If you’ve been listening to the Around the Corner podcast for the past year, you’ve probably heard me mention the 40-man roster crunch that is on the way. Well, it’s almost here, so let’s start with the basics.
What is it?
Every year, Cleveland must protect some players from the Rule 5 Draft (where other teams can “draft” qualified prospects from Cleveland’s system and give them a chance at the major leagues.) Nov. 19 is the deadline for Cleveland to protect those draft-eligible players by adding them to its 40-man roster.
Last year, Cleveland protected top prospects Nolan Jones and Gabriel Arias plus Ernie Clement, Eli Morgan, and Carlos Vargas to prevent them from being selected by other teams.