The Los Angeles Dodgers protected only one prospect in Jack Dreyer, who originally signed with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2021. The left-hander went a combined 5-2 with a 2.20 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 46 appearances for Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City this year. This decision reflects the strategic considerations teams make regarding player protection before the Rule 5 Draft, ultimately allowing the most promising prospects to remain within the organization.
Players signed at age 18 or younger become Rule 5 eligible after five seasons, while those who signed at age 19 or older are eligible within four seasons. Understanding these eligibility rules is crucial for teams as they evaluate their rosters and strategize on player protection, ensuring their promising young talents don’t slip away to rival franchises in the draft.
Any player picked during the first round of the Draft must remain on the selecting team’s Major League roster for the entire season or be offered back to the previous club. This stipulation emphasizes the commitment teams make when selecting players, balancing the potential of new talent against the resources devoted to developing those players throughout a season.
There is also a Minor League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Any player not protected on a big league or Triple-A roster is eligible, with selecting teams required to pay $24,000. Unlike their counterparts in the Major League phase, players taken in this phase aren’t subject to the same roster restrictions, which provides organizations with more flexibility to develop talent within their minor league systems.
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