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If there is one aspect of the Winter Meetings that isn’t hampered at all by the lack of actual meetings, it’s the Rule 5 Draft. Major League teams enter today with the knowledge of both whether or not they will make a pick, as well as who their selection would be. With a 40-man roster containing only 34 names, and a front office history of giving the Rule 5 the old college try, my bet is that we
do see the Chicago Cubs make at least one selection today.
Below this introduction, I’m live-blogging the draft as it rolls on.
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With a lack of a 2020 Minor League season, or even an Arizona Fall League, the general feeling ahead of Thursday’s Rule 5 Draft was the annual event that typically ends with the Winter Meetings would be relatively quiet.
Turns out, that feeling was wrong.
A total of 18 players were taken in the Major League phase, tying the 2016 and ‘17 Drafts for the most selections since 19 were taken back in 2010. The Minor League phase was extremely active, with 56 players taken. The total of 74 players selected was the most since 79 picks were made in the 2004 Rule 5 Draft. A total of 15 of the 18 players taken in the Major League phase were right-handed pitchers, while two outfielders and a shortstop were also selected.
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PITTSBURGH The Pirates acquired two interesting, potentially high-upside arms in the annual Rule 5 Draft on Thursday.
Pittsburgh used the first overall pick to select right-hander Jose Soriano from the Angels farm system. Soriano, 22, was the Halos No. 13 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and might have ranked higher if he hadn’t undergone Tommy John surgery in February. The Pirates also acquired right-hander Luis Oviedo, a 6-foot-4 right-hander from the Indians system, after he was selected ninth overall by the Mets. Pittsburgh sent New York cash considerations for Oviedo.
Soriano and Oviedo filled the two open spots on the Pirates’ 40-man roster. Whether they pan out or not, those two selections align well with the Pirates’ pursuit of high-upside young talent especially pitching under general manager Ben Cherington. This year, Cherington has acquired six pitchers who currently rank among the club’s Top 30 prospects: Brennan Malone (No. 7)
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