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Seattle Mariners: 5 Rule 5 Draft Options to Consider

By Colby Patnode

PEORIA, AZ - MARCH 4: A hat and glove of of the Seattle Mariners is seen prior to the game against the San Diego Padreson March 4, 2015 at Peoria Stadium in Peoria, Arizona. The Mariners defeated the Padres 4-3 in 10 innings. (Photo by Rich Pilling/Getty Images)
PEORIA, AZ - MARCH 4: A hat and glove of of the Seattle Mariners is seen prior to the game against the San Diego Padreson March 4, 2015 at Peoria Stadium in Peoria, Arizona. The Mariners defeated the Padres 4-3 in 10 innings. (Photo by Rich Pilling/Getty Images) /
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The Mariners appear to be considering a tear-down rebuild. Since 2019 appears to be a potential “lost season” it makes more sense than ever to dip into the Rule 5 draft to find talent.

The Mariners have done this as recently as last season under Jerry Dipoto, who selected Mike Ford of the New York Yankees organization. However, Ford couldn’t make the team out of spring training and was sent back to the Yankees as a result.

If you need a refresher on what the Rule 5 draft is, consider it a lottery on “unprotected” prospects. Basically, any player not on a 40-man roster with 5 seasons of pro ball can be selected. Somebody who was drafted or signed at age 18 or younger is eligible after 5 seasons, while players who were older than 18 get 4 seasons before they need to be protected from the Rule 5.

The team who drafts a player gives the team that lost the player $100,000. The drafted player must spend the entire season on the MLB roster, and cannot be DFA’d or optioned without first being offered back to his original team for $50,000 in return. The draftee must spend 90 days on the active roster to count as a “full-season”.

If the player is rostered for 75 days in 2019, then has to go on the DL for the remainder of the season, said player must be rostered for 15 days into the next season before he becomes the teams “property”.

Basically, the Rule 5 draft is to prevent teams from stopping MLB ready talent play in the league for other teams. Most of the time, players drafted end up being returned to their original team or the two sides work out a trade for the draftee that eliminates the Rule 5 status.

Typically speaking, the players drafted are perhaps a year away from actually being ready to play in the big leagues, so contenders with deep rosters rarely partake in the draft. However, for a team not trying to compete in the upcoming season, like the Mariners, Rule 5 can be a great chance to recoup prospects and see if you can stumble upon contributors.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at some options.

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