2013 Dodgers 40 man roster addition preview

The Dodgers have some decisions coming up in regards who they want to add to their 40 man roster with the annual Rule 5 draft approaching, so it's time to take a look at the prospects who the club might be considering. I discussed this topic in depth a few weeks ago in a podcast that can be heard here, but here is another look the players in question. With 32 guys on the 40 man roster the Dodgers have some room to add a few players, and here is who they might be thinking about.

Must Add to the Roster

Yimi Garcia (RHP) - The 23 year old was signed back in 2009, so this is the first year he'd be eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Garcia seems like the most likely player to be added to the 40 man roster after posting some outstanding stats over the last two seasons, including a 2.54 ERA over 60.1 innings in AA this past year to go along with a K/9 of over 12.5. His fastball readings weren't all that impressive in the AFL as he was only throwing in the low 90's, but that was after a long year and he obviously has some good stuff based on his strikeout numbers.

Possible Additions to the Roster

Pedro Baez (RHP) - The converted 3rd baseman is already 25 years old, but is barely a year into his pitching career. Unlike Kenley Jansen who immediately took to the mound after his conversion, Baez has come along a little slower. While his ERA of 3.88 between HiA and AA was relatively solid, opposing batters hit .290 against him and his strikeout numbers could use improvement given his stuff. That being said he got high praise from Sandy Koufax during spring training and has a live arm so he might be someone the Dodgers want to protect.

Garrett Gould (RHP) - The 2009 2nd round has never really lived up to his expectations from draft day, but at just 22 years old Gould might be a guy that the Dodgers want to continue to work with. That might require the organization to add him to their 40 man roster because I could see a small market team taking a flyer on Garrett and putting him in their rotation. Gould actually made it up to AA in 2013 and while his ERA was 5.88, he did some some flashes of improvement with a K/9 of close to 10.

Unlikely Additions to the Roster

Scott Schebler (OF) - The Dodgers minor league player of the year crushed the ball for the Quakes in 2013, but it's hard to put too much stock in those numbers given that he played in the hitter friendly California League. While his 27 homers were great as were his 16 stolen bases, there is almost no way another team would take a chance on an outfielder who has yet to play above class A.

Andres Santiago (RHP) - Yet another right handed pitcher who is could be added to the roster, Santiago was actually a more intriguing name on this list last year after an impressive rise through the minor leagues in 2012 that saw him post a 2.77 ERA in AA. In 2013, however, Andres was about as average as you could get with an ERA close to 5.00 and a K/9 of 7.3. He's an innings eater who might be able to survive in the big leagues, but I just don't think he'll ever be anything special.

Jonathan Garcia (OF) - Another Quakes outfielder who had a big season in 2013, Garcia is the youngest player on the list as he just turned 22 years old. Drafted back in 2009 at just 17 years old, Jonathan has had his ups and downs in the minor leagues, and while he put up solid stats this past year there just isn't any way such a young player will get picked up in the Rule 5.

Blake Smith (RHP) and Aaron Miller (OF) -The top two picks of the 2009 draft are on this list simply because they were both selected so high and have some intrigue because they both recently switched positions. That being said there is no chance that either player would be useful to a big league club at this point.