Cardinals prep for Rule 5 draft by protecting four on 40 man roster

March 07, 2012; Melbourne, FL, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kevin Siegrist (77) pitches during the spring training game against the Washington Nationals sat Space Coast Stadium. Credit: Brad Barr-US PRESSWIRE

I’m going to keep the post short today so I can spend time with my family and hope everyone else takes time to do the same. I hope everyone has a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

The Cardinals and the rest of baseball had to have their 40 man rosters in order by Tuesday’s cut off date.

Minor leaguers with four or five years of service–depending on their age when they were drafted–and not on the 40 man roster will be made available to any major league club. They must be kept on the 25 man roster all year or be offered back to their original club.

The Cardinals currently have 39 players on their 40 man roster. They have the roster space, so they could select a player in the Rule 5 draft if there was anyone who caught the scouts eyes.

The Cardinals added four to the 40 man rosters, protecting Michael Blazek, Keith Butler, Eric Fornataro and Kevin Siegrist from the Rule 5 draft.