Guardians 2023 Rule 5 Draft Primer
MLB’s annual Winter Meetings (Dec. 4-7) will conclude with Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft at 2 PM ET. In a typical year, it represents one last chance to make a deal or acquire young talent before each club’s entourage heads to their respective cities.
To be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, players 18 or younger with five seasons of professional experience are eligible. Players age 19 or older (typically college players) and having four seasons of professional experience are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Each team making a selection must have room on its 40-man roster. Teams making selections must pay a fee of $100,000. Players drafted must remain on the selecting team’s 26-man roster for a minimum of 90 days, or the player must be offered back to their original team for $50,000.
Last year the club lost two right-handed relievers. The Colorado Rockies selected right-handed reliever Kevin Kelly before dealing him to the Tampa Bay Rays. Nic Enright was selected by the Miami Marlins and eventually returned. The organization's most notable losses are right-hander Hector Rondon (Cubs) and outfielder Anthony Santander (Orioles). Other recent notables: Jordan Milbrath (Pirates) and Kyle Dowdy (Mets) were selected and eventually returned to the organization. Milbrath was later traded to the Miami Marlins for right-handed reliever Nick Wittgren.
Best available Guardians:
Bryan Lavastida- C
Tanner Burns- RHSP
Aaron Bracho- INF
Dayan Frias- SS
Jose Devers- SS
Ethan Hankins- RHSP
Nick Mikolajchak- RHRP
Erik Sabrowski- LHRP
Bradley Hanner- RHRP
Lenny Torres Jr.- RHRP
Andrew Misiaszek- LHRP
Best available prospects:
Pitchers:
CJ Van Eyk- RHSP Blue Jays
Tyler Owens- RHSP Braves
Cole Wilcox- RHSP Rays
Ian Seymour- LHSP Rays
Coleman Crow- RHSP Mets
Justin Jarvis- RHSP Mets
Taylor Dollard- RHSP Mariners
Shane Drohan- LHSP Red Sox
Angel Bastardo- RHSP Red Sox
Chih-Jung Liu- RHSP Red Sox
Matt Sauer- RHSP Yankees
Juan Sanchez- LHRP Giants
RJ Dabovich- RHRP Giants
TANNER BURNS- RHSP Guardians
Miguel Rodriguez- RHRP Twins
Ian Bedell- RHSP Cardinals
Justin Slaten- RHRP Rangers
Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa- RHRP Rangers
Kohl Franklin- RHSP Cubs
Austin Pope- RHRP Diamondbacks
Position Players:
Shay Whitcomb- SS Astros
Shane Sasaki- OF Rays
Carlos De La Cruz- OF Phillies
DaShawn Kiersay- OF Twins
Hudson Haskin- OF Orioles
Brandon Valenzuela- C Padres
Trevor Hauver- 1b/OF Rangers
Troy Johnston- 1b/OF Marlins
Nasim Nunez- SS Marlins
Yenier Fernandez- C/2b Dodgers
Rule 5 predictions & notes:
Cleveland’s roster currently sits at 39. If they make a selection it will likely be a pitcher. Keep an eye on RJ Dabovich, Matt Sauer, Justin Slaten, Shane Drohan, Cole Wilcox, Ian Seymour, Tyler Owens, CJ Van Eyk, and Angel Bastardo among others. If the club makes a major league selection it would likely be someone that could contribute with multiple innings. The depth of this year's Rule 5 draft class is former college/minor league starting pitchers.
In the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Cleveland will likely select their annual interesting arms and a catcher for minor league depth.
In the MLB portion of the Rule 5 Tanner Burns is most likely to be selected. While Bryan Lavastida will be available, teams had the opportunity to claim him off waivers when he was designated for assignment in 2023. Dayan Frias stands out because of his versatility. Nick Mikolajchak is still recovering from Tommy John surgery and could easily be stashed on the injured list for part of next season.