What former Rule 5 Draft picks had to say about what it’s like to be selected

Red Sox

“It [was] pretty shocking at first.”

The Red Sox selected Joe Jacques in the minor league portion of the 2022 Rule 5 Draft. Chris O’Meara/AP Photo

As soon as the clock strikes 2 p.m. on Wednesday, the lives of multiple minor league baseball players are about to change.

  • Boston Red Sox right fielder Alex Verdugo (99) watches the replay after lining out in the first inning. The Boston Red Sox host the Tampa Bay Rays on September 26, 2023 at Fenway Park in Boston, MA.

    Red Sox trade OF Alex Verdugo to the Yankees for 3 pitchers

  • Red Sox reportedly linked to former All-Star, veteran righty

That time marks the start of this year’s Rule 5 Draft, which will be held in Nashville, Tenn. to conclude the Winter Meetings. In this draft, each MLB team gets the opportunity to roster one unprotected MLB-ready prospect from another team for the price of $100,000 in round one — should they choose to do so and if their major league roster is not full — and several minor league players in round two for up to $24,000.

In order for a player to be eligible for the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft, they must not have been added to a team’s 40-man roster within five seasons if they were signed at age 18, or within four seasons if they were signed at age 19. The Red Sox have protected pitching prospects Luis Perales and Wikelman Gonzalez from selection by adding them to their 40-man roster, but every other eligible player is able to be selected.

And this career-altering selection is nearly impossible for a player to anticipate until they hear the news.

“It [was] pretty shocking at first,” right-hander Andrew Politi, who was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2022 Rule 5 Draft, told Boston.com. “It’s kind of a surreal thing that you don’t really think is going to happen in the moment until you get the phone call.”

Politi wasn’t the only Red Sox player selected in last year’s Rule 5 Draft. The Washington Nationals kicked off the event by acquiring right-hander Thaddeus Ward first overall, and the Philadelphia Phillies stunned everyone by taking right-hander Noah Song, who hadn’t played up to that point since 2019 due to his commitments to the United States Navy.

Despite how difficult selection is to process, it can provide a unique opportunity for those players that they may not have received with their former teams.

“I think [the Rule 5 Draft] is pretty important because [it gives] guys who are kind of under the radar a shot to kind of go to another team and show what they can do,” Politi said.

And the motivation to take advantage of these new opportunities often turns them into more complete ballplayers.

“It really makes you better,” Joe Jacques, who the Red Sox selected in the minor league portion of the 2022 Rule 5 Draft, told Boston.com. “I wanted to come into camp and impress people and it eventually got me to the big leagues.”

Not every selected player will remain with their new team. If that team chooses to waive a player they selected in the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft — selected players must remain on a team’s active major league roster for the entire season following their draft and cannot be sent to the minors —  then that player must report back to their former organization if they clear waivers. That’s exactly what happened to Politi, who found himself back in Triple-A Worcester soon after the Orioles waived him.

“I love it here,” Politi said. “It’s a great organization. It’s a great place to be. It’s a great place to play.”

Some highly-touted Red Sox prospects who could be selected on Wednesday include Triple-A lefthander Shane Drohan, Double-A righthander Angel Bastardo, and High-A outfielder Allan Castro, among others. To the players who do end up getting selected, Politi has advice from the perspective of someone who walked that road last year.

“Go to Spring Training and do everything you can,” Politi said. “Don’t think about what can happen. Just go out there and compete every day and just do well.”

And to the players that Boston selects, some of the team’s former Rule 5 selections can attest that the Red Sox organization will commit to making you the best player you can be.

“It’s a lot more hands-on [in Boston], like they’re really trying to help,” Jacques said. “Being here has been a blessing.”