Blue Jays 2024 Rule 5 Draft: Full details, roster deadline, players who are eligible

The Major League Baseball offseason has been slow to get going, with only a handful of minor trades and free agent signings completed thus far. Things will start to pick up as we get closer to the MLB Winter Meetings in a few weeks.

When the front offices of all 30 MLB teams gather in Dallas, Texas, in December, one of the big events is the annual MLB Rule 5 Draft. While not as popular or impactful for organizations as the summer Amateur Draft, the Rule 5 Draft can still be an important event that shapes MLB rosters. Here's all the information you need as a primer for this year's Rule 5 Draft and what it means for the Toronto Blue Jays.

Explaining MLB's Rule 5 Draft: What it is, who is eligible and when it takes place

Held during the Winter Meetings each offseason, the Rule 5 Draft is designed to stop teams from hoarding talent in the minors. The draft only affects minor leaguers who are already in MLB farm systems and are left unprotected by their organizations.

Any Rule 5-eligible player left off the 40-man roster at the roster protection deadline can be selected in the Rule 5 Draft.

When is the 2024 Rule 5 roster protection deadline and who is eligible?

The deadline for teams to set their 40-man roster is 6 p.m. ET on Nov. 19.

Players who signed at 18 years old or younger must be added to the 40-man roster within five years, while players who signed at 19 or older must be added within four years. That means that anyone who the Blue Jays signed at 18 or under in 2020 and 19 or over in 2021 must be protected for this year's Rule 5 Draft.

If an unprotected player is selected in the Rule 5 Draft, the selecting team pays $100K for the pick. That player must stay on the new team's 26-man roster for the full following season, or he must be offered back to the original team for $50K.

Which Blue Jays players are Rule 5-eligible this year?

The Blue Jays have some notable minor leaguers who are Rule 5-eligible this year. Among the 38 eligible players (according to FanGraphs' RosterResource) are five players ranked in the Blue Jays' Top 30 prospect list by MLB Pipeline:

Eddinson Paulino, 3B (No. 17)
Dahian Santos, RHP (No. 20)
Yohendrick Pinango, OF (No. 21)
Dasan Brown, OF (No. 23)
Victor Arias, OF (No. 28)

Some other notable names that the Blue Jays will need to make decisions on include Damiano Palmegiani, Hayden Juenger, Lazaro Estrada, Connor Cooke, Chad Dallas and Trenton Wallace.

If the Blue Jays wish to ensure these prospects remain with the organization, they'll need to add them to the 40-man roster before the Nov. 19 deadline. Even if players are left unprotected, it doesn't mean they will be selected in the Rule 5 Draft. Remember, selected players must stay on the active roster all season, so teams will only pick players who they think are MLB-ready.

At the time of writing, the Blue Jays' 40-man roaster is full, so if the team wants to protect any players, some roster moves will be required.

Toronto protected Adam Macko from the Rule 5 Draft last winter and didn't select any players themselves. One of the more famous Blue Jays' Rule 5 returnees is reliever Jordan Romano, who was taken in 2018 but returned when he didn't make the Texas Rangers' Opening Day roster.

Where will the Blue Jays pick in the Rule 5 Draft?

The Rule 5 Draft order is determined by the reverse order of the standings from the season. After missing out on the playoffs in 2024, the Blue Jays will have the seventh pick in each round of the draft.

Unlike the Amateur Draft, teams aren't required to make a pick in every round of the Rule 5 Draft — or at all.

When is the 2024 Rule 5 Draft?

The 2024 Rule 5 Draft is scheduled to take place on Dec. 11 during the Winter Meetings, which run from Dec. 9-12.