Dodgers 40 man roster addition & Rule 5 Draft preview

The 2012 Rule 5 draft is not until December 6th, but all teams must have the rosters set by November 20th so the Dodgers will be making some moves in the next few days. The Dodgers 40 man roster currently sits at 36 players, and since they will probably want to leave a slot for Ryu, that really only leaves 3 open spots. In addition, the organization will also need to leave a little room for potential free agent signees.

That being said, the Dodgers might also take players off their roster to make room. They recently did this with Alfredo Silverio, so let's look at other guys who could get cut in the next day or so to give the roster some breathing room.

Justin Sellers might be the most at risk of losing his spot on the roster given that he's missed so much time due to injury and simply hasn't performed when healthy. The big league club also now has several other guys who can fill in at shortstop, so his role appears to be pretty limited. Elian Herrera is a long shot but it seems within the realm of possibility that he could also be taken off the roster since it's unlikely he'd be claimed by another team. Then of course there is the hope that the Dodger finally DFA Juan Uribe, but I just don't see that happening.

In terms of pitchers, there really aren't any good candidates to remove from the 40 man, but if I had to pick a couple possibilities I'd have to go with either John Ely or Stephen Fife despite their 2012 success.

So at the end of the day it seems like the Dodgers will have 3 or 4 open spots at most, but I also wouldn't be surprised if the Dodgers only added one or two to their 40 man.

40 Man Roster Addition Options
Now let's talk about the players who the Dodgers might be adding to their roster. For the most part, any college player drafted in 2009 or earlier and any high school player drafted in 2008 or earlier are eligible for the Rule 5 draft if they aren't on the 40 man roster. For international signees, it would be any player who signed 2008 or earlier. Below I've run down all the players who are eligible for the Dodgers this year, and I've listed them from the most likely to be added/picked in the Rule 5 to the least likely to be added/picked in the Rule 5. Remember any player selected by another team in the Rule 5 draft must stay on that team's big league roster all season long or be offered back to the original team.

Steve Ames - RHP (24.5 years old) - Relievers are the most commonly selected players in the Rule 5 draft, and who wouldn't want a guy with a career 236 to 35 strikeout to walk ratio and a career 1.93 ERA? Ames has done nothing but impress since joining the organization and while he doesn't necessarily have a plus pitch, his ability to pitch to contact and get guys out at a cheap price is something worth keeping around.

Matt Magill - RHP (23 years old) - Magill isn't a pitcher that is ready for the big leagues, but after a solid campaign in 2012 he's probably a guy that the Dodgers will add to their roster given his success in 2012. Matt has really come into his own after he led the Southern League in strikeouts with 168 and had a FIP of 2.93, and while his ceiling as a big league pitcher is relatively low, every team could use a solid #4 or #5 starter on their roster.

Aaron Miller - LHP (25 years old) - Former 1st round picks who are eligible for the Rule 5 draft are usually prime targets when December rolls around, and Aaron Miller is no different despite a relatively mediocre season in 2012. Miller had a 4.45 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP for the Lookouts last year, but he's a lefty with a great solid frame so I could see a team taking a flyer on him if he isn't protected.

Blake Smith - OF (24.75 years old) - Smith had a .948 OPS in 2011 and led the Lookouts with 13 homers in 2012, and although he has a great arm in right field he doesn't seem like the type of player a team would take in the Rule 5 draft. While he has potential with both his power and his defense Blake seems like the 4th outfielder type and therefore I don't think anyone would select him in the Rule 5.

Andres Santiago - RHP (23 years old) - Drafted way back in 2007 Santiago had a breakout season in 2012, and if it wasn't for a subpar AFL performance Andres might have been a little higher on this list. The Puerto Rican native struck out more than a batter per inning in the 2012 regular season and had a .216 batting average against, but is he really ready for the big leagues?

Griff Erickson - C (24.5 years old) - This is the 3rd time that Griff is eligible for the Rule 5 draft, and after a forgettable season with the Lookouts in 2012 I don't see how or why Erickson would be added to the 40 man roster. That being said the switch hitter seems like he would be an extremely cheap backup catcher option for a big league club, so you never know what will happen.

Michael Antonini - LHP (27.25 years old) - Antonini was outrighted to AAA in August so it would seem unlikely that he'd be added back to the roster this week. A low budget team could take a chance on the left hander, however, so the Dodgers could add him back to the roster if they want to retain him.

Javier Solano - RHP (22.5 years old) - Solano has a less than perfect pitching frame, but his stats have been extremely impressive throughout his minor league career. Solano has pitched in the Southern League in each of the past three seasons and in 2012 he had a 2.73 ERA with almost a strikeout per inning. Therefore the Mexico native could be worth placing on the 40 man roster.

Jose Dominguez - RHP (22.25 years old) - Dominguez is a long-shot to be added to the roster given his recent suspension, but he's the type of pitcher who has a live arm and could be stashed on a low budget club's 25 man roster. He made his way all the way up to AA in 2012 and his fastball reaches into the upper 90's, so you never know what will happen when it comes to the Rule 5 draft.

Cole St. Clair - LHP (26.25 years old) - The fact that St. Clair is a lefty helps his case in terms of being added to the 40 man roster, but given his mediocre success in AAA in 2012 I don't see him as somebody who'll get selected in the Rule 5 draft. Cole could be a big league pitcher in 2013 in some way or another, but again he's probably not worth adding to the roster at this point or worth picking this December.

Kyle Russell - OF (26.25 years old) - Russell is a powerful left handed bat, but I don't think he is more than a big league bench player so there is almost no chance that he'll be selected in the Rule 5 draft. The left handed hitter plays solid defense and improved his strikeout to walk ratio in 2012, but again he doesn't seem like the type of player who could help out a big league club in 2013.

Juan Rodriguez - RHP (23.75 years old) - Scrap Medal seems like an odd choice to be ranked this high given his 6.34 ERA in 2012, but given the Dodgers track record for hard throwing relievers I wouldn't be shocked if Los Angeles added J-Rod to their 40 man roster this off-season. A few years ago the club added the hard throwing Luis Vasquez to their roster.

Pedro Baez - 3B (24.5 years old) - Baez is a below average offensive player, so the only reason he'd be selected in the Rule 5 draft would be because of his right arm that has been clocked as high as 94 mph. There has been much speculation about moving Pedro to the mound over the past few years, but it seems unlikely that another team would take on such a project as a Rule 5 pick.

Brian Cavazos-Galvez - OF (25.5 years old) - BCG has a strange season in 2012 as he struggled mightily in AA, yet tore the cover off the ball in AAA and finished the season with a .354 average. The Albuquerque native usually put the ball in play as he rarely walks or strikes out, and he seems like an unlikely add to the 40 man roster.

Angelo Songco - 1B (24 years old) - Songco missed a good part of the 2012 season due to a leg injury, and when he did play he was mostly ineffective as he hit just .201 this past season. The recently turned 1st baseman has legitimate raw power, but he is in no way ready for big league pitching.

John Michael Redding - RHP (25 years old) - Redding has been pretty consistent over the past few years and has held his own in a hitter friendly California League, but his stuff doesn't really play in the big leagues so it seems unlikely that he'll be added to the 40 man roster.

J.T. Wise - C (26.25 years old) - If it wasn't for FedEx J.T. Wise would be higher on this list, but given his age and his lack of a plus tool I really don't see him as a potential big league player. The 26 year old had a relatively successful season in 2012, but there is nothing special about him so he'll almost certainly remain off the team's 40 man.

Rafael Ynoa - 2B (25.25 years old) - Ynoa opened some eyes with a strong performance in the Arizona Fall League, but he's not worth a 40 man roster spot at this point because every organization has a "Ynoa" in their system. Rafael plays solid defense and puts the bat on the ball, and while he could be the next Elian Herrera I don't think he'll be added to the 40 man roster in the upcoming days.

Alfredo Silverio - OF (25.5 years old) - OK so he was just removed from the roster so he won't be added back, but I just wanted to highlight him again here as somebody that could be taken in the Rule 5, and while it's highly unlikely due to his injury, if a team did select him they could stash him on their 60 Day DL for a good part of the season if they wanted to.

Other eligible players: Nick Akins, Austin Gallagher, Michael Pericht, Casio Grider, Nick Buss, Chris Jacobs, Pedro Guerrero, Steve Smith, Jordan Roberts, Matt Wallach, Ozzie Martinez, Greg Wilborn, Carlos Frias, Bladimir Franco, Blake Johnson