In last winter’s Rule 5 draft, the Oakland A’s walked away with a new infielder in Vimael Machin. However, they also lost a prospect, outfielder Mark Payton, to the Reds.
Seven months later, the Reds have returned Payton to Oakland, the A’s announced. He has been added to Oakland’s player pool, which had an open spot, and will report to their alternate training site in San Jose.
The Rule 5 draft brings a special set of guidelines. Teams may select minor leaguers who have been pros for a while but are not already on a 40-man roster, with the catch that they must then carry the player on their own MLB active roster for the entire regular season.