The Boston Red Sox will need to make some key additions to their 40-man roster by Nov. 19, but not for spring training or the impending season.
The Rule 5 Draft approaches, which affords clubs the ability to select certain players from opposing clubs' farm systems to their own team. Teams can protect some of their eligible players by adding them to the 40-man roster before the Nov. 19 deadline. The Rule 5 Draft takes place on the final day of Winter Meetings, which will be Dec. 9-12 this year.
Not every prospect who isn't protected will be taken, but teams can pick up some gems through the Rule 5 Draft. The Red Sox acquired Justin Slaten from the Mets' farm system after they selected him in the Rule 5 Draft last offseason, and he developed into a staple in the bullpen and a potential closer candidate for 2025 and beyond.
Explaining MLB's Rule 5 Draft: What it is, who is eligible and when it takes place
Players signed at 18 years old or younger must be added to a 40-man roster within five years of their arrival to their team's farm system to avoid selection in the Rule 5 Draft, while players signed at 19 or older need to be protected within four years.
Ballclubs usually protect higher-level prospects, like members of the organization's top 30. Luckily for the Sox, their "Big Four" prospects are still early enough in their professional careers that they do not need to be protected this year, but here are the eligible Red Sox prospects of note:
-Jhostynxon Garcia, OF (No. 12)
-Allan Castro, OF (No. 19)
-Hunter Dobbins, RHP (No. 21)
-Yordanny Monegro, RHP (No. 25)
-Blaze Jordan, 3B/1B (No. 26)
Dobbins and Monegro are both pitchers, and they're likely to be among the few prospects protected because Boston's farm system is notoriously light on arms. Dobbins was awarded Minor League Pitcher of the Year after his outstanding season (3.08 ERA over 125.2 innings), making him a lock for the 40-man roster. Monegro didn't allow a run over eight starts from July 4 to Sept. 1.
Garcia, Castro and Jordan also posted excellent seasons of their own, but their skills are a bit more redundant in a Sox farm system with tons of position players.
Boston's 40-man roster is currently packed, so it'll need to make some changes to protect the players it hopes to save from the impending Draft.