The virtual Rule 5 Draft was held today at the tail end of the virtual Winter Meetings that have been ‘going on’ this week. Usually, it’s a time that sees a little bit of action from the Cincinnati Reds, who have selected the likes of Mark Payton and Jake Cave over the years, to name a few.
The entire premise of the Rule 5 is this: it prevents teams with robust farm systems from simply stashing players in the minors and blocking their paths to the big leagues, so players that have been around for a bit and still not been added to a club’s 40-man roster can be selected by other clubs who see them as on-roster talent.