Rule 5 Primer

The Rule 5 draft takes place Thursday morning in Nashville. Here’s a look at how the Rule 5 draft works and how the Red Sox have fared in the Rule 5 draft since Theo Epstein took over as general manager in 2002:

HOW THE RULE 5 DRAFT WORKS: Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement signed last season, players who are younger than 19 years old upon signing their first professional contract are eligible for the Rule 5 draft if they are not placed on their organization’s 40-man roster after five professional seasons. Players who are at least 19 years old upon signing their first professional contract are eligible for the Rule 5 draft if they are not played on their organization’s 40-man roster after four professional seasons.

If a team selects a player during the major league portion of the Rule 5 draft, it pays his former club $50,000. The player must either spend the entire subsequent season on the selecting team’s 25-man roster or disabled list or be offered back to his former organization for $25,000. Rule 5 players who miss time due to injury during their rookie season cannot be optioned to the minor leagues the following season until they have spent a total of 60 days on the selecting team’s active 25-man roster.

WHICH RULE 5 ELIGIBLE PLAYERS WERE ADDED TO THE SOX 40-MAN ROSTER THIS FALL?: First baseman Chris Carter and shortstop Argenis Diaz.

WHERE WILL THE SOX SELECT TODAY?: The Sox have the 30th and final pick in the draft, though they can trade up or down.

HOW HAVE THE SOX FARED IN THE MAJOR LEAGUE RULE 5 DRAFT: Since 2002, Theo Epstein’s first winter as general manager, the Sox have selected eight players in the major league Rule 5 draft: Pitchers Javier Lopez and Matt White and outfielder Adrian Brown in 2002, pitchers Lenny DiNardo and Colter Bean in 2003, outfielder Adam Stern in 2004, pitcher Jamie Vermilyea in 2005 and pitcher Nick DeBarr in 2006.

Of those players, only DiNardo went on to enjoy an uninterrupted run with the Sox. DiNardo, who was selected from the Mets, appeared in 22 games, all as a reliever, for the Sox in 2004 and spent much of the season on the disabled list due to a strained left shoulder and a blister. He spent most of 2005 at Triple-A Pawtucket but struck out 15 batters in 14 2/3 major league innings and went 1-2 with a 7.85 ERA in 13 appearances (six starts) in 2006, when he missed more than three months due to a neck injury. He was claimed off waivers by the Athletics last March.

Stern, who was selected from the Braves, hit .133 in 15 games and missed 97 games due to a pair of DL stints in 2005. He had to spend the first 17 days of the 2006 season with the Sox to fulfill the 60-day requirement and hit .150 in 20 at-bats and made a game-saving catch against the Devil Rays before he was optioned to Pawtucket Apr. 19. He spent the rest of the season with the PawSox and was traded to the Orioles Oct. 3 as the player to be named later in the Javy Lopez deal.

Javier Lopez, who was selected from the Diamondbacks, was traded to the Rockies in March 2003 and was re-acquired by the Red Sox from the White Sox in June 2006. White, who was selected from the Indians, was traded to the Mariners in June 2003. Brown, who was selected from the Devil Rays, was returned to the Devil Rays in March 2003 but was released shortly thereafter and re-signed with the Sox, for whom he hit .200 in 15 at-bats in 2003. Bean, who was selected from the Yankees, was returned to the Yankees in March 2004. Vermilyea, who was selected from the Blue Jays, was returned to the Blue Jays in March 2006. DeBarr, who was selected from the Devil Rays, made just one appearance for the Sox in a Grapefruit League game before he was returned to the Rays in March.

HOW IS THE MINOR LEAGUE RULE 5 DRAFT DIFFERENT THAN ITS MAJOR LEAGUE COUNTERPART: There are two rounds of the minor league Rule 5 draft—Double-A and Single-A—and teams may select players for $12,000 and $4,000 apiece, respectively. The selecting team may then send these players anywhere within its system without penalty.

The Sox did not select anyone in last year’s minor league Rule 5 draft.

SOME FAMOUS MAJOR LEAGUE RULE 5 DRAFT ALUMS: Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente (Pirates in 1954), All-Star outfielder and former MVP George Bell (Blue Jays in 1980), two-time Cy Young Award winner—and future Sox ace?—Johan Santana (Twins in 2000), Jay Gibbons (Orioles in 2000) and Dan Uggla (Marlins in 2005).


Diehard managing editor Jerry Beach can be reached at [e-mail]. To receive a free issue of Diehard, call 888-979-0979.