In the coming days, all 30 Major League organizations have some serious decisions to make.
They have until Nov. 20 to decide what they will do with their 40-man rosters. Some prospects will earn a coveted spot, some will not and will thus be eligible to be taken by the other 29 teams in the Rule 5 Draft, which will take place on Dec. 10.
Players first signed at age 18 or younger must be added to 40-man rosters within five seasons or they become eligible to be drafted by other organizations through the Rule 5 process. Players signed at 19 years or older have to be protected within four seasons. Clubs pay $100,000 to select a player in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. If that player doesn’t stay on the MLB roster for the full season, he must be offered back to his former team for $50,000.
For this year, that means an international or high school Draft pick signed in 2016 — assuming he was 18 or younger as of June 5 of that year — has to be protected. A college player taken in the 2017 Draft is in the same position.
There are seven players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list who need to be protected or become exposed to the Rule 5 Draft.
17) Forrest Whitley, RHP (Astros)
20) Matt Manning, RHP (Tigers)
38) Nolan Jones, 3B (Indians)
51) Taylor Trammell, OF (Mariners)
73) Brandon Marsh, OF (Angels)
79) Geraldo Perdomo, SS (D-backs)
81) Jordan Balazovic, RHP (Twins)
All of these Top 100 prospects expect to be protected. Over the past five seasons, all 52 Top 100 prospects who were eligible got roster spots (2019: 13; 2018: 8; 2017: 8; 2016: 12; 2015: 11). Obviously, many more players than the handful of Top 100 prospects listed above are eligible to be added to their team’s 40-man roster. There were more than 1,700 players who were Rule 5 eligible in 2019, for example, with 149 of them on organizational Top 30 lists at the time. Of those 149 prospects, 87 (58.3 percent) were protected.
That was an uptick in protected Top 30 prospects from 2018, when 71 of the 149 earned roster spots (47.6 percent), but was more in line with the 2017 (85 of 153 eligible Top 30 prospects, or 55.6 percent) and 2016 (84 out of 144, 58 percent) rates. Back in 2015, 48 percent (75 of 156) Top 30 prospects were protected from the Rule 5 Draft.
Here’s a list of all 30 teams’ Top 30 prospects who need to be protected to avoid being exposed to the Rule 5 Draft:
Arizona Diamondbacks:
3) Geraldo Perdomo, SS
8) Luis Frias, RHP
10) J.B. Bukauskas, RHP
13) Stuart Fairchild, OF
Atlanta Braves:
6) Kyle Muller, LHP
25) Thomas Burrows, LHP
Baltimore Orioles:
8) Yusniel Diaz, OF
9) Michael Baumann, RHP
11) Zac Lowther, LHP
19) Alexander Wells, LHP
25) Rylan Bannon, 2B/3B
26) Cody Sedlock, RHP
27) Brenan Hanifee, RHP
Boston Red Sox:
4) Bryan Mata, RHP
7) Jay Groome, LHP
16) Jeisson Rosario, OF
19) Connor Wong, C/2B/3B
20) Hudson Potts, 3B/2B
23) Connor Seabold, RHP
Chicago Cubs:
11) Christopher Morel, 3B
12) Cory Abbott, RHP
26) Keegan Thompson, RHP
30) Brendon Little, LHP
Chicago White Sox:
10) Gavin Sheets, 1B
14) Jake Burger, 3B
24) Tyler Johnson, RHP
25) Lenyn Sosa, SS
28) Luis Mieses, OF
29) Will Kincanon, RHP
Cincinnati Reds:
16) Riley O’Brien, RHP
17) Vladimir Gutierrez, RHP
18) Jacob Heatherly, LHP
19) Alfredo Rodriguez, SS
20) TJ Friedl, OF
23) Joel Kuhnel, RHP
24) Mariel Bautista, OF
28) Jared Solomon, RHP
Cleveland Indians:
1) Nolan Jones, 3B
6) Gabriel Arias, SS
22) Carlos Vargas, RHP
25) Luis Oviedo, RHP
30) Will Benson, OF
Colorado Rockies:
7) Colton Welker, 3B
15) Helcris Olivarez, LHP
19) Daniel Montano, OF
26) Riley Pint, RHP
30) Ever Moya, LHP
Detroit Tigers:
3) Matt Manning, RHP
9) Joey Wentz, LHP
10) Alex Faedo, RHP
16) Wenceel Perez, SS
30) Elvin Rodriguez, RHP
Houston Astros:
1) Forrest Whitley, RHP
2) Freudis Nova, INF
8) Jairo Solis, RHP
12) Tyler Ivey, RHP
14) Jose Alberto Rivera, RHP
19) Luis Santana, 2B/3B
27) Peter Solomon, RHP
29) Ronnie Dawson, OF
Kansas City Royals:
8) Khalil Lee, OF
14) Seuly Matias, OF
18) Brewer Hicklen, OF
22) Daniel Tillo, LHP
24) Yefri Del Rosario, RHP
Los Angeles Angels:
1) Brandon Marsh, OF
6) Chris Rodriguez, RHP
12) Packy Naughton, LHP
13) Jose Soriano, RHP
17) Oliver Ortega, RHP
19) Livan Soto, SS
23) Orlando Martinez, OF
24) Kevin Maitan, 3B/SS/2B
26) Leonardo Rivas, SS
Los Angeles Dodgers:
16) Gerardo Carrillo, RHP
21) Omar Estevez, 2B/SS
22) Edwin Uceta, RHP
27) Brett de Geus, RHP
28) Andre Jackson, RHP
30) Cody Thomas, OF
Miami Marlins:
13) Jose Devers, SS
17) Jerar Encarnacion, OF
Milwaukee Brewers:
4) Mario Feliciano, C
14) Zack Brown, RHP
15) Payton Henry, C
24) Alec Bettinger, RHP
25) Dylan File, RHP
28) Lucas Erceg, 3B/1B
29) Pablo Abreu, OF
Minnesota Twins:
4) Jordan Balazovic, RHP
9) Wander Javier, SS
13) Akil Baddoo, OF
22) Jose Miranda, INF
25) Yunior Severino, 2B
27) Benjamin Rortvedt, C
30) Gabriel Maciel, OF
New York Mets:
14) Shervyen Newton, INF
18) Dedniel Nunez, RHP
22) Michel Otanez, RHP
27) Tony Dibrell, RHP
29) Daison Acosta, RHP
30) Luis Carpio, INF
New York Yankees:
4) Oswald Peraza, SS
8) Alexander Vizcaino, RHP
9) Yoendrys Gomez, RHP
19) Roansy Contreras, RHP
24) Trevor Stephan, RHP
Oakland Athletics:
12) Jordan Diaz, 3B
13) Greg Deichmann, OF
18) Lazaro Armenteros, OF
23) Buddy Reed, OF
24) Brian Howard, RHP
25) Miguel Romero, RHP
26) Parker Dunshee, RHP
Philadelphia Phillies:
4) Francisco Morales, RHP
9) Enyel De Los Santos, RHP
11) Simon Muzziotti, OF
13) Nick Maton, SS
15) Damon Jones, LHP
19) Jhailyn Ortiz, OF
20) Rodolfo Duran, C
21) David Parkinson, LHP
25) Arquimedes Gamboa, SS
26) Kyle Dohy, LHP
27) Kyle Young, LHP
29) Daniel Brito, 2B
Pittsburgh Pirates:
19) Santiago Florez, RHP
21) Kevin Kramer, 2B
23) Lolo Sanchez, OF
24) Max Kranick, RHP
26) Rodolfo Castro, INF
30) Travis MacGregor, RHP
San Diego Padres:
8) Tucupita Marcano, INF
10) Reggie Lawson, RHP
17) Tirso Ornelas, OF
19) Esteury Ruiz, 2B
23) Lake Bachar, RHP
26) Pedro Avila, RHP
28) Eguy Rosario, INF
29) Jordy Barley, SS
San Francisco Giants:
7) Alexander Canario, OF
17) Gregory Santos, RHP
25) Camilo Doval, RHP
Seattle Mariners:
5) Taylor Trammell, OF
14) Juan Then, RHP
20) Sam Delaplane, RHP
21) Joe Rizzo, 3B
23) Wyatt Mills, RHP
St. Louis Cardinals:
4) Ivan Herrera, C
13) Angel Rondon, RHP
15) Julio Rodriguez, C
24) Juan Yepez, OF/1B/3B
27) Roel Ramirez, RHP
30) Alvaro Seijas, RHP
Tampa Bay Rays:
10) Josh Lowe, OF
15) Moises Gomez, OF
17) Taylor Walls, SS
24) Paul Campbell, RHP
Texas Rangers:
14) David Garcia, C
20) Yerry Rodriguez, RHP
21) A.J. Alexy, RHP
Toronto Blue Jays:
8) Gabriel Moreno, C
13) Otto Lopez, SS/2B
19) Kevin Smith, SS/3B
22) Riley Adams, C
26) Josh Winckowski, RHP
30) Chavez Young, OF
Washington Nationals:
14) Israel Pineda, C
16) Joan Adon, RHP
24) Sterling Sharp, RHP
27) Raudy Read, C
28) Cole Freeman, OF/2B
29) Nick Banks, OF