Indians Survive Rule 5

The Rule 5 Draft came and went this afternoon with a flash, with the major and minor league portion of the draft being completed in less than an hour. As expected, the Indians did not lose anyone in the major league portion of the draft. And as usual, the fear over losing several prospects on this day was overstated as Jordan Brown, Randy Newsom, Chuck Lofgren, Frank Herrmann, Stephen Head, and Neil Wagner are all still property of the Cleveland Indians.

Also as expected, the Indians did not select anyone in either phase, although two young Latin pitching prospects RHP Carlos Arias and RHP Rafael Quintero were plucked from the Indians system in the minor league phase. These players are 100% gone as teams only pay cash for these players and there are no roster restrictions binding them. Not much of a loss, as Arias was on the roster bubble anyway and likely would not have sniffed Lake County next year and Quintero hasn’t even played stateside yet. Their loss on the roster should quickly be filled with equal or better caliber players.