Baltimore Orioles Usually Active in Rule 5 Draft

The Baltimore Orioles have used the Rule 5 Draft successfully in recent years, including the acquisition of Tyler Wells.

The past few years, the Baltimore Orioles have loaded up in the Rule 5 Draft. Will the same hold true next week in Nashville on Wednesday?

The Orioles will select No. 29 overall, based on reverse order of finish in the 2023 season. Only Atlanta had a better record than Baltimore’s 101 wins, hence the Orioles selecting late.

But Baltimore’s recent history suggests they could be active in the Major League portion of the draft, which requires a team to have room on its 40-man roster and to put the drafted player on its 26-man roster immediately.

After selecting just one player in 2022, the Orioles selected two in 2020, two in 2019 and three in 2017.

One of those players selected happened to be Tyler Wells, taken in 2020 from Minnesota. He’s become a bullpen option and swing starter for the Orioles since his selection.

Not all of the picks work out that well, but if a team takes a player in the MLB portion, they’re hoping for that kind of return.

Along with moving that player to the 26-man roster, the selecting team must pay $100,000 to the player’s former team. In many cases, the selected player gets released. In that case, the player must go through outright waivers and be offered back to his former team for $50,000.

The Orioles have the room to maneuver, as they only have 36 players on their 40-man roster going into the Winter Meetings.

The Orioles will also be watching to see if they lose a Top 30 prospect they left exposed, outfielder Hudson Haskin.

Haskin qualified for the Rule 5 Draft because he was drafted out of Tulane in 2020. He started his career after age 19, which meant he had to be on the Orioles’ 40-man roster after four seasons or be exposed to Rule 5 Draft. The Orioles did not put Haskin on their 40-man roster at the tender deadline.

Being up for the draft doesn’t mean he’ll be selected.

Rule 5 Draft Order

1. Oakland

2. Kansas City

3. Colorado

4. Chicago White Sox

5. Washington

6. St. Louis

7. Los Angeles Angels

8. New York Mets

9. Pittsburgh

10. Cleveland

11. Detroit

12. Boston

13. San Francisco

14. Cincinnati

15. San Diego

16. New York Yankees

17. Chicago Cubs

18. Miami

19. Arizona

20. Minnesota

21. Seattle

22. Toronto

23. Texas

24. Philadelphia

25. Houston

26. Milwaukee

27. Tampa Bay

28. Los Angeles Dodgers

29. Baltimore

30. Atlanta