40-Man Protections And Rule 5 Draft Talk

We've got the Rule 5 fever.

Geoff Pontes and J.J. Cooper are a day late with the Prospect Podcast this week, but it's for a good reason, as we've been busy working on the 40-man roster protection deadline and doing our early Rule 5 draft preview work. We talk about that and discuss the Orioles-Angels trade that saw Grayson Rodriguez and Taylor Ward swap coasts.

Time Stamps

(00:00) A Rule 5 name to watch

(10:00) Explaining Rule 5 rules, as well as what the 40-man roster deadline is about

(16:00) Trends we noticed in 40-man roster additions

(19:00) Why the fireballing Class A pitcher doesn't get picked anymore

(23:00) Traits to look for when trawling for Rule 5 picks

(28:30) It was a bad year for first-round picks being protected, especially for one team

(32:00) Two teams with perfect first-round protection records recently

(34:00) A few sneaky things to look for in the Rule 5 draft

(38:00) Analyzing the Grayson Rodriguez-Taylor Ward trade

Rule 5 Draft Preview: https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2025-rule-5-draft-preview-top-players-to-know/

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