The draft occurs every December at the Winter Meetings and will be held today at noon and is named “Rule 5” for where it is placed among MLB rules. The Rule 5 was intended to keep teams from stockpiling to many prospects in their farm system.
The draft itself is made up of teams who have open spots on their current 40-man roster, as the player they select is automatically added to it. The first pick goes to the team with the worst record in baseball and on from there. A player costs $50k when selected and if returned, he is offered back at $25k.
Once a player is chosen, he is placed on his new teams 25-man roster and must remain there for the entire season. If a player is waived by his new team, he goes through waiver the waiver process and if not selected, must be offered back to his previous team. Important to note, if waived and selected or trader, the Rule 5 rules apply to that players new team. Lastly, the Rule 5 player must be active for 90 days minimum.
A players eligibility is based on them not being on their current teams 40-man roster and were either 18 years or younger on June 5 of the year they were signed and have spent 5 years in the minors, or were 19 on that same date when signed and in the minors for 4 years.
There are also Rule 5 Drafts for Triple-A and Double-A as well.
The Top Rule 5 players selected in my opinion…
Last year the Tigers selected Victor Reyes
