During the last month, Mark Payton developed a joke with his friends and family back home in Illinois."I've got to be getting close to the record for the most times drafted," he said. "This has to be close."A 31st-round pick of the Twins out of high school in 2010. A

SAN DIEGO -- The excitement of the Rule 5 Draft has passed. Now, the work begins.Eleven Minor Leaguers were taken in the the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday, thus earning chances to crack big league rosters with their new clubs.

SAN DIEGO -- Eleven Minor Leaguers moved to new organizations Thursday with newfound hope of cracking a Major League roster.The Tigers selected Yankees right-hander Rony Garcia with the first overall pick in the 2019 Rule 5 Draft at the Winter Meetings in San Diego. Astros righty Brandon Bailey went to

SAN DIEGO -- Big free-agent deals and blockbuster trades are always possibilities at the annual Baseball Winter Meetings, but there's only one event that guarantees a batch of transactions in a condensed time frame.The Rule 5 Draft is an opportunity for blocked Minor Leaguers to get their crack at the

For most, Wednesday is just Nov. 20. For some Minor Leaguers, it could be the biggest day of their baseball careers thus far.By 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday, all 30 Major League organizations will lock in their 40-man rosters ahead of the Rule 5 Draft. Any players eligible for the

LAS VEGAS -- Getting taken in the Rule 5 Draft is one thing. Sticking to the Major League roster for an entire season as a Rule 5 pick, well, that's a horse of a different color.Fourteen players were given Major League life Thursday when they were picked in the Rule

LAS VEGAS -- The Orioles and Royals made the first two picks in the 2018 Rule 5 Draft, and they didn't stop there.The O's selected A's shortstop Richie Martin with the first overall pick and later traded with the Phillies for Dodgers infielder Drew Jackson while the Royals took Rays

LAS VEGAS -- For anyone who's never seen the Rule 5 Draft in person, let's set the scene.This is nothing like the Rule 4 Draft (i.e. the First-Year Player Draft) that took place in June. There aren't cameras all around. There isn't a studio crew breaking down each pick for

What happens in Vegas isn't staying in Vegas. Not next week. One of the busiest times of the baseball offseason will be upon us when the Winter Meetings arrive in Las Vegas on Sunday and stretch through the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday.Traditionally, the Winter Meetings are a time when officials

Check out the latest episode of The Show Before the Show, MiLB.com's official podcast. A segment rundown is listed below, in case you want to skip to a particular section. Like the podcast? Subscribe, rate and review The Show Before the Show on iTunes. The podcast is also available via

By 8 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, a lot of prospects will receive promising news.That's the deadline by which eligible players must be added to their respective Major League organizations' 40-man rosters lest they be made available for selection in this year's Rule 5 Draft, which takes place Dec. 13

With a single transaction, a bunch of prospects are about to take big steps in their careers, while others will be left to await their fate.Next Tuesday, Nov. 20, brings the deadline in which organizations must protect eligible players from the Rule 5 Draft by adding them to their 40-man

Mike Ford had never been drafted before. He was named the Ivy League's 2013 Player and Pitcher of the Year -- the first person in the conference to win both -- after hitting .320/.443/.503 with six homers and producing a 0.98 ERA over 64 innings as a junior at Princeton. He

The drafting is done. Next comes the hard part.The Rule 5 Draft took place Thursday morning to close out this year's Winter Meetings with 18 players heading to new organizations during the event's Major League phase. Of those 18, there were 13 right-handed pitchers, two left-handers, two outfielders and one

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Eighteen Minor Leaguers were given new life Thursday morning.That's how many players were picked during the Major League phase of this year's Rule 5 Draft, held as part of the Winter Meetings. All 18 will be given chances to crack the MLB roster with their

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida -- A few prospects will soon see their biggest dreams realized. They'll be given the opportunity to become Major Leaguers.That's the glory of the Rule 5 Draft, which will be held Thursday at 9 a.m. ET here at the Winter Meetings.

By Monday night, a bunch of Minor Leaguers will be one step closer to reaching the game's top level.The deadline to add eligible players to the Major League 40-man roster, thus protecting them from this year's Rule 5 Draft, is Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.