Tuesday is the deadline for MLB teams to decide which prospects to protect from the Rule 5 draft, and the Dodgers have some decisions to make, perhaps more than in recent years.
The Rule 5 draft happens at the Winter Meetings and involves professional players as opposed to amateur ones. Players on the 40-man roster are exempt from being drafted, regardless of other eligibility factors.
Teams can ‘protect’ their prospects by placing them on their 40-man roster. Eligible players for the draft must have been signed at age 19 or over and have played professionally for four years, or were drafted at age 18 and have played professionally for five years.