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Royals face deadline to protect players from Rule 5 draft

The Royals face another key offseason deadline on Friday as they prune and shape their 40-man roster before the annual winter meetings in early December.

By 7 p.m. Friday, all clubs must decide which players — if any — they would like to protect from being available in the Rule 5 draft, which takes place Dec. 8, on the final day of the winter meetings, held this year in National Harbor, Md.

In general, this means any player who is not on the 40-man roster who signed in 2012 at 18 years or younger or in 2013 at 19 years or older.