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An Atlanta Braves fan’s Rule 5 Primer

By Fred Owens

The Atlanta Braves selected Dan Winkler in the 2014 Rule 5 draft. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images)
The Atlanta Braves selected Dan Winkler in the 2014 Rule 5 draft. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /
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Player eligibility

Reading Rule 5 may result in a headache; it’s a legal document I think that’s a requirement of all legal documents.

Despite this, today’s version of Rule 5 makes a lot more sense. Teams generally get four or five years to create a major league ready player.  Eligibility timelines for Rule 5 eligibility are convoluted but here’s a rule a thumb:

  • High school draftees and international free agents (IFA) are first eligible four years after signing
  • College players are eligible three years after signing.
  • Players previously eligible remain eligible in subsequent seasons
  • Minor league free agents signed prior to the Rule 5 draft are eligible
  • Players outrighted off the 40-man roster are eligible

Teams protect players from selection in the Rule 5 draft by adding them to their 40-man roster.

Structure

The Rule 5 draft consists of two sections, Major League and Minor League.

Major league teams are given the opportunity to select minor league players for their Major League roster. Once a team chooses not to make a selection, they may make no further selections.

The 2017-2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) increased the cost of players drafted for Major League from $50,000 to $100,000. The fee for selecting a player from AA or lower level teams to play for a AAA team is $24,000.

The practice of having a 3rd segment to draft players from lower levels to play for AA teams was ended in the last CBA.

Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves /

Atlanta Braves

  • Rule 5 players must remain active for the whole season.
  • Rule 5 players must be on the active (not disabled) roster for 90 days. If an injury prevents a player from remaining active for 90 days, he must complete the 90-day period in his second year before he may be sent to the minors,
    •  We saw part of the rule that in action with Dan Winkler… which actually ended up extending into a third year.
  • Teams may trade a Rule 5 player, but the draft restrictions follow the player if the player can’t remain on the 25-man roster all year. If they don’t complete a trade, the player is offered back to his original team.
    • A traded Rule 5 player is offered back to the team that traded him then back to his original team.

Players taken in the minor league part of the draft do not need to return to the original teams for any reason.

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