The deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft came and went on Friday, and the Yankees made moves to protect five players from within their system. In the process, they had to part ways with a number of former players. Over the past two seasons, the Yankees have lost three players through Rule-5 process and it is clear that teams value to players that the Yankees farm system is producing. Over the last 12 months, the Yankees have seen a number of players leave the system through the Rule 5 Draft and trades
Last December, the Yankees saw three players — Garrett Whitlock, Trevor Stephan, and Kyle Holder — selected in the Rule 5 Draft.