Houston Astros: Three players who need to be protected on the 40 man roster
By T.A. Mock
The Houston Astros have some decisions to make in regards to their 40 man roster. Let’s take a look at three guys who need to be protected by Tuesday’s deadline.
By Tuesday, all teams in the MLB have to decide who they are going to award a spot on their 40 man roster. Minor leaguers who are eligible to be placed on the 40 man but aren’t, will be placed into the draft pool for December 13th’s Rule 5 Draft.
Players who are signed to their organization at age 18 or younger must be placed on their team’s 40 man roster within five seasons of their signing or else they’re exposed to the Rule 5 Draft. Players signed at 19 or older must be placed on the 40 man within four seasons of their signing. So, we’re looking at international or high school prospects drafted/signed in 2014 and collegiate prospects draft/signed in 2015.
The Houston Astros have some decisions that they need to make before Tuesday’s deadline. Currently, they have 35 players on the 40 man roster so they could add up to five minor leaguers by tomorrow to fill those spots. In actuality, they probably won’t add five players, instead opting to leave a few spots open for free agents and trade acquisitions.
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There are a couple of guys that would have been eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this year that have already been promoted. Alex Bregman falls under this classification as do Framber Valdez and Myles Straw.
Fortunately, the Houston Astros don’t have a ton of top prospects who are eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft this season. However, they do have some guys that they definitely need to protect as they could potentially contribute in 2019 and are right on the cusp of their big league call-ups. Let’s take a look.