We are less that 2 weeks away from the rule 5 draft so I figured this would be a good time to write a little bit about it. There are 2 phases to the draft.
Major league phase. Any player not on the 40 man roster can be claimed. You have to have an open spot on your roster to claim someone. If you claim a player, they have to remain in your active 26 man roster all season or have to be returned to their original team. There are only a few players I am worried about losing. Ivan Johnson, Ryan Nutof and TJ Hopkins.
Minor league phase. Any player, not on the 40 man roster or on the AAA Louisville roster is at risk. Basically, the Reds can protect 78 players, if I’m understanding it right. Look for the Reds to add players from lower levels to the AAA roster to protect them. If you select a player in the minor league phase, they can be placed at any level. I look for the Reds to lose and gain several players in the minor league phase.
Players that have to be protected, I think I see a couple names of players that are no longer with the team. I’ll have to look them up when I get a chance.
James Free
Daniel Vellojin
Michel Triana
Ivan Johnson
Quincy McAfee
Nick Quintana
Nickolas Northcut
TJ Hopkins
Drew Mount
Brian Rey
Quin Cotton
Ashton Creal
Randy Wynn
Eduardo Salazar
Connor Curlis
Tanner Cooper
Jacob Heatherly
Daniel Duarte
Michael Byrne
Eddy Demurias
Andy Fisher
Ryan Nutof
Pedro Garcia
Nick Howard
Evan Kravetz
Spencer Stockton
Luis Mey
Jayvien Sandridge