Rule 5 Roundup: Blue Jays Select Bastardo from Red Sox
Wednesday brought the Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings in Dallas and the Blue Jays were part of the action.
With the 6th pick in the major league portion of the draft, the Jays selected Angel Bastardo, a RHP out of the Red Sox organization.
Any Rule 5 selectee must be kept on that teams active roster for the entire and cannot be optioned to the minors. Players are allowed to be traded, if so, the rights an restrictions transfer to the new team.
There are exceptions for injuries, but a player must be active for at least 90 days.
What is unusual about the Blue Jays selection is that Angel Bastardo is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery.
While he won't be available until after the All-Star break, assistant Jays GM Mike Murov explains that the team was impressed by his fastball, which tops out at 97 mph.
Bastardo also has a changeup which has a good miss rate, and a good slider.
Once healthy, Bastardo can be a spot starter or pitch in a «bulk» role.
If he does not hit his 90 days of active service this season, then his Rule 5 status carries over to 2026.
It was the first time since 2018 that the Blue Jays selected a player in the major league portion of the draft. The last player selected was Elvis Luciano.
In the minor league portion of the draft, the Blue Jays selected two players from the Chicago Cubs, RHP Ricardo Gallardo from Double-A Knoxville, and OF Jacob Wetzel from High-A South Bend.
They also lost an outfield prospect, Garrett Spain from Double-A New Hampshire to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Unlike the major league portion of the draft, minor league players aren't subject to any roster restrictions, and with it only $24 000 a pick, it is a relatively low-risk investment for the clubs.
Rule 5 picks cost the selecting $100 000 and if the player doesn't stick, they must be offered back to the original team at $50 000.
The Blue Jays did not lose any players to the major league portion of the draft.
The most notable name they left unprotected was OF Dasan Brown. This means he could still find his way onto the Blue Jays roster later this season.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 11 | 109 ANSWERS Rule 5 Roundup: Blue Jays Select Bastardo from Red Sox Is Bastardo a good pick up for the Blue Jays? | ||
| Yes | 77 | 70.6 % |
| No | 32 | 29.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
