The New York Yankees have to be extremely careful in the coming hours, as their current active roster is at 36 players and have four spots left to protect from the rule five draft.
If you are unaware of what the Rule 5 draft is, here’s the MLB’s explanation:
Held each December, the Rule 5 Draft allows clubs without a full 40-man roster to select certain non-40-man roster players from other clubs. Clubs draft in reverse order of the standings from the previous season. Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club’s 40-Man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons.
Essentially, the Yankees are in line to lose multiple players who signed with the organization at a young age and have yet to reach the active roster. There are a few names that you might not recognize but could be stolen by alternative clubs looking to bolster their team with young talent.
Of course, you can never predict the future for a player and how they will develop, but the Yankees did just that with Jonathan Loáisiga, who was signed to the 40-man roster this past season and will escape the Rule 5 draft because of it.
Loáisiga finished the 2020 season with a 3.52 ERA, forcing a 50.8% ground ball rate and striking out 8.61 batters per nine innings. He won all three games he pitched in over 23 innings. Overall, he has proved to be a solid option for the Yankees in the bullpen, and he is capable of starting if need be.
Luckily, with Jonathan off the board, the Yankees have a bit more room to work with when it comes to retaining some promising talent. Several players who could be lost include Alexander Vizcaino, Osvaldo Peraza, and Roansy Contreras.
It is no surprise that two of them are pitchers, while Peraza is a shortstop. Alexander might be the most promising of the three, standing at 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds. He has a very similar build and frame to Domingo German, who is expected to return to the Yankees next season.
Ultimately, the retention of these youngsters is important, especially for the Yankees in the future. As one of the best clubs regarding youth talent and development, losing some of these players always hurts, and they will have to make decisions that result in departures. Hopefully, they can select the right players to keep around for the long term.