The Toronto Blue Jays added Deck McGuire to their 40-man roster Wednesday, protecting the 2010 first round selection from the upcoming Rule 5 draft. MLB teams have until Wednesday to protect eligible minor league players in advance of next month’s draft.
McGuire, the 11th overall selection three years ago, has not matched the success of fellow 2010 draftees Chris Sale and Matt Harvey. The 24-year-old native of Richmond, Va., spent the 2013 season at double-A New Hampshire, where he posted a 4.86 ERA with 143 strikeouts and 59 walks in 157.1 innings.
Baseball America writer J.J. Cooper suggested Wednesday that the Blue Jays might not protect McGuire. “There’s a chance no one would take him because his fastball is generally below average, and he doesn’t have the secondary stuff to compensate,” Cooper wrote.
The Rule 5 draft takes place on the final day of the Winter Meetings every December. Designed to create opportunities for players who would otherwise remain buried in the minor leagues, the draft features players who are left off of their team’s 40-man rosters after playing for four to five years as a professional (depending on the date of their signing and their age at the time).
Each Rule 5 draft pick costs $50,000 and must remain on the active 25-man roster for the entirety of the following season, or be offered back to their former organization for $25,000 in return.
The Blue Jays now have 38 players on their 40-man roster.
