
Cubs 2019 Rule 5 Draft & Minor League Free-Agent Watch-List
UPDATED 10-13-2019
As things stand right now...
72 Cubs minor leaguers (including six second-contract players and one player eligible to be a minor league 6YFA post-2019 who signed a 2020 minor league successor contract) are eligible for selection in the December 2019 MLB Rule 5 Draft, and 22 Cubs minor leaguers are eligible to be declared MLB Rule 55 minor league 6YFA at 5 PM Eastern on the 5th day following the final game of the 2019 World Series.
In addition, one player (1B-OF Jim Adduci) was eligible to be an Article XX-D minor league free-agent (he had the right to elect free-agency after being outrighted in June, but he elected to accept the outright assignment and defer the choice until after the conclusion of the 2019 MLB regular season). So the Cubs had until the end of the 2019 MLB regular season to either sign Adduci to a 2020 minor league successor contract or add him back to their MLB 40-man roster, but they did not do either, and so therefore he could file for free-agency beginning on the day after the conclusion of the MLB regular season and extending up through October 15th (he filed on 9/30).
The Cubs then have until five days after the final game of the 2019 World Series to either sign a post-2019 MLB Rule 55 minor league free-agent (including any Article XIX-A or Article XX-D player who did not file for free-agency by October 15th) to a 2020 minor league successor contract or add the player to their MLB 40-man roster, otherwise the player will automatically be declared a free-agent.
Then the Cubs must decide by November 20th which 2019 Rule 5 Draft-eligible players (including any player eligible to be a minor league free-agent post-2019 who has signed a 2020 minor league successor contract) to add their MLB 40-man roster (to keep the player from being eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft).
The Cubs also must decide by November 20th whether to place a 2019 Rule 5 Draft-eligible minor league player who is not added to the MLB 40-man roster on 11/20 on their AAA Iowa reserve list or on the reserve list of an affiliate of a lower classification. At most 38 of the 2019 Rule 5 Draft-eligible Cubs minor leaguers can be placed on the AAA Iowa Reserve List on 11/20. However, although the AAA Reserve List limit is 38, probably more like 35 of the Rule 5 Draft-eligible players will actually be placed on the AAA Iowa reserve list on 11/20, because slots need to be left open for players the Cubs might want to select in the AAA Phase of the Rule 5 Draft, as well as for free-agents signed to minor league contracts or players outrighted to the minors after 11/20 but prior to the Rule 5 Draft. (Any Rule 5 Draft-eligible player who signs a 2020 minor league contract prior to the Rule 5 Draft will be eligible for selection). Any 2019 Rule 5 Draft-eligible Cubs minor leaguer who is not placed on the AAA Iowa Reserve List on 11/20 will be eligible for selection in the AAA Phase of the Rule 5 Draft.
Here are some of the more-noteworthy Cubs minor leaguers who are either eligible to be a minor league free-agent post-2019 or eligible for selection in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft (full lists further down the post)...
LAST UPDATED 9-30-2019
GROUP 1 (Eligible to be Minor League FA post-2019):
LEGIT CANDIDATE TO BE ADDED TO CUBS MLB 40-MAN ROSTER:
1. Colin Rea, RHSP - 2+140 MLB ST - has two minor league options left - will likely be added to 40 after World Series
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COULD PROVIDE USEFUL DEPTH AT AAA IN 2020 IF PLAYER SIGNS SUCCESSOR CONTRACT:
2. Taylor Davis, C-1B - 0+102 MLB-ST - has Article XX-D rights & two minor league options left
3. Dixon Machado, INF - 2+005 MLB-ST - has Article XX-D rights & no minor league options left
4. Phillip Evans, INF - 0+110 MLB ST - has Article XX-D rights & two minor league options left
5. Johnny Field, OF - 0+132 MLB-ST - has Article XX-D rights & two minor league options left
6. Alex Wilson, RHRP - 5+072 MLB-ST - has Article XIX-A rights & one minor league option left
NOTE-1: Article XIX-A means player can't be optioned or sent outright to minors without his consent if added to MLB 40-man roster
NOTE-2: Article XX-D means player can elect free-agency if sent outright to minors after being added to 40
COMMENT: RHSP Colin Rea was 2019 PCL Pitcher of the Year and he is likely to be added to the 40 after the World Series, but the only way the others on the list might be retained is if the player is offered and then signs a 2020 minor league successor contract.
GROUP 2 (Eligible to be Minor League FA post-2019 - not ready for MLB):
LEGIT PROSPECT:
1. Jhonny Pereda, C (at AAA - Rule 55 6YFA - outside chance to be added to 40 after World Series)
2. Oscar de la Cruz, RHRP (at AA - Rule 55 6YFA - outside chance to be added back to 40 after World Series)
3. Trevor Clifton, RHSP (at AAA - Rule 55 6YFA - outside chance to be added to 40 after World Series)
SECOND-TIER PROSPECT (will likely be offered 2020 minor league successor contract)
4. Luis Lugo, LHP - SWING (at AA - Rule 55 6YFA)
5. Erick Leal, RHP - SWING (at AA - Rule 55 6YFA)
6. Charcer Burks, OF (at AAA - Rule 55 6YFA)
7. Roberto Caro, OF (at AA - Rule 55 6YFA)
8. Erick Castillo, C (at AAA - Rule 55 6YFA)
9. Manuel Rondon, LHRP (at AA - Rule 55 6YFA)
10. Corey Black, RHRP (at AA - Rule 55 6YFA)
11. Enrique de los Rios, RHP - SWING (at Hi-A - Rule 55 6YFA)
12. Gioskar Amaya, INF (at AA - Rule 55 6YFA)
COMMENT: Even though they are nearing minor league free-agency, the players on this list (especially Jhonny Pereda, Oscar de la Cruz, and Trevor Clifton) are still considered to be "prospects," and so even if not added to the MLB 40-man roster each of the players listed will almost certainly be offered a 2020 minor league successor contract, but if offered one, the player does not have to sign it.
GROUP 3 (Eligible for selection in 2019 Rule 5 Draft - likely on AAA Reserve List if not added to MLB 40-man roster)
LEGIT PROSPECT (AT VARIOUS LEVELS):
1. Miguel Amaya, C (at Hi-A - virtual lock to be added to 40 on 11/20)
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2. P. J. Higgins, C-INF (at AAA - will likely be added to 40 on 11/20)
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3. Tyson Miller, RHSP (at AAA - 50/50 chance to be added to 40 on 11/20)
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4. Trent Giambrone, INF-OF (at AAA - outside chance to be added to 40 on 11/20)
5. Zack Short, SS (at AAA - outside chance to be added to 40 on 11/20)
6. Jordan Minch, LHRP (at AAA - outside chance to be added to 40 on 11/20)
7. Matt Swarmer, RHSP (at AAA - outside chance to be added to 40 on 11/20)
8. Dakota Mekkes, RHRP (at AAA - outside chance to be added to 40 on 11/20)
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9. Wyatt Short, LHRP (at AAA)
10. Craig Brooks, RHRP (at AAA)
11. Ryan Lawlor, LHRP (at Hi-A)
12. Javier Assad, RHSP (at Hi-A)
13. Jose Albertos, RHSP (at Lo-A)
14. Bailey Clark, RHRP (at AA)
15. Michael Rucker, RHRP (at AAA)
16. Vimael Machin, INF (at AAA)
NOTE: All 16 players listed above are legit candidates to get selected in the 2019 MLB Rule 5 Draft if not added to the MLB 40-man roster by 11/20
SECOND-TIER PROSPECT - at AA or AAA:
17. Duncan Robinson, RHSP (at AAA)
18. Mark Zagunis, OF (at AAA)
19. Donnie Dewees, OF (at AAA)
20. Conor Lillis-White, LHRP (at AA)
21. Zach Davis, OF (at AA)
22. Eddy Julio Martinez, OF (at AA)
23. Connor Myers, OF (at AAA)
24. Jerry Vasto, LHRP (at AAA)
25. Zach Hedges, RHP - SWING (at AA)
26. Tommy Nance, RHRP (at AA)
27. Jake Stinnett, RHRP (at AA)
28. Ian Rice, C-1B (at AA)
SECOND-TIER PROSPECT - at SINGLE-A
29. Erling Moreno, RHP - SWING (at Hi-A)
30. Delvin Zinn, INF (at Hi-A)
31. Bryan Hudson, LHSP (at Hi-A)
32. Faustino Carrera, LHSP (at Lo-A)
33. Scott Effross, RHRP (at Hi-A)
34. Alexander Vargas, RHP - SWING (at Hi-A)
35. Chad Hockin, RHRP (at Hi-A)
36. Manuel Rodriguez, RHRP (at Hi-A)
37. Jesus Camargo, RHRP (at Hi-A)
38. Eury Ramos, RHSP (at Lo-A)
NOTE: All of the players listed above are good candidates to get selected in the AAA Phase of the 2019 MLB Rule 5 Draft if not added to the AAA Iowa reserve list by 11/20 (depending on how many AAA slots the Cubs leave open going into the Rule 5 Draft, there could be as many as 38 Rule 5 Draft-eligible players placed on the AAA Iowa reserve list).
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Fact is, it is not unusual for veteran players who are added to the MLB 40-man roster during the course of the season to be removed from the 40 when they are no longer of use to the club. For example, 1B Efren Navarro, C Chris Gimenez, RHRP Anthony Bass, RHRP Justin Hancock, C-1B Taylor Davis, OF Terrance Gore, LHP Jaime Garcia, RHRP Allen Webster, and INF Mike Freeman (all eligible to be minor league free-agents post-2018) were added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster during the course of the 2018 season, although Navarro, Gimenez, Bass, Gore, and Freeman were subsequently outrighted back to AAA (and then Navarro was eventually released so that he could sign with an NPB club, Gimenez was traded to the Minnesota Twins, Bass elected to be a free-agent after the conclusion of the MLB regular season, Gore and Freeman were declared minor league free-agents on the 5th day after the last game of the World Series, Garcia was declared an MLB Article XX-B FA on the day after the last game of the World Series, and Hancock and Webster were non-tendered on 11/30). Only Taylor Davis was tendered a 2019 contract on 11/30 and remained on the Cubs MLB 40-man roster going into Spring Training.
Besides adding players who are eligible to be minor league free-agents to the 40 during the MLB regular season, a player eligible to be a Rule 55 minor league free-agent (second-contract or 6YFA) is sometimes added to the club's MLB 40-man roster post-World Series just to keep the player from becoming a minor league free-agent, especially if the player declines to sign a minor league successor contract. That's what happened in 2018, when the Cubs added RHRP Matt Carasiti (eligible to be a Rule 55 second-contract minor league FA post-2017) to the 40 after the 2017 World Series to keep him from walking away as a free-agent, although he was released about a month later so that he could pursue an opportunity to pitch for the NPB Tokyo Yakult Swallows in Japan. (The Cubs received a substantial cash payment from the Swallows as the release fee).
But even if a minor leaguer who is eligible to be a free-agent signs a successor contract, the club might choose to add the player to the MLB 40-man roster because the club doesn't want to risk losing the player in the Rule 5 Draft. In fact this happened in 2016, when LHRP Jack Leathersich (who was eligible to be a Rule 55 second-contract minor league FA post-2016) signed a 2017 minor league successor contract prior to the conclusion of the World Series, only to be added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster on 11/18 so that he would not be eligible for selection in the December 2016 Rule 5 Draft.
The bottom line is, if a player eligible to be an MLB Rule 55 minor league free-agent (either 6YFA or second-contract FA) is not added to an MLB 40-man roster or does not sign a minor league successor contract by 5 PM Eastern on the 5th day after the final game of the World Series, the player will be automatically declared a free-agent and the player's former club receives no compensation if the player signs elsewhere. So minor leaguers like Colin Rea, Jhonny Pereda, Oscar de la Cruz, and Trevor Clifton (as well as the other players eligible to be a minor league FA post-2018) have leverage other Cubs minor leaguers do not have.
As far as players who were eligible for selection in the December 2018 Rule 5 Draft is concerned, the Cubs added RHRP James Norwood to the 40 during the course of the 2018 MLB regular season and LHSP Justin Steele to the 40 on 11/20. By comparison, during the course of the 2017 MLB regular season the Cubs added four players to the 40 (RHP Dylan Floro, RHRP Dillon Maples, RHSP Jen-Ho Tseng, and OF Mark Zagunis) who would have been eligible for selection in the December 2017 Rule 5 Draft, although Floro was subsequently claimed off waivers by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
NOTE: INF-OF Ian Happ was also added to the Cubs MLB 40-man roster during the 2017 season, but he would not have been eligible for selection in the Rule 5 Draft until post-2018.
The Cubs then added three more post-2017 Rule 5 Draft-eligibles (RHSP Adbert Alzolay, INF David Bote, and RHSP Oscar de la Cruz) to the 40 on 11/20 of 2017, Bote after hitting a robust 333/395/536 for the Mesa Solar Sox in the post-season Arizona Fall League. (It's not unusual for the Cubs to assign a Rule 5 Draft-eligible player to the Arizona Fall League, as the AFL is often used as a "proving ground" for pitchers and position-players who are under consideration for promotion to an MLB 40-man roster).
NOTE: Prior to 2019, players who were eligible to be MLB Rule 55 minor league free-agents after the World Series could not be assigned to the AFL unless the player had either been added to an MLB 40-man roster or had agreed to a minor league successor contract, but with the AFL season now starting and ending three weeks earlier than in prior years, the AFL season will end prior to MLB Rule 55 minor league players becoming free-agents, and so players eligible to be MLB Rule 55 minor leaguers five days after the final game of the World Series can play in the AFL even if the player has not signed a minor league successor contract).
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MLB RULE 5 DRAFT:
The MLB Rule 5 Draft is held on the 2nd Thursday in December and is presently the last order of business at the MLB WINTER MEETINGS. 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 (any minor league classification) for $100,000 ("Major League Phase" Rule 5 Draft price increased from $50,000 to $100,000 beginning with the December 2016 draft), and 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 (below AAA) for $24,000 (Rule 5 "AAA Phase" draft price increased from $12,000 to $24,000 beginning with the December 2016 draft).
NOTE: Effective December 2016, the "AA Phase" (where a club's AA minor league affiliate could select Rule 5 Draft-eligible players off the reserve lists of minor league clubs of a classification below AA for $4,000) has been eliminated.
There is no limit on the number of rounds in each phase (there could be one, there could be three, there could be five or more). As long as at least one club is still selecting players, the phase will continue, but as soon as all 30 teams have a full reserve list (so that clubs can no longer make selections) or have passed, the phase is over.
There is no limit on the number of Rule 5 Draft-eligible players any one organization can lose in a Rule 5 Draft.
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 following his first qualified season, 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 following his first qualified season.
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 (even if he signs prior to the Rule 5 Draft), the next season is considered to be the player's "first qualified season" for Rule 5 eligibility purposes. (Depending on the minor league, the conclusion of a minor league club's season could be as early as the first week of August, or as late as the second week of September).
3. A player eligible to be an MLB Rule 55 minor league free-agent who signs a minor league successor contract prior to being declared a free-agent and 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.
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 a 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.
NOTE: A club might do this if the club is planning to release the player during the off-season.
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 and retire. He has 30 days to decide. If he rejects the selection and opts to retire as a player, the player-manager is ineligible to be reinstated as a player for a minimum of one year.
CUBS MINOR LEAGUERS ELIGIBLE FOR SELECTION IN 2019 RULE 5 DRAFT (last updated 10-13-2019)
Jose Albertos, RHP
Miguel Amaya, C
Javier Assad, RHP
Jhonny Bethencourt, INF
Casey Bloomquist, RHP
Andres Bonalde, LHP
Craig Brooks, RHP
Jesus Camargo, RHP
Faustino Carrera, LHP
Bailey Clark, RHP
Alfredo Colorado, RHP
Yovanny Cuevas, OF
Zach Davis, OF
Donnie Dewees, OF
Scott Effross, RHP
Marcos Encarnacion, RHP (second contract player previously released by CIN - see NOTE-1 below)
Emilio Ferrebus, RHP
Wladimir Galindo, 3B-1B
Trent Giambrone, IF-OF
Eric Gonzalez, C
Julio Guante, RHP (second-contract player previously released by DET - see NOTE-1 below)
Fauris Guerrero, RHP
Luke Hagerty, LHP (Article XX-D & MLB Rule 55 player - signed 2020 minor league successor contract)
Zach Hedges, RHP
P. J. Higgins, C-INF
Chad Hockin, RHP
Bryan Hudson, LHP
Ryan Kellogg, LHP
Garrett Kelly, RHP (second-contract player previously released by MIN - see NOTE-1 below)
Ryan Lawlor, LHP (second-contract player previously released by ATL - see NOTE-1 below)
Conor Lillis-White, LHP
Rafelin Lorenzo, C
Vimael Machin, INF
Eddy Julio Martinez, OF
Marcus Mastrobuoni, C
Ivan Medina, RHP
Fidel Mejia, INF
Dakota Mekkes, RHP
Tyson Miller, RHP
M. T. Minacci, RHP
Jordan Minch, LHP
Kevonte Mitchell, OF
Erling Moreno, RHP
Connor Myers, OF
Tommy Nance, RHP
Rafael Narea, INF
Richard Nunez, C-1B
Eugenio Palma, LHP
Tyler Payne, C
Raymond Pena, C
Tyler Peyton, RHP
Gustavo Polanco, C-1B
Eury Ramos, RHP
Ian Rice, C-1B
Duncan Robinson, RHP
Abraham Rodriguez, OF-1B
Manuel Rodriguez, RHP
Aneuris Rosario, RHP
Michael Rucker, RHP
Carlos Sepulveda, INF
Wyatt Short, LHP
Zack Short, INF
Jake Stinnett, RHP
Matt Swarmer, RHP
Alexander Vargas, RHP
Willians Vasquez, RHP (second-contract player previously released by ATL - see NOTE-1 below)
Jerry Vasto, LHP (Article XX-D player)
Omar Ventura, RHP
D. J. Wilson, OF
Mark Zagunis, OF (Article XX-D player)
Danny Zardon, RHP (ex-C-IB - second-contract player previously released by PHI - see NOTE-1 below)
Delvin Zinn, INF
SECOND CONTRACT MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS NOTES:
NOTE-1: With mutual consent (player & club), a second-contract minor league player who has accrued fewer than seven minor league seasons can be signed to a multi-year minor league contract with club control extending up through the player's seventh minor league season. So it is possible that one or more of the Cubs minor league second contract players are signed beyond the 2019 season (TBD).
NOTE-2: RHP Donato Auguste (previously released by KC), RHP Aneudis Beard (previously released by TEX), RHP Rodrigo Garcia (previously released by NYY), LHP Anderson Parra (previously released by PHI), LHP Jorge Ramirez (previously released by TEX), and C Juan Vasquez (previously released by SD) are second-contract minor league players, but none of the them are eligible for selection in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft if signed beyond 2019.
Additionally, a free-agent who signs a 2020 minor league contract prior to the 2019 Rule 5 Draft or a minor league player who is eligible to be a minor league free-agent post-2019 but who signs a minor league successor contract prior to becoming a free-agent will be eligible for selection in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft 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 following his first qualified season, 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 following his first qualified season.
MLB ARTICLE XX-D or ARTICLE XIX-A MINOR LEAGUE FREE-AGENT POST-2019 MLB REGULAR SEASON
Jim Adduci, 1B-OF (Article XX-D outrighted player - filed for free-agency on 9/30)
MLB RULE 55 FREE-AGENT POST-2019 WORLD SERIES
SIX-YEAR MINOR LEAGUE FREE-AGENTS:
Gioskar Amaya, INF
Yasiel Balaguert, 1B-OF (served as a COACH in 2019)
Corey Black, RHP
Charcer Burks, OF
Roberto Caro, OF
Erick Castillo, C
Trevor Clifton, RHP
Taylor Davis, C - Article XX-D player
Oscar de la Cruz, RHP - Article XX-D player
Enrique de los Rios, RHP
Phillip Evans, INF - Article XX-D player
Johnny Field, OF - Article XX-D player
Chih-Wei Hu, RHP - Article XX-D player
Erick Leal, RHP
Luis Lugo, LHP
Dixon Machado, INF - Article XX-D player
Jhonny Pereda, C
Chris Pieters, OF-1B (served as a COACH in 2019)
Colin Rea, RHP
Will Remillard, C (served as a COACH in 2019)
Manuel Rondon, LHP
Alex Wilson, RHP - Article XIX-A player
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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 minor league reserve lists on November 20th (or November 19th if November 20th falls on a Saturday or November 18th if November 20th falls on a Sunday) up through the conclusion of the Rule 5 Draft.
2. A Rule 5 Draft-eligible player cannot be sent outright to the minors beginning at 5 PM (Eastern) on the third day prior to 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 affiliate must have as many slots open on its reserve list prior to the AAA Phase of the draft as the number of players the affiliate selects in the AAA Phase.
4. 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.
NOTE: This actually happened at least once a number of years ago, after a club (Atlanta Braves) inadvertently left one of its top prospects off its MLB Reserve List (40-man roster) when minor league reserve lists were submitted to the MLB Commissioner on November 20th.
5. 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 (such as by concocting a phony injury and placing the player on the Injured List in an attempt to decrease a player's value when the player is not really injured). Also, a player selected in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft cannot be "hidden" to help the drafting club fulfill Rule 5 roster obligations (such as by leaving the player on the Injured List after he is healthy enough to play). 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 an Injured List, the offending club or clubs are subject to a penalty (TBD by the MLB Commissioner).
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