise. The current Yankee front office is anything but that…unfortunately for the rest of the teams.
It’s the # of Rule 5 drafts that have passed since the signing. Torres is eligible for the fifth Rule 5 draft after he signed. He signed in in July 2013, making this winter’s Rule 5 draft the fifth one since he signed.
Anxious to see who the Dodgers leave off their 40 man could be some good players available
Their 40 man is already set. There isn’t anyone that good available.
Great explanation of the complicated Rule 5 draft Steve….thanks.
Hoping the Jays purge some non-prospects and scoop up some depth pieces, regardless of Rule 5 status. There have to be castoffs better than Carrera, Goins, Refsnyder, Rowley.
Hoping the Orioles fill up on cheap starting pitching who will collectively have a 5.50 ERA. Sign Kyle Kendrick in spring training. “That’s all I need,” says inventor of baseball, Buck Showalter.
I’m looking forward to MLBTR’s article on the best unprotected prospects. There should be a few teams who get squeezed…lord knows my team (Mets) could benefit from a few flyers on other teams’ talent.
I love how the Padres have zero top 30 to protect and two spots open. I bet they’re excited.
Two straight times, they’ve taken Cardinals players.
If they don’t like it they should have protected those guys
Pretty much.
They do have a couple relief prospects who aren’t in their top 30 but are eligible and will likely be protected. They have a HUGE Rule 5 roster crunch coming up next offseason.