Regardless of how this season ends, the Royals will look to capitalize off their surprising turnaround with a smart off-season. Their decisions will be impacted by the 40-man roster, their active and reserve roster of players. This winter, they will need to decide whether or not to add certain players that are eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December.
The Rule 5 draft allows teams to select players from other organizations that are eligible and have not been added to the 40-man roster and thus “protected.” Players are eligible after four seasons in the minors if they signed at age 19 or later, or after five seasons if they signed younger than age 19.