Rule 5 draft this winter question

by dougald1 on Jul 25, 2008 4:36 PM PDT

With the A's picking up all these new players and with maybe more to come I was wondering what will happen at rule 5 time. Are the A's going to lose two or three prospects that they just traded for?

It is my understanding that players drafted out of College get 4 years before they must be protected and High School players get 5 year. This might bring up an interesting point when thinking of which players will be called up in September. We might not see a Cahill, Anderson, Simmons or Doolittle this year, because that would save them from the 40 man list.

I believe Pennington, Recker, Cunningham, Gio, Patterson and Outman might need to be added to the 40 man by this November. Not sure if I am doing the math right.

There does seem to be a few guys that would easily come off the 40 man to make room (Foulke, Brown, DiNardo, Gray, Thomas).

I was just wondering if anyone had done the numbers and figured out who must be added and who is likely lost. If a Street is traded for three players, are they all keepers. And for that matter is next years list going to be worse?

This may not be a big deal, but I bet Beane looks at these dates.

Thanks

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There's also Bankston, Conrad, Herrera, Robnett, Davis, Denorfia

They’ll probably sign a guy or three for the ML team, but still they have a lot of spots to clear, so it should be ok.

The A's colors are green and gold.

by mikeA on Jul 25, 2008 5:07 PM PDT reply actions

The big thing is the DL spots

activating guys off the 60 man, and having to then remove players and put them back on.

Sweeney is on the 60 man DL right now I believe, and I am not sure if they A’s won’t simply release Sweeney when that time comes because of the roster crunch, or ask him to rehab in Sacramento till September.

One question is… who will we pick up, if anyone, in the Rule 5 Draft? We almost ALWAYS pick up someone who is ineffective. Someone who, if they do stay the entire year, is just a spare part and won’t really help the team.

We passed on Josh Hamilton, we passed on Soria… BA always has their list of the best bets for Rule 5 drafting, but the A’s always seem to take, even when they grabbed that first pick, someone who seems unlikely to make it.

Will they change their philosophy and grab a high upside guy with their pick and hope he turns out to be one of those good guys, with the done side of losing nothing? Or will hey again pick a low upside guy who, if kept all year, won’t hurt the team because he’ll only play in Mop up duties or a late inning replacement, in which case, why choose him at all?

facepalm.jpg

by Zonis on Jul 25, 2008 5:36 PM PDT reply actions

Weren't there like 4 or 5 guys on the 60 day DL

at the end of last season, mostly guys who came back like Duke, Chavez, Crosby (maybe Buck?). With Sweeney, activate him when he’s ready to come off. It’s not like the roster is full of guys who are better than him. And he is not coming back next year, so he is off the 40 man at the end of the year anyway. If anything, clearing the roster will be a lot easier this year than it was last year. As for a Rule V pick, if they do it better be either a 3B or SS, a potentially big RH bat, or ideally both.

You prefer a magic trick, instead? Watch me make this pencil disappear.

by Swooney's Left Foot on Jul 25, 2008 5:50 PM PDT up reply actions

I think now that we're thinking ahead of just one year, they'd be more likely

to pick the high upside guy. I can’t explain why they don’t always do that.

When you have a chance to get a guy like Sean Gallagher, you take it!

by WaddellCanseco on Jul 26, 2008 4:00 PM PDT up reply actions

Patterson is already on the 40-man

Other than that, you are correct. Those five need to be added.

Four guys are definitely falling off the roster at the end of the year—Thomas, M. Sweeney, E. Brown and Foulke. Ellis currently will as well. So there are exactly 40 guys for 40 slots as things stand.

We can assume the A’s will pick a player in Rule 5. So that’s one slot down. Any free agent signings will knock a player off. If they want to protect Ryan Webb, he will knock a player off. And any trades have to bring back no more than one roster player, or the team will lose a corresponding player.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jul 25, 2008 7:14 PM PDT reply actions

Thanks

With so many players being added to the system by trade and draft, I thought it would be an interesting look at this coming winter’s rule 5. Another interesting year will be the year that Mazzaro, Italiano, Lansford, Sellers, Carter, Bailey, Mitchell,and Godfrey may need to be added. Which I think is next year.

Thanks

by dougald1 on Jul 25, 2008 8:07 PM PDT up reply actions

You think they'd need to protect Recker???

Everyone else I agree with wholeheartedly. I think Webb has struggled enough to avoid Rule 5 selection, despite his attractive age.

"The painting was a gift, Todd. I'm taking it with me." -Wedding Crashers

by notsellingjeans on Jul 26, 2008 2:14 PM PDT up reply actions

Have you looked at what, like, the Marlins are running out there at catcher these days?

Yeah, I think they’d need to protect Recker if they want to keep him. His defense is mediocre and he strikes out a ton, but he’s a catcher with the potential to hit 20 HR in a season who can (in that scenario) be had for free. And Florida in particular has shown the willingness to put up with farces like Dan Uggla at second for great power numbers.

Your 2008 Athletics: It's Nothing Personal.

by PaulThomas on Jul 26, 2008 11:35 PM PDT up reply actions

"The one big prospect"

Even only a week later, I wouldn’t want it to be Rasmus, at least not for the price I was suggesting. His latest injury – spraining his MCL while taking a pitch! – makes me think he’ll always be injury-prone.

"The painting was a gift, Todd. I'm taking it with me." -Wedding Crashers

by notsellingjeans on Jul 26, 2008 2:21 PM PDT up reply actions

Which one big prospect is available?

When you have a chance to get a guy like Sean Gallagher, you take it!

by WaddellCanseco on Jul 26, 2008 4:02 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm just saying, in theory

that at some point you’d rather get a high-quality single prospect over 3 lower-end ones, with the theory being that you can’t protect every one of them from the Rule 5 draft.

"The painting was a gift, Todd. I'm taking it with me." -Wedding Crashers

by notsellingjeans on Jul 26, 2008 4:22 PM PDT up reply actions

Hell, sounds like an ideal Oakland A to me!

The monster at the end of this blog.

by grover on Jul 26, 2008 6:47 PM PDT up reply actions

This year may be one to not leave an open slot

and to fill that 40th man slot ourselves protecting one of our own from the draft. I am just saying that sometimes strategy changes based on circumstances. This may be one of those years as may be others in near future.

Charlie Brown GO A'S WIN

by Charlie Brown on Jul 27, 2008 10:18 AM PDT reply actions