2018 MLB Rule 5 Draft: Explanation, Start Time, Draft Order, Past Selections

The 2018 MLB Winter Meetings are coming to a close, but there’s still an important event for general managers and executives before everyone heads back home for the winter. The Rule 5 Draft will be held today at 12:00 PM ET/9:00 AM PT, allowing teams to add eligible non-40-man-roster players from other teams. It almost works like a fantasy draft you might have in person, as it’s not a huge event (as compared to the first-year player draft, which is televised with announcements for the picks).

 

If a player is selected, the team that picks them must pay $100,000 to the player’s original team, and the player must immediately go to the team’s 25-man roster (MLB roster). If the player does not spend the entire season with the team that drafts him, he will go through waivers and then must be offered back to the original team for $50,000 if he clears waivers.

 

The draft order is inverse of the standings from last season. Teams with full 40-man rosters cannot select players in the Rule 5 Draft.

 

1. Orioles

2. Royals

3. White Sox

4. Marlins

5. Tigers

6. Padres

7. Reds

8. Rangers

9. Giants

10. Blue Jays

11. Mets

12. Twins

13. Phillies

14. Angels

15. Diamondbacks

16. Nationals

17. Pirates

18. Cardinals

19. Mariners

20. Braves

21. Rays

22. Rockies

23. Indians

24. Dodgers

25. Cubs

26. Brewers

27. Athletics

28. Yankees

29. Astros

30. Red Sox

 

Eligibility

To be eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft, a player must meet the following requirements:

-Not be on his team’s 40-man roster

-Signed with the team at 18 or younger and played at least five years professionally or signed with the team at 19 or order and played at least four years professionally

 

Notable Past Selections

Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente was selected by the Pirates in the 1954 Rule 5 Draft as the most notable and successful past selection. But there have been plenty of other Rule 5 picks that have gone on to have great careers in the past decade, including All-Stars and World Series champions like:

 

-R.A. Dickey

-Darren O’Day

-Marwin Gonzalez

-Hector Rondon

-Odubel Herrera