Seattle Mariners make 2 picks in the MLB Rule 5 draft, lose no prospects

The Seattle Mariners selected two players in the 2020 MLB Rule 5 Draft, one in the MLB Phase, and one in the AAA phase.

The Seattle Mariners made two selections in the 2020 MLB Rule 5 Draft today. For those who don’t know, here is an in-depth explanation of what the Rule 5 draft is from Baseball America, but as simple as possible the Rule 5 draft lets teams select players off of other teams who are not on their 40 man roster. The players selected in the MLB phase of the draft must be kept on the roster or injured list all-season or they are placed on waivers with the chance to be sent back to their original team.

The Mariners selected Will Vest from the Detroit Tigers organization with their pick in the draft. Vest, who is 25 years old, has a 3.88 ERA in 3 minor league seasons and has worked exclusively as a reliever. According to multiple scouting reports, he has a mid 90’s fastball with a curveball and changeup. His name also gives us this:

In the AAA phase of the draft, the Mariners selected Amador Arias from the Tampa Bay Rays system. Since Arias was selected in the AAA phase he does not have to appear in the MLB next season like Vest, and will follow different rules. The main rules are that Arias must stay on the 38 man AAA roster, but he can play on any minor league team for the Mariners this season. In three seasons, all at the rookie ball level, Arias has a .592 OPS and is listed as a third baseman.

While they made 2 selections, the Mariners did not lose any prospects in this year’s Rule 5 draft in either the MLB or AAA phase. It was expected that the Mariners would not lose anyone in the MLB phase of the draft, as they added a few players to the 40 man roster leaving no great prospects unprotected. Seattle’s 40 man roster is now at 40, meaning that if they sign a player to their roster they will have to place someone on waivers.