With multiple open spots on their 40-man roster and an entirely depleted bullpen, the Mariners were expected to be active in this year’s Rule 5 draft, and for once the club did basically what people expected, scooping up 27-year-old righty Brandon Brennan.
In case you’re unfamiliar with the Rule 5 draft, essentially it’s this: Rule 5 ensures that teams can’t bury players in the minors forever by allowing any player not on an organization’s 40-man roster to be drafted by any other club, as long as that player has been in the minors for four seasons (for a player 19 or older when signed; it’s five years for those 18 and under when they signed).