Today marks one of my favorite days in MLB's Winter Meetings: the Rule 5 Draft. As many of you may already know, the draft's structure is essentially a wide-ranging game of Sophie's Choice: Prospect Edition. The rules get finnicky around age, but the essential gist is this -- if you are a prospect with five years of experience, and you are unprotected on your team's 40-man roster, you are up for grabs in the draft. The catch is that any player taken in the Rule 5 draft must be kept on the receiving team's 25-man roster for the remainder of the year; if they are not, they must be sent back to their original team. That original team then can take the prospect back, refuse the prospect, or work out a trade.
The Rule 5 has produced such diamonds in the rough as: Roberto Clemente, Joakim Soria, Johan Santana, Dan Uggla, David Herndon, and Shane "We Miss U" Victorino. Also Michael Martinez. Cough.
Anyway, I'll have a rolling update of who's been taken, but as the draft moves quickly, we're basically at completion, so you can use this space as reactions and ragings until we get official prospect word from Cormican.
1. Astros take 3B RHP Josh Fields from Red Sox
2. Cubs take RHP Hector Rondon from Indians
3. Rockies take LHP Daniel Rosenbaum from Nationals
4. Twins take RHP Ryan Pressly from Red Sox
5. Indians take 1B Chris McGuiness from Rangers
6. Marlins take OF Alfredo Silverio from Dodgers
7. Red Sox take Jeffrey Kobernus from Nationals; subsequently traded to Tigers
8. Royals take no one.
9. Blue Jays take no one.
10. Mets take LHP Kyle Lobstein from Rays; expected to be traded to Tigers
11. Mariners take no one
12. Padres take no one
13. Pirates take no one
14. Diamondbacks take RHP Starlin Peralta from the Cubs; reportedly are mad that they got the "other" Starlin
15. Phillies take OF Ender Inciarte from the Diamondbacks (!!!)
16. Brewers take no one
17. White Sox take infielder Angel Sanchez from the Angels
18. Dodgers take no one
19. Cardinals take no one
20. Tigers take no one
21. Angels take no one
22. Rays take no one
23. Orioles take LHP T.J. McFarland from the Indians
24. Rangers take RHP Coty Woods from the Rockies.
25. Athletics take no one
26. Giants take no one
27. Braves take no one
28. Yankees take no one
29. Reds take no one
30. Nationals take no one
And in the bonus second round!
Astros take 1B Nate Freiman from the Padres
Marlins take LHP (and second best name) Braulio Lara from the Rays