Overview
- Teams must set their 40-man rosters by Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. ET to protect eligible minor leaguers from the Rule 5 Draft scheduled for Dec. 9 in San Diego.
- MLB.com published a team-by-team list of ranked prospects likely to be protected and said it would be very surprising if the top-ranked names were left unprotected.
- Twinkie Town projects the Twins will add few if any players this year and highlights C.J. Culpepper, Paulshawn Pasqualotto, Yasser Mercedes, and Tanner Schobel as the chief candidates whose recent play could tip protection decisions.
- Rule 5 rules require players signed at 18 or younger to be protected within five seasons and those signed at 19 or older within four seasons, and clubs pay $100,000 to select a player and must offer a returned player back for $50,000.
- If the Twins make minimal additions they risk losing up-and-coming arms or position players to other clubs and could use past Rule 5 moves — like the selection and return of Eiberson Castellanos and the Susac-for-Caraballo trade — as a model for harvesting talent or preserving roster flexibility.