Friday was a big day for the BostonRed Sox roster, with a group of four players headlined by Jeter Downs being added to the 40-man to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. Julian McWilliams looks at the players who were protected. (Julian McWilliams; Boston Globe)
Four players is not really a small number to protect relatively speaking, but Boston did have a lot of decisions to make this year and four was a conservative number to protect. Now, they take their chances and are risking losing one or more of their prospects. (Chad Jennings; The Athletic)
They needn’t look any further than their bullpen to know the risks that can be presented by leaving talented players unprotected.