It's go time. How do we protect our assets - Rule 5 draft

This will be the first in a series of articles on how we approach this off-season. 

Here are some thoughts about what we need to do relative to finalizing the 40 man roster in anticipation for the Rule 5 draft:

Wow, for the first time in my memory as I look through the list of players eligible for the Rule 5 draft this year I don't really see anyone who needs to be added to the major league roster.  Guys like Francisco Mejia, Greg Allen and Bradley Zimmer are already solidly on the roster and borderline guys like Adam Plutko, Ryan Merritt and Shawn Morimando have upside and options left.   In the entire minor league system the only guys I see who I might think to add to the roster are Julian Merryweather, Nellie Rodriguez and Mike Papi.   The former is questionable and, at this point, Papi hasn't shown that he is (and maybe ever will be) major league ready.   This is a scout's call on Merryweather.   That is, can he help us in the bullpen at some point this year or in the rotation next year AND is he attractive to other teams as a Rule 5 pick?  Papi doesn't seem to be the kind of guy who gets drafted.  Rodriguez has a chance to be drafted after the way Jesus Aguilar performed in Milwaukee this year.   However, when you can't hit .200 in AAA in a hitters park like Columbus, you don't generally get drafted in the Rule 5.  There are a slew of minor league relievers who could get drafted but I don't see them adding any of them to the major league roster at this point as each appears right now to be replaceable.  When you consider Shawn Armstrong's minor league stats and seeing how he is a fringe ML player right now, I hope you can see where I am coming from.  

Papi and some of the minor league relievers could still have some level of ML career.   Right now I don't see that as being significant and so I don't see anyone being drafted.   Remember, this is coming from the guy who told you that Hector Rondon was going to be drafted and that, in less than a year, he was going to be the Cubs closer, both of which turned out to be true.

Also, I see the upper levels of our farm system being weak so the reserved list at Columbus (guys not on the 40 man roster but only eligible for the ML Rule 5, not either of the minor league phases) would seem to have a lot of space on it for any guy who is Rule 5 eligible and has even a ghost of chance to develop into a fringe ML player.  So, if we protect our guys appropriately I don't even see anyone of significance being lost in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft.

As far as adding players from the Rule 5, we will have to wait and see who is available.   At this point our only needs would be a RH relief pitcher and an outfielder with power.   I think we are covered at other positions.   Given how poor our track record is on picking the right guys to draft in the ML Rule 5, you might see us pass, especially since we would be drafting at the end of the round after all the intriguing prospects have been picked over. 

So I think this should be a quiet draft for the Indians, both in terms of drafting and losing prospects and, for the first time in a while, we may ADD more guys than we lose, although I don't know how significant any of the additions would be on the immediate or long-term future of the Indians.