D-backs Escape Rule 5 Draft Unscathed, Add Minor League Catcher

The 2024 MLB Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas, have come to a close, and the final noteworthy event is the 2024 Rule 5 Draft. The Arizona Diamondbacks were presented with an opportunity to add to their MLB and Triple-A rosters.

What is the Rule 5 Draft?

Per MLB.com, the Rule 5 Draft is defined in its concept as follows:

"Held each December, the Rule 5 Draft allows clubs without a full 40-man roster to select certain non-40-man roster players from other clubs. ... Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club's 40-Man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons."

In short, teams can "steal" minor-league players from other teams' farm systems, but only if they aren't protected, by being placed on a 40-man or 26-man roster. There is both an MLB portion and a minor league portion of the Draft.

This off-season, the D-backs added infielder Tim Tawa and right-hand pitcher Joe Elbis to their 40-man, in order to protect them from said Rule 5 Draft.

The Rule 5 Draft order, unlike Rule 4 (standard amateur draft), is determined purely based on reverse order of record, rather than a lottery - the Chicago White Sox will have the first overall pick.

All 30 clubs are eligible to make a Rule 5 selection, but not every team will. In order to make a selection, a team must have an available 40-man roster spot, and must pay $100,000 to the club from which they made their selection.

The drafted player can only be removed from the 26-man roster by being placed on waivers. If waived, or if the player does not make the Opening Day roster, the team must offer the player back to their original club for a price of $50,000.

If, and only if, the player's former organization does not accept his return, the player may be outrighted to his new club's minor leagues.

MLB Phase

The Arizona Diamondbacks elected to pass on their selection during the MLB portion of 2024's Rule 5 Draft, and no players were selected from the D-backs' minor leagues during the MLB section of the Draft.

In 2023, the Diamondbacks did not make a major league Rule 5 selection, but infield prospect Deyvison De Los Santos was snagged from the organization by the Cleveland Guardians.

De Los Santos struggled, and was returned to Arizona, where he eventually became the key trade piece that brought dominant lefty reliever A.J. Puk from Miami to Phoenix at the deadline.

Triple-A Phase

After two rounds of the MLB phase, teams are permitted to make additions to their Triple-A rosters.

During the first round of the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft, the D-backs selected catcher Drake Osborn, a 26-year-old right-handed hitting catcher from the New York Mets' Double-A Binghamton roster.

After posting a .948 OPS over 16 games in High-A in 2024, Osborn was promoted to Double-A, where he struggled heavily, hitting just .235/.287/.320, with a .607 OPS over 62 games. He's never posted a full season OPS higher than .677, and has been in the minors since he was drafted in 2021.

The D-backs did not make any other selections in the Triple-A phase, and also did not lose any of their minor-leaguers. In 2023, they lost infielder Seth Beer and catcher Luis Caicuto.