The Red Sox must set their 40-man roster by 5 p.m. Tuesday in advance of the Rule 5 draft, which will take place Dec. 6 at the winter meetings in Nashville.
With the addition of catcher David Ross, the Sox currently have 39 players on the 40-man roster23 pitchers, three catchers, seven infielders, five outfielders, and a designated hitter. It is likely the Sox will make several roster moves to clear space on the 40-man before Tuesdays deadline.
Players are eligible for the Rule 5 draft if they are not on the 40-man roster by the deadline and were signed at age 19 or older and have been in the organization for four years or were signed at 18 or younger and have been in the organization for five years.
Some of the players in the Sox organization who could be exposed to the draft if they are not added include pitchers Josh Fields, Brock Huntzinger, Allen Webster, Alex Wilson and Steven Wright, catchers Dan Butler and Christian Vazquez, infielder Michael Almanzar, and outfielders Alex Hassan and Jeremy Hazelbaker.
If a player is selected in the Rule 5 draft, the selecting team gives 50,000 to the team from which the player was taken and the player must stay on the selecting teams 25-man roster for all of the next season. If the player does not stay on that teams 25-man roster, he must be offered back to the original team for 25,000. (There are also Triple-A and Double-A phases of the Rule 5 draft.)
Over the years, several notable players have been selected in the Rule 5 draft including Johan Santana, Jose Bautista, Josh Hamilton, Shane Victorino, and Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente.