The MLB Rule 5 Draft took place on Thursday. Here’s a quick primer on how it works. The short version: If you’ve had a prospect in the minors for several years then another team can give him a chance, but they have to keep him in the bigs all year. This is how the A’s got Mark Canha a couple years ago.
The A’s did not make a pick in the 2016 edition, because they didn’t have an open space on their roster. However, they did lose one player, as the Chicago White Sox selected RHP Dylan Covey from Oakland.