It is not only a time when the Rockies can plan ahead but also tip their hand to where they think future players might be in terms of their progress. By placing a player on the 40-man roster, they are protecting that player’s rights. It’s also not a move that the Rockies or any Major League team takes lightly.
In case you are unfamiliar with the Rule 5 draft, it is an interesting process … and one that teams can not use just because they feel like it. A Rule 5 draftee must be kept in the team’s Major League 25-man roster for the entire next season or he is offered back to the team which lost him at half the price.