The annual MLB Rule 5 draft was scheduled for Dec. 8, but with the majors frozen in a lockout during labor negotiations, the event was postponed indefinitely.
However, there is also a minor league phase to the draft, in which the chosen players are not added to the major league 40-man roster. Since minor leaguers are not locked out and can still participate in transactions, this part of the draft went on as planned.
The Oakland A’s made two selections, and also saw one of their own players taken away by another team. Here are the 2021 results:
A’s picks
- OF Gabriel Maciel from MIN (1st round)
- OF Vince Fernandez from SFG (2nd round)
Picked from A’s
- IF Cobie Vance by MIA (3rd round)
In a normal year, the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft is just a footnote after the MLB portion.