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2023 Rule 5 Update: April Edition

By Steve Adams | April 17, 2024 at 7:06pm CDT

We’re three weeks into the 2024 season, and this year’s crop of Rule 5 picks has had an atypical amount of staying power. That’s perhaps in part due to the fact that only ten players were selected in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft, but as of this writing, only one Rule 5 selection has been returned to his original organization.

For those unfamiliar, in order to be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, a player must not be on his team’s 40-man roster and must have played in either parts of five professional seasons (if they signed at 18 or younger) or four professional seasons (if they signed at 19 or older). The deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 by selecting their contracts to the 40-man roster typically falls in mid-November and spurs a good deal of player movement as teams jettison borderline players and non-tender candidates from their roster in order to protect younger prospects.

A player who is selected in the Rule 5 Draft must spend the entire subsequent season on his new club’s Major League roster and cannot be optioned to the minors. The player can technically spend time on the injured list as well, but at least 90 days must be spent on the active roster. If not, the player’s Rule 5 status rolls into the following season until 90 days on the active roster have been accrued. If a team at any point decides it can no longer carry a Rule 5 selection, that player must be passed through waivers and subsequently offered back to his original organization. Any other club can claim the player via waivers, but the same Rule 5 restrictions will apply to the claiming team.

Broadly speaking, the Rule 5 Draft rarely produces impact players. There are plenty of exceptions over the years, though, with names like Johan Santana, Dan Uggla, Shane Victorino, Joakim Soria, Josh Hamilton and, more recently, Garrett Whitlock and Trevor Stephan thriving in new organizations. The Rule 5 Draft dates back more than a century and has even produced a handful of Hall of Famers: Roberto Clemente, Hack Wilson and Christy Mathewson.

It’s unlikely we’ll see any Cooperstown-bound players come from this year’s crop, but the teams who opted to select a player will be content if any of these names become a viable reliever or role player for the next several seasons. Here’s a look at this year’s group of ten Rule 5 players and where they stand. We’ll do a few of these throughout the season, keeping tabs on which players survive the season and formally have their long-term rights transferred to their new clubs.

On a Major League Roster

Mitch Spence, RHP, Athletics (selected from Yankees)

Spence, 26 next month, was the first overall pick in this year’s Rule 5 Draft, and understandably so after the 2023 season he had. His 4.47 ERA might’ve been pedestrian, but the 2019 tenth-rounder led all Triple-A pitchers with 163 innings while delivering a nice blend of strikeouts (21.8%), walks (7.5%) and ground-balls (50%). For an A’s club desperately thin on starting pitching after the slew of rebuilding-driven trades for minor league arms have failed to produce much, adding a 25-year-old arm with that type of season held obvious appeal.

Spence made Oakland’s decision easy with a monster spring showing. He pitched 17 2/3 innings and allowed only six earned runs (3.06 ERA) on 15 hits and six walks with 21 punchouts. He’s worked out of the ’pen so far in Oakland but could very well find himself making starts later in the year. Through his first 11 2/3 MLB frames, Spence has yielded four earned runs on 10 hits and four walks with a 48.4% grounder rate. He’s not in danger of losing his spot anytime soon.

Matt Sauer, RHP, Royals (selected from Yankees)

Another 25-year-old righty out of the Yankees organization, Sauer came to his new club with a much heavier draft pedigree than his now-former teammate, Spence. The Yankees selected the 6’4″ righty with the No. 54 overall pick back in 2017, but Sauer didn’t develop as quickly as hoped. He was set back by 2019 Tommy John surgery and the canceled 2020 minor league season. He’s never topped 111 innings in a season, but Sauer rebuilt some prospect pedigree with a nice 2023 season that saw him pitch 68 1/3 innings of 3.42 ERA ball in Double-A. He whiffed 29.5% of his opponents, albeit against a less palatable 10.3% walk rate.

Like his former teammate, Sauer had a nice spring that made the decision relatively easy for his new club. In 10 2/3 innings, he held opponents to three earned runs (2.53 ERA) on 13 hits and three walks with 13 strikeouts. He opened the season in the Kansas City bullpen and has thus far pitched five innings, allowing a pair of runs in that time. Sauer has walked four of his 25 opponents and fanned just two thus far. It’s a small sample, of course, but he’ll need to reverse that early trend to hang onto his roster spot — especially if the Royals continue their hot start and find themselves contending into the summer.

Anthony Molina, RHP, Rockies (selected from Rays)

The 22-year-old Molina worked as a starter in the Rays’ system last year, taking the ball 28 times (27 starts) and pitching 122 innings with a 4.50 ERA. The undersized righty has garnered praise for a solid-average heater and above-average changeup, and he showed good command in 2023 after struggling with walks earlier in his minor league career. Molina continued to show good command in spring training (in addition to a massive 60.5% grounder rate), but the regular season has been brutal for him thus far. In three appearances, he’s been tattooed for a dozen runs on 13 hits and four walks with just two strikeouts. The Rockies can afford to be as patient as they want. They’re 4-13 on the season and were never expected to contend. Still, Molina will need to improve on his early performance in order to stick on the roster.

Nasim Nunez, INF, Nationals (selected from Marlins)

The Nationals have effectively played the season thus far with a 25-man roster. Nunez made the Opening Day squad but has been M.I.A. since. He’s appeared in just five of Washington’s 16 games and received only two plate appearances, going hitless in that meaningless sample. Nunez is an all-glove and speed prospect who hit just .224/.341/.286 in Double-A last season. He did go 52-for-59 in stolen base attempts, and scouting reports have long touted his defensive excellence at shortstop. He hit just .152/.200/.182 in 35 spring plate appearances.

It’s fair to wonder how long the Nats can essentially punt a roster spot by keeping Nunez on the bench, but like the Rockies, they’re not expecting to contend this season anyhow. One would imagine that from a pure developmental standpoint, they need to find a way to get Nunez into some games and start getting him some playing time, but for now, the team appears content to just hide the 23-year-old on the bench.

Ryan Fernandez, RHP, Cardinals (selected from Red Sox)

Fernandez, 25, has just four appearances out of the St. Louis bullpen so far and has been understandably deployed in low-leverage spots while he acclimates to the majors. He’s pitched fairly well in sparse duty, holding opponents to three runs (two earned) in 5 2/3 innings. Fernandez has averaged just under 96 mph on his heater, fanned seven opponents and issued three walks. His swinging-strike rate isn’t close to where it’s been in his minor league work, but his wipeout slider has been strong thus far. Fernandez has finished off eight plate appearances with that pitch, picking up four strikeouts and yielding only one hit. Nothing he’s done so far makes it seem like he’ll be cut loose anytime soon.

Justin Slaten, RHP, Red Sox (selected by Mets from Rangers; traded to Red Sox for LHP Ryan Ammons)

While most Rule 5 relievers are eased into low-pressure spots, that hasn’t been the case with the Sox and Slaten. He held a four-run lead to pick up a seven-out save in the team’s fourth game of the season, and the 6’4″ righty has since tallied three holds out of Alex Cora’s bullpen. In 10 1/3 innings, Slaten has allowed only one run on three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. Add in 6 1/3 shutout innings in spring training, and he’s looked more like a seasoned veteran than a 26-year-old who entered the season with all of 8 1/3 innings above the Double-A level. Slaten has immediately made himself an important part of Boston’s roster, and while a prolonged slump could always change things, he looks like a keeper right now.

Stephen Kolek, RHP, Padres (selected from Mariners)

Kolek, who’ll turn 27 tomorrow, began his big league tenure with four runs in 1 2/3 innings over his first two appearances. He’s since bounced back with 8 2/3 innings of one-run ball, fanning 11 hitters against three walks along the way. He punched out nearly a quarter of his opponents in Triple-A last year and did so with a huge 57.5% ground-ball rate. He hasn’t picked up grounders at such a strong level just yet (43.5%), but San Diego probably isn’t second-guessing their decision to select him. He’s already picked up a pair of holds, and his recent run of success has dropped his ERA to 4.35. Command has been a problem for Kolek in the past, but he’s only walked 8.9% of his opponents against a 26.7% strikeout rate so far.

On the Major League Injured List

Shane Drohan, LHP, White Sox (selected from Red Sox): Drohan underwent shoulder surgery in late February and is on the 60-day IL. There’s no telling yet when he’ll be medically cleared to return. As noted in the intro, Drohan needs 90 days on the active roster to shed his Rule 5 designation; even if he spends the entire 2024 campaign on the injured list, his Rule 5 status will carry over into 2025 until he picks up those 90 active days.

Carson Coleman, RHP, Rangers (selected from Yankees): Coleman is also on the 60-day injured list. Unlike Drohan, it was well known at the time of his selection that he’d be IL-bound to begin the year. Coleman had Tommy John surgery last year and is expected to be out until midsummer at the least.

Returned to Original Organization

Deyvison De Los Santos, INF, Guardians (returned to D-backs): De Los Santos has big raw power but a well below-average hit tool. The Guardians selected him on the heels of a 20-homer campaign in Double-A with the D-backs, but he hit just .227/.227/.318 in 44 spring appearances before being designated for assignment, clearing waivers and getting returned to the Snakes. He’s had a big performance in a return-trip to Double-A.

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Boston Red Sox Chicago White Sox Cleveland Guardians Colorado Rockies Kansas City Royals MLBTR Originals Miami Marlins New York Mets New York Yankees Oakland Athletics Rule 5 Draft San Diego Padres Seattle Mariners St. Louis Cardinals Tampa Bay Rays Texas Rangers Washington Nationals Anthony Molina Carson Coleman Deyvison De Los Santos Justin Slaten Matt Sauer Mitch Spence Nasim Nunez Ryan Fernandez Shane Drohan Stephen Kolek

Angels Sign Bryan Shaw, Elliot Soto To Minor League Deals
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View Comments (32)
Post a Comment

32 Comments

  1. shosho

    1 year ago

    I love the rule 5 draft. How long until they remove it from the game?

    7
    Reply
    • lemonlyman

      1 year ago

      Doubt the MLBPA gives it up anytime soon as it offers another path to mlb service time for minor leaguers. I get that it was a sarcastic comment, but I couldn’t see the owners conceding on another issue to abolish the Rule 5 draft that truly only affects a handful or so of players a year.

      10
      Reply
      • shosho

        1 year ago

        maybe something like instead of having to add a guy to the 40, you can give him a guaranteed contract of some length or value and keep the roster space

        Reply
    • astros_fan_84

      1 year ago

      The rule 5 draft was invented because certain teams would just bury prospects in the minors and give them no chance of moving up. It was a great strategy for depth, but not fair to the players. In many ways, just the mere existence of the rule 5 draft forces teams to promote prospects. It’s good for the game.

      6
      Reply
    • HatlessPete

      1 year ago

      Why should it be removed? It gives a few players a leg up each year and discourages teams from burying guys in the minors as a sort of lowkey neo-reserve clause. How is that a priority problem?

      Reply
  2. Rsox

    1 year ago

    Slaten has been one the Sox best relievers so far. Could turn out to be another Garrett Whitlock type of steal

    9
    Reply
    • Reggie Smith

      1 year ago

      Red Sox have done great with Rule V.

      Remember last year when a group of Red Sox “fans” were crying about losing Ward, Politi and Song in the 2022 Rule V Draft. You wouldve thought it was the end of the world. Now a year later: 2 were returned and the other seems like he will, forever, be on the IL.

      1
      Reply
      • HatlessPete

        1 year ago

        The whole song thing was one of the biggest nothing burger hissy fits I’ve ever seen from a fanbase lol.

        1
        Reply
    • MLB-1971

      1 year ago

      If Slaten continues to be effective in three inning stints, he could be stretched out as a starters and be an additional starting option in 2025 or beyond.

      Reply
  3. Johnny utah

    1 year ago

    deyvison has had a monster start to his 2024 minor league campaign. still only 20 years old in AA. dbacks are lucky cleveland returned him

    2
    Reply
    • puma024

      1 year ago

      Not unexpected that he is hitting well since he was hanging around with Jose Ramirez all Spring. DBacks must have asked for prospects Guardians didn’t want to lose since a trade wasn’t worked out.

      Reply
    • Lets Go DBacks

      1 year ago

      Deyvison is also striking out at a > 30% clip in AA, so while there certainly is talent, it is also obvious why the Diamondbacks chose not to protect him last year.

      Reply
  4. Johnny utah

    1 year ago

    roberto clemente was actually discovered & signed by none other than the brooklyn dodgers in the early 50s. he spent 1 season in the minors before pirates scooped him up. brooklyn never thought anyone would be interested in him so they didnt protect him from rule 5, though back then it was a little different. anyhow the following year brooklyn discovered another young player and this time were not going to let anyone steal him so they kept this new kid on their major league squad all season long in 1955 & 1956 even tho the kid was just outta high school and not ready for the majors by a long shot. brooklyn kept developing him until he finally blossomed into a star several years later. his name was sandy koufax.

    5
    Reply
    • ayrbhoy

      1 year ago

      Good post

      Reply
  5. Ranger Danger19

    1 year ago

    Ray Davis needs to sell the team to someone who cares. This bullpen is a joke and it’s your fault.

    Reply
    • Gwynning

      1 year ago

      I guess the honeymoon with the Piece of Metal is over?

      5
      Reply
    • TrotNixonIsMyHero

      1 year ago

      @ Ranger Danger19. You need to relax and learn about gratitude. Your team is the current world series champions and you want to be an ungrateful sourpuss. Most ridiculous comment I have read in 10 years!

      5
      Reply
  6. DarkSide830

    1 year ago

    Cleveland should have held DDLS.

    1
    Reply
    • Michael Chaney

      1 year ago

      I get why they returned him (because they’d probably have to bury him on the bench and at the time it seemed to be either him or Florial), but if that’s the case then taking a shot on him made no sense in the first place.

      And at least when the season started, it didn’t seem like they planned on seriously competing this year so they could have afforded to use a roster spot on a developmental guy. They’ve obviously started the season playing pretty well so maybe internally they saw it differently, but even for the minimal cost they paid to draft him I still think it only made sense to pick him if you planned on carrying him all along.

      Reply
    • JazzJazz

      1 year ago

      The Indians should draft Roberto Clemente.

      Reply
      • unpaidobserver

        1 year ago

        “It’s Time Bandits meets Major League!”

        Reply
  7. melfman1

    1 year ago

    I like the Rule 5 draft, but I think there should be a limit of one player allowed to be taken from a team per phase (Major League & Minor League). It seems unfair that every year the Yanks get 2-3 quality players vultured from their system.

    2
    Reply
    • Michael Chaney

      1 year ago

      There’s a joke to be made that no one cares if bad things happen to the Yankees, but in reality the Rule 5 Draft was basically intended to prevent teams from hoarding major league caliber players so not letting a team lose more than one guy would pretty much defeat the point of the draft in the first place

      1
      Reply
    • User 233153075

      1 year ago

      Yankees fans will literally cry about anything. Truly amazing

      Reply
  8. The Saber-toothed Superfife

    1 year ago

    Robert Clemente? Wow! I never knew….

    1
    Reply
    • JazzJazz

      1 year ago

      aka Bobby Clementine.

      Reply
      • unpaidobserver

        1 year ago

        That’s just Bobby Valentine under disguise.

        1
        Reply
        • JazzJazz

          1 year ago

          Roberto faked his death while pretending to be engaging in humanitarian causes, pocketed the loot, underwent a Michael Jackson-esque Become a White Guy! procedure, then returned to MLB as coach and manager Bobby V.

          Reply
  9. FOmeOLS

    1 year ago

    Hey Steve! You forgot Anthony Santander! The Orioles nabbed him from the Indians and he’s been an outfield regular ever since. Every time the orioles play the Indians/Guardians, the Cleveland management weeps.

    Reply
    • Michael Chaney

      1 year ago

      Take it from a Guardians fan: he probably doesn’t even make the top 5 list of guys that have slipped through the cracks in the last few years.

      That’s less of an indictment on Santander and more about how many guys have gotten away, but at the time Santander hadn’t even played above high A, so it was hard to blame them for not protecting him.

      Reply
      • FOmeOLS

        1 year ago

        Oh yes, you’re right. Lots of people let guys slip through. It happens, but the point is that there’s always a sense of,”D’Oh!”

        Remember the Simpsons episode where Homer finds out he has a brother, who became a millionaire, and Abe laments,”I kept the wrong one!”

        Regardless, Tony Taters has been a terrific Get for the Os, not too many recent Rule 5s have been as good.

        Reply
  10. FOmeOLS

    1 year ago

    I watched Justin Slaten pitch against the Orioles and he was great. Kind of funny that one of the best pitchers on their 26 is a rule 5 guy.
    Even funnier that the Rangers need pitching and let this guy go.
    Best of luck to him!

    Reply

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