The Phillies, along with every other MLB team had until Wednesday night at 8:00 p.m. to finalize their 40 man roster. For some of those left off of the roster, they will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, set to take place on December 12. So what is Rule 5 Draft Eligibility? From the MLB.com rules page:
Any player who signed with their current club at age 18 or younger and has played professionally for at least five years are eligible to be selected, as are those who signed at 19 or older and have at least four years of professional experience. If these players are not on the 40 man roster, they are eligible for selection.
The Phillies roster sits at 39, which allows them to add a player prior to the draft without the risk of anyone being exposed. If you are wondering if a team can get a value pick in the Rule 5 Draft, the answer is yes. In 1954 the Pittsburgh Pirates selected Roberto Clemente from the Brooklyn Dodgers, the rest is history. In 2004, the Phillies selected Shane Victorino from the Dodgers.
Phillies Trade for Minor League Lefty
The Phillies made a move and added left-handed pitcher, Cristopher Sanchez to their 40-man roster. Sanchez was with Tampa Bay and was going to be left unprotected. The Rays traded Sanchez for 19-year-old infielder, Curtis Mead in return.
Sanchez is a 23-year-old powerful lefty who throws in the upper 90s. The 6’5″ Dominican Republic native, spent most of the year in Single-A ball, having pitched only 1 and 1/3 innings above single-A. He is a project that will need time to develop. In 2019, he was 4-1 with a 2.26 ERA. He appeared in 24 games, starting 10 of them. His lone appearance above the Single-A level was in AAA Durham, which did not go well for the young lefty. Still, the Phillies could have found something in Sanchez, and he could be a future piece in the bullpen.
Pitchers Added to 40-Man Roster
Besides Sanchez, The Phillies added JoJo Romero, Garrett Cleavinger and Mauricio Llovera to the roster. Romero comes as no surprise as he is one of the Phillies’ top prospects. The 23-year-old struggled as a starter in Lehigh Valley and Reading this past year. He was 7-9 with a 5.82 ERA. The Phillies sent him the Arizona Fall League where he was impressive out of the bullpen, letting up just one run in ten innings.
Cleavinger is a 25-year old who pitched in 34 games for the Reading Fightins. He went 3-2 with a 3.66 ERA while striking out 83 in 51.2 innings. The issue with Cleavinger has been his control as evident by walking 34 batters. The Phillies acquired Cleavinger in 2017 in a trade for Jeremy Hellickson.
Llovera is a 24-year old with a powerful arm. Last year in Reading he pitched in 14 games, starting 12 of them going 3-4 with a 4.55 ERA while striking out 72 in 65.1 innings pitched.
The MLB off-season continues as the owner’s meetings wrap up today, however, no major moves were expected since no GMs were present. San Diego hosts the winter meetings from December 9 to the 12th.
Mandatory Credit: Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports
