On Wednesday the Dodgers outrighted right-handed reliever Chin-hui Tsao, sending him to Triple-A Oklahoma City. In doing so, the 35-year-old Hualien, Taiwan native can either accept the minor league assignment or opt for free agency.

The hard-throwing right-hander appeared in 57 games over parts of six major league seasons – three with the Colorado Rockies and three with the Dodgers – amassing a career 5-6 record and 5.75 ERA. He made two relief appearances for the Dodgers in 2016 in which he allowed one run on one hit while walking three and striking out none in 1.2 total innings pitched. He was subsequently placed on the disabled list for a strained right triceps and never made another appearance for the Dodgers after May 21.

The real reason for the move had absolutely nothing to do with Tsao’s successes or shortcomings but instead to open up a spot on the team’s 40-man roster in order to make room for several key minor league prospects who are now Rule 5 Draft-eligible. Unfortunately, there are (now) only three spots available on the Dodgers 40-man and far more Rule 5 Draft-eligible players than that. Granted, not all of them will be targeted by other MLB teams; in fact, most will not. But a few absolutely will.

The deadline for MLB teams to add players to their 40-man rosters in order to protect them from the Rule-5 Draft is Friday, November 18, 2016, with the actual Rule 5 Draft taking place on Thursday, December 8, 2016 during the final day of the 2016 MLB Winter Meetings at Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center near Washington, D.C.

Players become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft if they were:

• 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.

One such Rule 5 Draft-eligible player is Dodgers right-handed pitching prospect Chase De Jong, who was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the second round of the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of Woodrow Wilson High School in Long Beach, California and traded to the Dodgers on July 2, 2015 (along with infielder Tim Locastro) in exchange for three international bonus pool slots. He is currently ranked 17th on the Dodgers Top-30 prospects list and if not protected by November 18, he will undoubtedly be snatched up in a heartbeat in the Rule 5 Draft.

“I really want to stay here,” De Jong recently told ThinkBlueLA. “Playing for a team with such a rich history and pride in their legacy is something I think any player would love to be a small part of. My grandfather was a big Dodger fan and to be honest, there’s something just so classy and timeless about that uniform. I’d be honored to be able to wear one of those.”

De Jong was a non-roster invitee to major league camp last spring. He said that the time he spent with Hall of Famer Greg Maddux was the highlight of his entire spring. (Photo credit – Jon SooHoo)

Those who have been following the extremely polite 22-year-old right-hander are well aware that he had an outstanding 2016 season, beginning the year at Double-A Tulsa and finishing at Triple-A Oklahoma City. In his combined 26 starts (25 with the Drillers and one with the OKC Dodgers) De Jong posted an excellent 15-5 record and 2.82 ERA while striking out 133 and walking 40 in his combined 147.0 innings pitched – the most innings pitched by any Dodgers minor leaguer in 2016. His 14 Texas League wins were tops in the league and his 2.86 Texas League ERA second.

But De Jong isn’t the only Dodgers prospect likely to be targeted in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. In fact, there are quite a few who would enhance any team’s current or future MLB roster. Here are but a few:

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
• Michael Johnson LHP
• Paul Hoenecke C

Of these listed, De Jong is the highest ranked by MLB.com at 17th, with Rhame coming in 19th and Farmer 24th.

Needless to say, this is where Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, general manager Farhan Zaidi and director of player development Gabe Kapler earn their pay, while desperately hoping to avoid another Roberto Clemente Rule 5 Draft disaster.