Pittsburgh Pirates: How to Approach the Rule 5 Draft

The Rule 5 Draft is essentially trying to find a dimaond in the rough, so how should the Pittsburgh Pirates approach this chance to add depth to their MLB roster?

Finishing last in baseball not only gets the Pittsburgh Pirates the number one overall pick in the first year player draft, but it also gets them the first overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft. This could be an opportunity for the Pirates to add some depth to their MLB roster and find a potential building block.

Before we get into what players the Pittsburgh Pirates could look into, what is the Rule 5 Draft? It is the definition of giving teams a chance of finding a diamond in the rough. Teams are given an opportunity to select qualified players from other organizations, and the selected player must stay on the team’s 26-man roster for an entire year. If they do not, the selected player is offered back from the team they were taken from.

Each selection costs $100K for the selecting team. Players that signed at 18-years-old or younger that have been part of a MLB organziation for at least five years and not on the 40-man, or signed at 19-years-old and have been part of a MLB organization four years of pro experience and not on the 40-man are available in this draft.

Many all-star caliber players have been selected from this process including Johan Santana, Joakim Soria, Dan Uggla, and it’s even how the Pittsburgh Pirates got Roberto Clemente (however, that was before the restriction of how long you have to be in pro ball was put in place). The only risk a team takes is $100K and a roster spot.

With that out of the way, to see what the Pittsburgh Pirates could be interested in when entering this draft, we first have to see what the Pirates need on their roster.

This team needs pitching depth more than anything else. Right now, the Pirates have a decent amount of infield depth. At the corners, they currently have Ke’Bryan Hayes, Colin Moran, Josh Bell, Jose Osuna, and Will Craig. Up the middle, Adam Frazier, Kevin Newman, Cole Tucker, and Erik Gonzalez are all still options. They also have a decent amount of outfielders with Bryan Reynolds, Gregory Polanco, Anthony Alford, Jared Oliva, and Jason Martin.

Pitching on the other hand, well the Pirates could always use pitching. Mitch Keller, Steven Brault and JT Brubaker are likely going to start out the 2021 season in the rotation. Chad Kuhl could be another arm in contention for a spot. In all likelihood, the Pirates will move on from Trevor Williams as they can non-tender him this off-season, and trading Joe Musgrove also seems like a high possibility. Especially with Musgrove coming off a terrific showing in his eight starts this past season

Nothing is set in stone in the bullpen. In fact, it is far from it. It’s very possible Richard Rodriugez gets moved this off season. This leaves much uncertainty. Chris Stratton, Geoff Hartlieb, Nick Tropeano, and Blake Cederlind will likely find roles in the Pirates’ 2021 bullpen, as well as lefties Sam Howard and Nik Turley. Obviously, that’s far from an inspiring bullpen, so I could see them draft a pitcher in the Rule 5 Draft.

While this could be an opportunity to fill out depth on the MLB roster, they should approach this like any other draft, and pick the best player they think is available. For example, in the 2018-2019 Rule 5 Draft, 2015 first-round pick Richie Martin was in the draft. It would have  been hard to pass up taking a former first rounder who did well at Double-A the year prior.

Regardless, I think this could be a real good opportunity for the Pirates to try and find a diamond in the rough. Right now, the Pirates have the chance to try out different things. They’re a team in the middle of a rebuild and will enter 2021 with a similar goal to 2020 of getting a high draft pick, so there is zero risk in just trying some players out that would usually not get a chance on other teams. Who knows, maybe they find a longterm roster piece in the Rule 5 Draft.