Dodgers Roster News: LA Loses Three Minor Leaguers in Rule 5 Draft
The MLB Rule 5 Draft took place on the final day of the Winter Meetings. The Rule 5 Draft gives teams a chance to poach players from opposing teams that aren't on their 40-man roster. The Dodgers had time to add players to protect them for the draft, and all players not added were vulnerable to be taken.
Ryan Noda was selected by the Athletics, Jose Hernandez was selected by the Pirates and Gus Varland was selected by the Brewers. As The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya points out in his tweet, all three players have to be on their team's big league roster for the entirety of the 2023 season, or the Dodgers can get them back.
Noda is a 26-year-old first baseman and outfielder. He hit .259 in Triple-A last season with 25 home runs and 90 RBIs. He'll look to contribute on an Oakland team that is desperate for talent.
Hernandez is a 24-year-old left-handed pitcher who spent last season in High-A and Double-A. In Double-A with the Tulsa Drillers, he went 3-2 with a 3.96 ERA in 36 appearances.
Finally, Varland is a right-handed pitcher who went 4-4 with a 6.11 ERA in Double-A last season. The 26-year-old has never played above Double-A, but will hope to make the jump to the Brewers' big league roster next season.
The Dodgers were fortunate that 21-year-old OF Jose Ramos was not selected in the draft. They left him unprotected, but he's shown a ton of promise, and is someone the organization should be very happy to have next season. He's currently the Dodgers' No. 8 prospect, after hitting 25 home runs and 97 RBIs across Single-A and High-A last season. He'll look to continue to rise the minor league ranks next year.
