PADRES: Five and Dime: Teams look for bargain basement deals in Rule 5 draft

By DAN HAYES - Staff Writer | Thursday, March 27, 2008 6:56 PM PDT ∞

Padres Callix Crabbe makes the backhand stab on a ball hit by Milwaukee Brewers' Alcides Escobar in the seventh inning of their spring training baseball game Friday, March 21, 2008, in Phoenix, Ariz. Escobar legged out an infield single. (AP Photo/Lenny Ignelzi)

PEORIA, Ariz.---- Mention the name Joakim Soria to Padres general manager Kevin Towers and you'll get a cringe as Towers shifts uneasily in his chair with visions of Johan Santana nightmarishly dancing through his head.

During his 12-plus years in charge of the Padres' personnel moves, Towers has by and large avoided losing unprotected minor-league players in baseball's Rule 5 draft. Only four, including Soria, have been selected.

Towers knows that Soria, who emerged as the Kansas City Royals' closer last season, has the potential to be the one that got away. And the possibility of Soria turning into the bullpen version of Santana ---- a two-time Cy Young winner with Minnesota who signed a $137.5 million contract with the New York Mets in the offseason ---- is something he'd rather not dwell on.

"Sometimes a guy gets exposed," Towers said. "It happened with us with Soria two years ago. We certainly discussed (protecting him) and opted not to. ... It's sometimes hard to protect everybody. Soria, in my 12 years, that's the only one that's really come back to haunt us a little bit."

Held annually at baseball's winter meetings in December, the Rule 5 draft has existed for decades in one form or another to keep organizations from hoarding talent. The current version of the Rule 5 draft began in the 1970s and allows that players not on an organization's 40-man roster after four or five professional seasons, based upon their age, are made available to teams with open 40-man roster spots for $50,000.

Even if the draftee is traded to another team ---- as Santana was, from the Florida Marlins to the Twins in 1999 ---- he must remain on a 25-man major league roster for the entire season or be offered back to his original club for $25,000.

Named Rule 5 because of its positioning in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, many teams treat this process as a way to cheaply procure developed talent, or as Towers' calls it, "a six-week look for $25,000."

This spring, the Padres took three looks after having selected utility player Callix Crabbe and pitchers Michael Gardner and Carlos Guevara.

Hidden gems are occasionally uncovered in the Rule 5 draft ---- with Santana, former Pittsburgh Pirates All-Star outfielder Bobby Bonilla and former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder George Bell, the 1987 American League MVP, among notable examples ---- but they remain rare.

Soria, a 23-year-old right-hander, posted 17 saves and a 2.68 ERA last season, and Rule 5 pick Dan Uggla was an All-Star for the Marlins in 2006.

But of the 19 players drafted in December 2006, only nine made it through the entire 2007 season and only Cincinnati's Josh Hamilton (19 homers) ---- acquired from Chicago after the Cubs plucked him from Tampa Bay in the Rule 5 draft ---- and the Padres' Kevin Cameron (2.79 ERA) produced strong numbers. However, Cameron has optioned to Triple A Portland on Wednesday after his spring training ERA hovered in double digits.

A year earlier, only Uggla, selected from Arizona, made a serious dent of the 12 players selected. Six of the 20 players drafted in 2003 have stayed in the majors, with Colorado's Willy Taveras having made the biggest impact.

Since Towers became general manager on Nov. 17, 1995, only Cameron, shortstop Donaldo Mendez (in 2001), outfielder Kory DeHaan (in 2000) and pitcher Will Cunnane (in 1997) survived an entire season. They are among 12 players ---- not counting this year's trio ---- he has selected.

"It is (a crapshoot)," said Padres CEO Sandy Alderson.

During Alderson's run as Oakland's GM from 1983 to 1997, only three of that club's Rule 5 selections lasted the entire season.

"But it's a low-risk, high-reward type of situation," Alderson said. "It doesn't always work out with All-Stars but you can get good players."

Looking for talent

More often, clubs that draft players through the Rule 5 draft are looking for the 25th man, that final piece to their roster puzzle. Crabbe, for example, is a mega-utility man who can adequately play third base, shortstop, second base and the outfield with the exceptional speed the Padres sorely lack.

So when Milwaukee left Crabbe exposed, Towers was more than happy to nab him.

Towers figures that Crabbe, who has five years in the minors under his belt, would cost in the neighborhood of $800,000 for two years of service ---- the equivalent of a signing bonus for a fourth or fifth round pick.

"Very rarely do clubs have high expectations for Rule 5 guys," Towers said. "It's a cheap way to acquire talent. You see what players are getting in the amateur draft. With a Rule 5, somebody has already paid the signing bonus and helped develop the player ... your hope is that they stick for the year."

Alderson believes one of the best positions to inspect, when raiding other teams, is relief pitchers. Many teams feature seven relievers, including one who doesn't always get a ton of work. That's why the Padres had no problem selecting both Gardner and Guevara in 2007 and Cameron in '06.

"It's nothing ventured, nothing gained," Alderson said. "The financial cost is so minimal it makes sense to take the chance."

Why it's hard to stick

Santana might never have sniffed the big leagues had the Minnesota Twins not been awful in 2000. Manager Tom Kelly's bunch finished the year last in the American League Central with a 69-93 record, and Santana managed to stick despite posting a 6.49 ERA.

Bonilla, who slammed 287 career home runs, started the 1986 season with the fifth-place Chicago White Sox and was later traded to sixth-place Pittsburgh. He hit a combined .256 with three homers and 43 RBIs in 426 at-bats. Bell ---- the 1987 AL MVP ---- played for seventh-place Toronto in 1981 and hit .233.

"It's much easier for rebuilding ballclubs to carry Rule 5 guys just because the expectations aren't really there," Towers said. "We're a contending club. It makes it more difficult."

Towers then related a story from his days in Pittsburgh's front office when the brass tried to sell then-Pirates manager Jim Leyland on 21-year-old Miguel Batista in 1992. The right-hander, a 16-game winner with Seattle in 2007, pitched once with the first-place Pirates before he was returned to Montreal on April 23.

"A Rule 5 guy we have to make sure we're making the right decision because if we don't keep him he's exposed to go back," manager Bud Black said. "We have to see if he's a guy that fits."

Of the four Padres to fit, three played during losing seasons, with only Cameron ---- who had the benefit of pitching in a deep bullpen ---- part of a squad with a winning record.

Not even a losing team, however, offers much job security for Rule 5 players.

Ask Shane Victorino. The current Philadelphia Phillies outfielder was drafted by the Padres prior to the 2003 season. The club liked the 22-year-old but the team was beset with injuries and forced to play him far too often. The Padres were also losing at a tremendous pace in their final year at Qualcomm Stadium.

So with 100 losses looming, and after only 73 at-bats, Victorino was shipped back to Los Angeles.

"It was tough to be a little more patient then because we didn't want to have a disastrous year," Towers said. "When you're forced to sometimes go out there and play a lot you can get exposed."

Protecting your young

Every Nov. 20, teams must submit 40-man rosters to Major League Baseball ---- a task that can be grueling for those loaded with talent. Figure that most of a team's 25-man major-league roster, barring free agents and retirees, already is included. Some organizations also prefer to leave space on their 40-man for potential Rule 5 picks, waiver claims and free agents.

That leaves roughly 14-to-18 spots for an organization's complete stockpile of draft-eligible prospects from Triple-A all the way down to the low minor leagues. That leads to difficult choices.

"A lot of times it doesn't mean the club doesn't want the player, it just means they have a lot of depth and you can't protect everybody," Towers said. "Sometimes it's difficult for a club if they have a lot of young players in their system ---- you've got guys on guaranteed contracts taking up roster spots."

Coming off his best professional season, Guevara was left off Cincinnati's 40-man roster this past winter. The move came as a shock to the 26-year-old, who had 87 strikeouts in 62 innings and a 2.32 ERA last season. Instead of getting an invite to big league camp this spring, Guevara learned that the Reds would expose him to the Rule 5 draft.

"I was kind of surprised when I wasn't protected because I had a good year," said Guevara, who will start the season on the disabled list. "I was reading stuff (about the Rule 5 draft) and heard my name floated around a lot and it got my hopes up but I didn't want to be too excited because I had already been let down by not being put on the 40-man."

With a talented crop rising through the minors, the Padres might not be able to protect all of their best players. Outfielder Chase Headley is already on the 40-man roster but first baseman Kyle Blanks, pitcher Josh Geer, pitcher Wade LeBlanc, catcher Nick Hundley, outfielder Will Venable and second baseman Matt Antonelli ---- all of whom were in big league camp ---- are not. That means the Padres will have to clear up roster space in order to ensure another future star doesn't slip by.

"We have plenty of players from the 2005 draft we have to make decisions on," Alderson said. "It's one of the disadvantages of having a talented farm system because there's more pressure on the 40-man. But it's a good problem to have."

In Soria's case, the Padres hoped to sneak him through the process because he had such little visibility during the 2006 season. Pitching for the Fort Wayne Wizards at low Single-A, Soria struck out 11 hitters in 12 innings, his first pro experience since a five-inning stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers' rookie team in 2002.

Unfortunately for the Padres, however, Soria didn't stay hidden.

During winter ball in Mexico, he threw a no-hitter and had a 2.02 ERA in 10 starts, hitting 95 mph on the radar gun. Towers panicked, knowing someone somewhere was watching, but there was nothing he could do as rosters had been set.

"We didn't think many people had seen him," Towers said. "(Kansas City) basically went off what they saw in winter ball. We already had set our reserve list and by that point it was too late. ... He basically tore it up."

Contact staff writer Dan Hayes at dhayes@nctimes.com. Comment at sports.nctimes.com.

Rule 5 explanation

The Rule 5 draft is held at baseball's winter meetings each year and is in place to keep teams from stockpiling talent. Players not on a team's Major League 40-man roster are eligible to be selected if they were 18 or younger when first signed and this is the fifth Rule 5 draft since, or if they were 19 or older when signed and this is the fourth Rule 5 draft since. A Rule 5 draft choice costs the drafting team $50,000 and that player must stay on the active 25-man roster all season or he must be offered back to his original club for $25,000.

Notable Rule 5 selections

Johan Santana ---- Two-time Cy Young winner with Minnesota now with the Mets once was a Rule 5 pick when Florida plucked him from Houston and traded him to the Twins.

Joakim Soria ---- Developed as Kansas City's closer with 17 saves, 75 strikeouts and a 2.68 ERA after being taken from the Padres in 2006.

Josh Hamilton ---- Starting in center field for Texas after blasting 19 homers for Cincy last year; he was grabbed by Cubs from Tampa Bay and later traded to Cincinnati.

Dan Uggla ---- Sparkplug has 58 homers and an All-Star appearance in two seasons with Florida after being stolen from Arizona.

Bobby Bonilla ---- Six-time all-star slugged 287 home runs in career that spanned 16 seasons was plucked from Pittsburgh's system by Chicago White Sox and later traded back to Pirates.

George Bell ---- Was named American League's Most Valuable Player in 1987 and had 265 career homers after being selected from Philadelphia.

Dave Hollins ---- Former Padre became an All-Star with Philadelphia and had four seasons with 75 or more RBIs.

Willie Hernandez ---- Won the AL Cy Young and MVP in helping Detroit to 1984 World Series title but once was taken by Cubs from Philadelphia in Rule 5 draft.

Bip Roberts ---- Padres grabbed the speedy All-Star from Pittsburgh's system and hit .294 over his 12-year career.

Padres Rule 5 selections

Callix Crabbe

Pos: Utility

Age: 25

Height: 5-foot-7

Weight: 184

Drafted from: Milwaukee

Background: The versatile Crabbe is hitting .306 this spring, shown good speed, a good eye at the plate and has played six different positions.

Outlook: Crabbe's ability to play six positions and his high-energy level has helped earn him a spot on the 25-man roster.

Michael Gardner

Pos: Relief pitcher

Age: 26

Height: 6-0

Weight: 190

Drafted from: New York Yankees

Background: Finally healthy for an entire season, Gardner posted a 2.88 ERA in 81 1/ 3 innings at Double-A Trenton in 2007.

Outlook: Will have to make inroads with the New York Yankees because he was returned on March 18.

Carlos Guevara

Pos: Relief pitcher

Age: 26

Height: 5-11

Weight: 190

Drafted from: Cincinnati

Background: Screwball pitcher has 384 strikeouts in 297 2/ 3 innings pitched for the Reds, including 87 with only 23 walks last year.

Outlook: His opportunities were limited this spring because of hamstring and groin injuies and he will start the season on disabled list.