The 2016 Baseball Winter Meetings will take place in National Harbor, Maryland beginning on Sunday, December 4 and wrapping up on Thursday, December 8. The meetings will be held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center. National Harbor is just south of Washington, D.C.

During those five days avid baseball fans will wait anxiously to find out what their team has done by way of free agent signings and trades. The pundits will soon score how each team fared during the meetings ranking performances from best to worst.

Oddly enough the meetings wrap up with the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday, December 8. The Rule 5 Draft is named for its place in the Professional Baseball Collective Bargaining Agreement and in the agreement simply follows the Rule 4 Draft which is also known as the “First-Year Player Draft”, “June Draft” or “Amateur Draft”.

The Rule 5 Draft was formulated as an outgrowth of the “Bonus Rules” in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s to try to find a way to keep teams from stockpiling players while other teams were in need of those players being held in the minors. Needless to say it was successful in 1954 when the Dodgers lost Hall of Fame outfielder Roberto Clemente to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the greatest Rule 5 coup ever.

If the Dodgers could have one ‘do-over’ it undoubtedly would be protecting Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, whom they lost in the 1954 Rule 5 Draft.
(AP Photo)

Players are eligible for selection in the Rule 5 draft who are not on their major league organization’s 40- man roster – which must be declared by November 20 – and were signed under the following conditions:

• Signed at age 19 or older and have been in the organization for four years.
• Signed at age 18 or younger and have been in the organization for five years.

As with the First-Year Player Draft the selection order for the teams is based on each team’s win-loss record from the prior regular season. Each round starts with the team with the worst record and proceeds in order to the team with the best record. Any player selected in the Rule 5 Draft must immediately be placed on the selecting team’s 40-man roster and remain on their active roster for the duration of the ensuing season.

The Dodgers have not been very active in the Rule 5 Draft over the years but at least three selections come to mind. Right-hander Carlos Monasterios was acquired by the Dodgers out of the 2009 Rule 5 Draft via a trade with the Mets. He spent his one and only season with the Dodgers in 2010. Right-hander Seth Rosin was also acquired by way of a trade with the Mets out of the 2013 Draft. He was returned to the Phillies following the 2014 spring training. D.J. Houlton was a true Rule 5 selection by the Dodgers in 2004 pitching one full season and part of another with the Dodgers before moving on to Japan.

There is little chance the Dodgers will select a player in this year’s Rule 5 Draft or trade for a player selected by another team on December 8 as there is absolutely no chance that an Odubel Herrera or a Delino DeShields will be available when the Dodgers number is called. Since the 40-man roster has not yet been set, it is also difficult to know which players might be exposed to the draft and might draw some interest.

A quick peak at the rosters of the Oklahoma City Dodgers (AAA) and Tulsa Drillers (AA) reveals a number of players eligible for the MLB portion of the Rule 5 Draft. Others such as Logan Bawcom are eligible but have already achieved minor league free agency so can simply be signed by any of the 30 MLB teams and assigned to a minor league team.

A partial list of Rule 5 draft eligible players includes:

Oklahoma City Dodgers:

• Ralston Cash RHP
• O’Koyea Dickson 1B
• Kyle Farmer C
• Jacob Rhame RHP
• Chase De Jong RHP

Tulsa Drillers:

• Scott Griggs RHP
• Scott Barlow LHP
• Tim Locastro SS
• Joey Curletta OF
• Michael Johnson LHP
• Paul Hoenecke C
• Jacob Scavuzzo OF

There is certainly a chance that Chase De Jong might be scooped up in the draft in November if not protected. At mid-season I felt for sure that Jacob Rhame was a distinct Rule 5 draftee possibility but a slow July for him might have affected his situation. However, he finished very strongly in August and September.

The Dodger would be foolish not to protect 22-year-old right-hander Chase De Jong in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. If they do not, they will lose him.
(Photo credit – Jessie Wardarski)

The Dodgers most definitely will not select a player in the Rule 5 Draft especially in light of their drafting position. However, they may well again be active in the minor league phases of the draft.

The AAA and AA Minor League phases are far more simplified, as teams may draft any player not protected by either the parent team’s 40-man roster or the 38-man AAA reserve list (AAA phase) and the 37 man AA reserve list (AA phase). These prospects, if drafted, can be purchased at the cost of $12,000 and $4,000 respectively, and are not subject to the restrictions of the Rule 5 Draft’s major league phase.

And just like the major league phase of the Rule 5 Draft, teams in the minor league phase tend to work on building up their systems on the mound and behind the plate. And yes, there is always the possibility of uncovering a nugget.

During the 2015 AAA phase of the Rule 5 Draft the Dodgers selected five players: right-handed pitchers Felipe Gonzalez and Logan Bawcom, left-hander Alex Burgos, catcher Micah Gibbs and outfielder Julio Morban. Bawcom returned to the Dodgers after having been traded to the Seattle Mariners in the Brandon League trade in 2012. I expect him to be signed and protected by the Dodgers as he is a definite possibility to pitch at the MLB level in 2017. Perhaps he will be traded again so as not to lose him without any return.

The Dodgers were very fortunate to get right-hander Logan Bawcom back from the Mariners after trading him to Seattle in 2012. He is now a free agent and someone who the Dodgers should seriously consider re-signing.
(Photo courtesy of MiLB.com)

The Dodgers were the only MLB team to select a player in all five rounds of the AAA phase of the minor league draft in 2015.The only player selected in the entire AA phase of the draft was right-hander Juan Caballero who the St. Louis Cardinals claimed out of the Miami Marlins system.

Expect the Dodgers to flesh out their affiliate in Oklahoma City and perhaps Tulsa with some selections in the minor league phases of the draft as per 2015 with pitching and catching again an emphasis.

“It’s a cheap and easy way to improve the depth of your farm system,” a scout from an American League club said. “It’s rare to get a position player (in the minor league phase) who becomes an impact player, but you’ll see clubs trying to buy arms in bulk and hoping to find more depth at catcher.”