At the conclusion of the annual winter meetings, Major League Baseball holds its Rule 5 Draft. The draft is held to prevent teams from hording prospects in their minor league systems without giving them a legitimate opportunity to play at the top level.
The 2024 Rule 5 Draft begins at 2 p.m. EST today.
Every player starts a clock when they enter a team’s farm system. For international players and high school draftees, the clock is a bit longer. For college players, it’s a bit shorter. But when that clock expires, the player is eligible to be “drafted” by another team in the Rule 5 draft if that player hasn’t been added to the team’s 40-man roster.