2014 Rule 5 Draft

UPDATE: The Cubs selected 2B-SS Taylor Featherston off the AAA Albuquerque roster (Colorado Rockies) in the Major League Phase of the 2014 Rule 5 Draft, and OF-1B Ariel Ovando from the AA Corpus Christi roster (Houston Astros) in the AAA Phase... The Cubs subsequently dealt Featherston to the Los Angeles Angels for cash considerations... The 6'4 225 Ovando was signed by Houston out of the Dominican Republic as a highly-regarded 16-year old left-handed hitting slugging RF in 2010, but he has been unable to hit anywhere over the last four seasons and has yet to get past Short-Season "A" ball... The Cubs are expected to convert Ovando to a LHP... 

The Miami Marlins selected LHRP Andrew McKirahan off the AAA Iowa roster (Cubs) in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft, and the Texas Rangers selected 1B Rock Shoulders and the Houston Astros selected C Luis Flores off the AA Tennessee roster (Cubs) in the AAA Phase... A 2011 21st round selection by the Cubs out of the University of Texas, McKirahan underwent TJS in 2012 and spent most of the 2013 season rehabbing at Fitch Park, and so 2014 was his first full-season of minor league ball... He had a nice year combined between Daytona & Tennessee in 2014, but he fared better against RH hitters than he did versus LH hitters... A power-hitting LH hitter with below-average defensive skills at 1B, Shoulders was the Cubs 25th round draft pick out of a Florida JC in 2011. and he received an "overslot" bonus ($294,000, which is about equal to "4th round money"),.. Shoulders was blocked by Dan Vogelbach and Anthony Rizzo in the Cubs system, and the opportunity to rotate Vogelbach and Shoulders between 1B and DH every day (as has been the case the last three seasons) is not possible at AA (where the DH is used only sporadically)... A Houston-native, the 28-year old Flores was the Cubs 5th round pick out of Oklahoma State in 2008... He was eligible to be a minor league free-agent post-2014, but opted to sign a minor league successor contract wiith the Cubs in October... He received an NRI to Spring Training as an extra catcher each of the last two seasons... Flores has a really good eye at the plate and has solid defensive skills, and he has been a role model and mentor to some of the younger Cub minor leaguers... 

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The Rule 5 Selection Meeting (AKA "Rule 5 Draft") is the last order of business at the MLB Winter Meetings, and it is a mechanism that allows MLB clubs to select (draft) players off minor league reserve lists.

There is a "Major League Phase" where an MLB club can select Rule 5 Draft eligible players off the reserve lists of minor league clubs for $50,000, a "AAA Phase" where a club's AAA minor league affiliate can select Rule 5 Draft eligible players off the reserve lists of minor league clubs of a lower classification for $12,000, and finally a "AA Phase" where a club's AA minor league affiliate can select Rule 5 Draft eligible players off the reserve lists of Class "A" clubs for $4,000.

Cubs minor leaguers mentioned in the media as possible Rule 5 targets this year include LHRP Andrew McKirahan, SS Marco Hernandez, and INF Gioskar Amaya (who was converted to catcher at Fall Instructs), but I would also add RHSP Ivan Pineyro. LHRP Hunter Cervenka, and RHP Starling Peralta as possibilities. (Peralta was eligible to be a minor league free-agent post-2014, but he signed a 2015 minor league successor contract with the Cubs before he hit the open market). 21-year old "five-tool" OF Jeffrey Baez is the best prospect on the Cubs 2014 Rule 5 Draft eligibility list, but he only reached Lo-A Kane County in mid-season and is probably several years away from being MLB-ready.

Of course all it takes is one MLB "mystery" club to like a certain player, and all of the prognostications go out the window.   

Because the Cubs have one of the top farm systems in baseball, it might seem logical that one or more Cubs minor league players of value were left off the Cubs MLB 40-man roster when reserve lists were filed on 11/20, but the Cubs really don't have any one 2014 Rule 5 Draft eligible player who stands out as a "lock" to get selected. Hernandez, Amaya, Peralta, and Baez have yet to reach AA, McKirahan is tougher against RH hitters than he is versus LH hitters, Cervenka is more of a true"LOOGY" (lefty relief specialist) but he has control issues, and although Pineyro looked good in the AFL, he battled a forearm strain in 2014. 

Of more interest to me is what players the Cubs left off their AAA Iowa reserve list. Unlike the MLB Reserve List (which has a 40-man limit, hence it is known as the "40-man roster"), minor league reserve lists have a lower player limit. The AAA reserve list limit is 38 players, meaning that at most the Cubs were able to place 38 of their Rule 5 Draft eligible minor leaguers on the Iowa reserve list when it was filed with the MLB office on November 20th. However, in practice most MLB clubs leave 3-5 slots open on their AAA reserve list prior to the Rule 5 Draft to provide slots for minor league free-agents who are signed between 11/20 and the Rule 5 Draft (like ex-BOS utility INF Jonathan Herrera, who the Cubs signed last week), and to provide a slot or two for any players the Cubs might want to select in the AAA Phase of the draft. 

Players selected in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft can be re-claimed if the player is unable to stick on the drafting club's MLB 25-man roster (and more than 50% do not stick), but players selected in the AAA and AA phases are lost for good without the right to re-claim.

Last year the Miami Marlins selected 1B Justin Bour off the Cubs AA Tennessee Smokies roster in the AAA Phase of the draft for $12,000. and Bour had a nice season for the Marlins at AAA New Orleans, and then he held his own after getting a mid-season call-up to Miami. Because he was selected in the AAA Phase of last year's Rule 5 Draft, the Cubs could not reclaim Bour.

It is possible that because of the AAA 38-man reserve list limit and the desire to leave a few slots open for minor league free-agents and players they might want to select in the AAA Phase of the Rule 5 Draft, the Cubs may have placed 2014 Rule 5 eligible players like 1B Rock Shoulders, INF Wes Darvill, C Taylor Davis, LHP Austin Kirk, RHP Yoaner Negrin, RHP Yao-Lin Wang, and/or RHP Trey McNutt on the AA Tennessee reserve list, making them available for selection in the AAA Phase. If so, the Cubs could lose more players in the AAA Phase of the draft than in the Major League Phase. 

Also, the Cubs owe the Boston Red Sox a Player to Be Named Later (PTBNL) from last summer's deal where the Cubs acquired LHP Felix Doubront from the Sox, and the Oakland A's owe the Cubs a PTBNL from the trade where Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel were dealt to the A's. It is presumed that both PTBNL will be selected from the list of Rule 5 Draft eligible players after the conclusion of the draft, meaning the Red Sox might select a very young Rule 5 Draft eligible player like Jeffrey Baez (who has value but is not likely to get selected in the Rule 5 Draft because he is so far away from being big league ready) as the PTBNL, since they would not be bound by Rule 5 Draft restrictions if they acquire the player after the draft has concluded. Likewise, the Cubs would be able to select a Rule 5 Draft eligible player from Oakland after the conclusion of the draft, so that they would not have to place the player on the MLB 40-man roster or risk losing him in the Rule 5 Draft.  

It's also possible that the Cubs (who are selecting 8th) could draft a player for another club selecting further down the line, and then trade the player to that club after the conclusion iof the draft. The Cubs did that a few years ago, when they drafted OF Josh Hamilton from TB and then traded him to the Cincinnati Reds (for cash) after the conclusion of the draft. (The Cubs can make two selections in the Major League Phase of today's Rule 5 Draft if they wish, because although it might appear that their MLB 40-man roster is full after signing Jason Hammel and Jon Lester and acquiring Miguel Montero from AZ for two players not on the 40-man roster, the Cubs 40-man roster actually presently stands at 38, because the Hammel and Lester contracts are only "pending," and the Cubs have up to 20 days to submit the contracts to the MLB office and add Hammel and Lerster to their MLB 40-man roster). 


RULE 5 DRAFT ELIGIBILITY 

1. A minor league player who was 18 or younger on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract is eligible for selection starting with the 5th Rule 5 Draft after he signs, and a minor league player who was 19 years or older on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract becomes eligible for selection starting with the 4th Rule 5 Draft that followed his signing.

2. If a player signs his first contract after the conclusion of the season of the MLB or minor league club to which he is first assigned, the next season is considered to be the player's "first season" for Rule 5 eligibility purposes.

3. A free-agent with prior MLB and/or minor league service who signs a minor league contract prior to the Rule 5 Draft is eligible for selection if the player was 18 or younger on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract and it is at least the 5th Rule 5 Draft since he signed his first contract, or the player was 19 years or older on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract and it is at least the 4th Rule 5 Draft since he signed his first contract. 

4. Any player on a minor league reserve list who has either been released or had his contract voided, and then re-signs with the same MLB organization within one year is eligible for selection. However, a player who was signed after being selected in the First-Year Player Draft (MLB Rule 4 Draft) cannot be eligible for selection in a Rule 5 Draft until after the first anniversary of the player signing his first contract with an MLB organization.

5. Any player on a minor league reserve list who has been outrighted to the minors previously in his career is eligible for selection. 

6. A player on the Voluntary Retired List, Disqualified List, or Ineligible List is not eligible for selection. 

7. An MLB club can designate any player on a minor league reserve list "eligible for selection" in the Rule 5 Draft even if the player would not normally be eligible, but once a player is designated eligible for selection, he remains eligible for selection in all subsequent Rule 5 drafts. However, a player who was signed after being selected in the First-Year Player Draft (MLB Rule 4 Draft) cannot be designated "eligible for selection" in a Rule 5 Draft until after the first anniversary of the player signing his first contract with an MLB organization.

8. A minor league player-manager who would be eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft if he was only a player can be selected, but if he is selected, the player-manager can reject the selection. He has 30 days to decide. If he rejects the selection, the player-manager cannot be re-signed as a player during the following season.  

CUBS MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS ELIGIBLE FOR SELECTION IN DECEMBER 2014 RULE 5 DRAFT (last updated 12-02-2014):
Gilberto Abreu, RHP
Gioskar Amaya, INF
John Andreoli, OF
Jeffry Antigua, LHP
Delbis Arcila, OF
Jeffrey Baez, OF
Frank Batista, RHP
Marcelo Carreno, RHP 
Zach Cates, RHP
Hunter Cervenka, LHP
Pin-Chieh Chen, OF
Gerardo Concepcion, LHP (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if drafted & then later re-claimed by Cubs)
Willson Contreras, C
Blake Cooper, RHP
Wes Darvill, INF
Taylor Davis, C
Alberto Diaz, LHP
Kevin Encarnacion, OF
Luis Flores, C 
P. J. Francescon, RHP
Humberto Garcia, INF
Victor Garcia, LHP
Dustin Geiger, INF
Anthony Giansanti, OF
Jae-Hoon Ha, OF
Marco Hernandez, INF
Jonathan Herrera, INF  (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if drafted & then later re-claimed by Cubs) 
Michael Jensen, RHP
Austin Kirk, LHP
Matt Loosen, RHP
Jeff Lorick, LHP
Barret Loux, RHP
Dillon Maples, RHP
Andrew McKirahan, LHP
Trey McNutt, RHP (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if drafted & then later re-claimed by Cubs)
Alberto Mineo, C
Yoanner Negrin, RHP
Carlos Penalver, INF
Felix Pena, RHP
Starling Peralta, RHP (Article XX-D player - can elect free-agency if drafted & then later re-claimed by Cubs) 
Ivan Pineyro, RHP
Austin Reed, RHP
Jose Rosario, RHP 
Julio Sanchez, RHP 
Tayler Scott, RHP
Rock Shoulders, 1B
Rubi Silva, OF
Brian Smith, LHP
Elliot Soto, INF
Antonio Valerio, C
Yao-Lin Wang, RHP
Ben Wells, RHP
Tony Zych, RHP

Additionally, any player eligible to be an MLB Rule 55 Six-Year Minor League Free-Agent (6YFA) post-2014 who signs a 2015 minor league contract or agrees to a 2015 minor league successor contract prior to the December 2014 Rule 5 Draft will be eligible for selection.

Also, any player eligible to be a Rule 55 Second Contract Minor League Free-Agent who signs a 2015 minor league contract prior to the December 2014 Rule 5 Draft will be eligible for selection if the player was 18 or younger on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract and it is at least the 5th Rule 5 Draft since he signed his first contract, or the player was 19 years or older on the June 5th immediately prior to signing his first contract and it is at least the 4th Rule 5 Draft since he signed his first contract.  

RULE 5 DRAFT RESTRICTIONS

1. A minor league player eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft cannot be added to an MLB Reserve List (40-man roster), traded to another organization, or transferred from one minor league reserve list to another within the same organization, starting with the filing of MLB & minor league reserve lists on November 20th up through the conclusion of the Rule 5 Draft.

2. A player cannot be sent outright to the minors on the two days prior to the Rule 5 Draft and on the day of the Rule 5 Draft (through the conclusion of the draft).

3. A club must have as many slots open on its MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) prior to the Rule 5 Draft as the number of players it selects in the Major League Phase, and an MLB club's AAA and AA affiliates must have as many slots open on their respective reserve lists prior to the Rule 5 Draft as the number of players the affiliate selects in the AAA and AA phases of the draft. There is no limit on the number of Rule 5 eligible players any one organization can lose.

4. A player selected in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft must be placed on the drafting club's MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) immediately, and must be tendered a major league contract by 5 PM (Eastern) on the day of the draft.

5. A player selected in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft can be traded at any time, but the player cannot be released or sent to the minors any earlier than 20 days prior to MLB Opening Day, and then only if Outright Assignment Waivers have been secured and the player's former club declines to re-claim the player.

6. If a player selected in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft remains on an MLB Active List and/or MLB Disabled List(s) for the entire MLB regular season following selection & spends at least 90 days on an MLB Active List (25-man roster), Rule 5 restrictions are removed at the conclusion of the MLB regular season. (If time spent on an MLB Active List is less than 90 days in the season following selection, the player remains a Rule 5 player into the next season, and the player continues to be a Rule 5 player until he has spent 90 days total on an MLB Active List).

7. If a club decides not to keep a player selected in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 draft on its MLB 25-man Active List (and/or MLB DL), the player must be placed on Outright Assignment Waivers, where any of the other 29 MLB clubs can claim the player for the $25,000 Rule 5 waiver price and assume the Rule 5 obligations.

8. If the Rule 5 player is not claimed off Outright Waivers, the player then must be offered back to the club from which he was drafted, and the player's former club can reclaim the player for $25,000, with the player being automatically outrighted to the Reserve List of the minor league club from which he was drafted. The club from which the player was drafted usually has 72 hours to decide whether to reclaim the player, but it has only 24 hours to decide if the player is eligible to be an Article XX-D Free-Agent if outrighted to the minors (player has accrued at least three years of MLB Service Time, qualifies for salary arbitration as a "Super Two" player, and/or has been outrighted to the minors previously in his career).

9. If a Rule 5 player is returned (outrighted) to the minor league club from which he was drafted, the drafting club is responsible for any portion of the player's salary above what the player was paid the previous season.

10. If a Rule 5 Player is returned (outrighted) to the minor league club from which he was drafted, and if the player has accrued at least three years of MLB Service Time, qualifies for salary arbitration as a "Super Two" player, and/or has been outrighted to the minors previously in his career, the player can elect to be an MLB Article XX-D minor league free-agent after being outrighted (he has three days to decide), or he can accept the Outright Assignment and defer the right to be a minor league free-agent until after the conclusion of the MLB regular season. (An outrighted "Super Two" Rule 5 player who has not previously been outrighted to the minors can elect free-agency if he is outrighted to the minors, but he cannot defer free-agency until after the conclusion of the MLB regular season).

11. If the club from which the player was drafted declines to reclaim the player, the Rule 5 restrictions are removed, the drafting club retains the player, and the player can be sent to the minors or released.

12. A player selected in the AAA or AA Phase of the Rule 5 Draft must be assigned to the Reserve List of the AAA or AA club that drafted the player, but the player can be assigned to the Active List of any minor league affiliate in the MLB club's organization once the minor league regular season commences. Also, unlike players selected in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft, a player selected in the AAA or AA Phase of the Rule 5 Draft does not have to be offered back to the club from which he was drafted if the player is ultimately assigned to the Active List of a minor league affiliate below the level of the minor league affiliate that drafted the player.

13. A club can select a player off the reserve list of one of its own minor league affiliates, but if the player is selected in the Major League Phase, the club is bound by the same Rule 5 roster restrictions as if it had selected the player off the reserve list of another club's minor league affiliate.

14. A player eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft cannot be "covered up" from selection, either by agreement between two clubs or by effect. Also, a player selected in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft cannot be "hidden" on a Disabled List to help the drafting club fulfill Rule 5 roster obligations. If the MLB Commissioner believes a club "covered up" a player to avoid losing the player in the Rule Draft or "hid" a selected player on a Disabled List, the offending club or clubs are subject to a penalty (TBD by the MLB Commissioner).