St. Louis Cardinals: Will Mozeliak Add Via the Rule-5 Draft?

We at Redbird Rants have examined just about every possible way the St. Louis Cardinals can improve the team for 2016. Except one. On Thursday, December 10, after all the juice has been squeezed out of the Baseball Winter Meetings, the Rule 5 draft will commence at noon.

Q: What is the Rule 5 Draft?

A: The Rule 5 Draft is an opportunity for every Major League team to raid other teams’ players who aren’t on a 40-man roster. But there’s a catch. Players drafted must be kept on the acquiring team’s 25-man roster for the entire following season and be active for at least 90 days. The acquiring team pays the player’s former team $50,000 to give it a go. If things don’t work out and the player doesn’t stick, he’s offered back to his old team for $25,000.

As we’ve seen already this offseason, money is nothing to a Major League ball club, particularly a paltry sum of $25,000. The 40-man roster spot is much more precious. If the St. Louis Cardinals are going to acquire anyone at the Rule-5 draft, they’ll need to clear a spot on their 40-man roster to make it happen.

Q: Is the Rule 5 draft worth the St. Louis Cardinals’ time?

A: It could be. History has shown that even winning teams have used the Rule 5 draft to bolster their rosters with players who wind up playing significant roles in playoff runs. Last year, in fact, the Texas Rangers took outfielder Delino DeShields, Jr., from the Houston Astros. The Astros drafted DeShields in the first round out of high school back in 2010, but he never really lived up to his draft status.

When Texas grabbed him, DeShields was coming of a double-A season in which he hit just .236 with 11 homers and 54 steals. His biggest claim to fame to that point was taking a 90-mph fastball to the kisser, which he displayed all over social media.

Texas knew the 5-9, 210-lb. DeShields was no a home run hitter. So they worked with him, turning him into the top-of-the-order spark plug he ended up being for the club (10 triples, 25 steals, .344 OBP). This winter, Texas traded its 2015 Opening Day center fielder Leonys Martin to the Seattle Mariners.

Meanwhile, the New York Mets took fringy left-handed starter Sean Gilmartin, a former

Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

1st-round pick of the Atlanta Braves, from the Minnesota Twins in last winter’s Rule-5 draft, put him in a left-handed relief specialist role and got 50 solid appearances (2.67 ERA and 54 strikeouts) from him.

Q: Are there any players really worth considering?

A: There are always are, although following through and devoting that precious roster spot to that pick is another matter. A few weeks ago, Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper had this to say about Rule-5 draft prospects:

"Houston has a number of intriguing names on the unprotected list, led by hard-throwing lefthander Reymin Guduan, catcher Roberto Pena, righthander Chris Devenski and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez."

None of those players, however, will probably directly address a need for the St. Louis Cardinals by the time the draft occurs. I’m assuming by then Mozeliak will have pulled the trigger on a free agent signing or trade by then.

Q: What is the likelihood the St. Louis Cardinals will find a good player in the Rule-5 draft.

A: Slim to none for several of reasons. The St. Louis Cardinals probably won’t leave a 40-man roster spot open. Then there’s the fact that even if the St. Louis Cardinals do participate in the Rule 5 Draft, they’ll be at the bottom of the draft order. Teams draft in reverse order of the regular-season standings, and guess who had the best record of any team? Remember? The St. Louis Cardinals.

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In fact, the St. Louis Cardinals will very likely lose talent. Like BA’s Cooper, MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo wrote up a list of intriguing Rule 5 draft prospects several weeks ago and listed right-hander Luis Perdomo among them. Here’s what Mayo had to say about Perdomo:

"The 2015 Futures Gamer is another flamethrower, one who is developing as a starter. But if he’s put in a bullpen, he can run his fastball into the upper 90s, with a hard breaking ball and even a feel for a changeup."

I guess the St. Louis Cardinals and Cardinal nation should take this as a good sign that the team is able to leave a talent like Perdomo off its 40-man list. Here’s hoping we all don’t come to regret it down the road.