Brewers opt not to keep Rule 5 selection
National Harbor, Md. – The Milwaukee Brewers made a selection in the Rule 5 draft of unprotected players Thursday morning but never had any intention of keeping the player.
In a pre-arranged deal, the Brewers took left-hander Caleb Smith from the New York Yankees organization and sent him to the Chicago Cubs for cash. General manager David Stearns had an opening on his 40-man roster but chose not to fill it as he scours the free-agent market for late-inning relief help.
“We had a fairly strong debate about it (Wednesday) night and ultimately decided it was best to keep that spot open and flexible as we head through the remainder of the off-season,” Stearns said as baseball’s annual winter meetings wrapped up.
“It’s fairly common the night before the Rule 5 draft for clubs who are looking to trade up to start reaching out to clubs at the top of the draft. We had a couple of different clubs reach out to us. The Cubs were among them and ultimately we worked out a deal with them.”
The real news for the Brewers in the Rule 5 draft was that the first pick, right-hander Miguel Diaz, was taken from their organization. Minnesota selected him but also had a pre-arranged deal to trade him to San Diego.
Diaz, 22, was considered among the organization’s top 30 prospects but the Brewers chose not to protect him because he pitched last season at low Class A Wisconsin, which makes for a considerable leap to the majors. Teams must keep Rule 5 picks in the big leagues for an entire season or send them through waivers before offering them back to the original team.
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Set back by elbow surgery in 2015, Diaz completed his first full season in the minors in 2016, going 1-8 with a 3.71 earned run average over 26 games (15 starts). In 94 2/3 innings, he allowed 83 hits and 29 walks while logging 91 strikeouts with a 1.18 WHIP.
Diaz was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2011. Under the new collective bargaining agreement, the price of Rule 5 picks doubled to $100,000, with teams getting half back if they return the player.
“You always understand when you leave talented players unprotected there’s a chance they can get selected,” Stearns said. “Miguel is a talented player. We felt as though he’s a long way from the major leagues.
“He’s never pitched above the Midwest League. It’s very unusual for guys to be able to make that jump. It’s certainly possible that Miguel is the exception to that rule. The Padres obviously saw something they like about him.
“We have to be prepared for that but it would be the exception to the norm if someone is able to make that jump successfully and contribute at the major-league level.”
The Brewers made two selections in the Rule 5 draft last year – infielder Colin Walsh from Oakland and reliever Zach Jones from Minnesota – and both were returned during the 2016 season.
Other players the Brewers left unprotected and considered possible picks, such as left-hander Wei-Chung Wang (a Rule 5 pick in December 2013) and outfielder Kyle Wren, were not taken.
The Brewers aren’t exactly brimming with left-handed pitching prospects, so Stearns was asked if he might rue at some point the decision to send Smith to the Cubs, a World Series winner with loads of talent who obviously see something in him.
“Whenever you make a deal, there is a risk associated with the deal,” Stearns said.
Brewers trade Thornburg to Boston for Shaw, two prospects
In the Class AAA phase of the draft, the Brewers selected first baseman Art Charles from Cincinnati and right-hander Matt Ramsey from Miami, and lost outfielder Elvis Rubio to Detroit. Those players remain in the minors.
The Brewers left the winter meetings having executed a significant trade, sending reliever Tyler Thornburg to Boston for third baseman Travis Shaw and two minor-league prospects, shortstop Mauricio Dubon and right-hander Josh Pennington.
Having traded relievers Jeremy Jeffress and Will Smith in separate deals Aug. 1, Stearns now looks to fill the void at the back of his bullpen, either through a free-agent signing or trade. He headed back home with irons in the fire.
“We’ll leave here having a very firm sense of what that market looks like and proceed from there,” Stearns said. “There are a number of options out there, both guys who have performed in that role in the past and guys who haven’t but would like to.
“We’re talking to a wide variety of those types of relief pitchers. I think we’ll likely bring some of those guys into the fold and maintain a level of competition at the back end of our bullpen.”
One of the free-agent relievers on the market is former Kansas City closer Greg Holland, who sat out 2016 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Holland met with clubs at the winter meetings, but Stearns would not say if the Brewers were one of them. Stearns did say the Brewers scouted Holland’s showcase workout for teams in November in Arizona.
Other free agents on the market with closing experience include Sergio Romo, Santiago Casilla, Neftali Feliz, Fernando Salas, Brad Ziegler, Drew Storen and Koji Uehara. Stearns said relievers he has contacted were intrigued by the opportunity to close in Milwaukee.