The Rule 5 Draught, which is scheduled for Wednesday in Nashville during MLB’s Winter Meetings, has a known location for the Phillies. Since the order is based on the standings from the previous season, in reverse order, Philadelphia will select pick number 24. There are two sections to the Rule 5 Draught: Major League and Minor League. The MLB portion usually attracts more attention from fans because it usually contains elite prospects that teams either couldn’t or wouldn’t add to their 40-man roster by last month’s tender deadline.
Carlos De La Cruz, an outfield prospect and one of the Phillies’ best prospects, is on that list. Samuel Aldegheri, a left-handed pitcher, was also unprotected. The Phillies are under no obligation to select, but in order to do so, they need to have space available because the player who is chosen has to be added to their 40-man roster right away. The Phillies’ 40-man roster includes 38 players as of the start of the Winter Meetings. Only eight players made it to the Major Leagues last year out of the mere 15 who were selected in the MLB phase. The minor league phase saw the selection of 67 players.
In 2020, the Phillies selected shortstop Kyle Holder of the New York Yankees with their final MLB draught pick. He was eventually traded by the Phillies to Cincinnati, and the Reds returned him to the Yankees. The Chicago White Sox selected outfielder Carlos Tocci in the 2017 MLB Draught, marking the last time the Phillies lost a player to the league. According to MLB.com, De La Cruz is one of the more interesting players the Phillies left unprotected. Standing at six feet eight inches, he can hit for contact, steal bases, and play first base or outfield. He increased his power the previous season, hitting 24 home runs at Double-A Reading. Along with 25 doubles and 67 RBI, he also batted.269 at bat.
After spending 2018 in the minors, De La Cruz was signed by the Phillies, who had to either move him to their 40-man roster or risk having him selected in the draught. As a result, he is not protected. If De La Cruz is selected by a team, that team will have to pay the Phillies $100,000 and immediately add him to their 26-man roster. The Phillies have to follow suit if they draught a player. A player chosen in the Rule 5 Draught must be placed on unconditional waivers and offered back to the team from which he was selected for $50,000 if he is released at any time in 2024. He is available to any team if that team decides they don’t want him back.
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