By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor
The Rule 5 Draft takes place each offseason giving teams the chance to grab some talent from other organizations that have so much talent that they cannot protect all the eligible players by placing them on the 40-man roster. The draft can lead to some productive major league players, just as it did for the Phillies when they selected Grover Cleveland Alexander, Shane Victorino or Odubel Herrera.
It can also mean losing players. George Bell is perhaps the most notable player the Phillies have lost in the Rule 5 Draft, with reliever Hoby Milner and outfielder Carlos Tocci being a few of the most recent players plucked from the Phillies farm system.
Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Phillies did not lose any talent in this year’s Major League portion of the draft, but did pick up a new player.
Phillies lost no players in major league phase of Rule 5 draft. They selected SS Drew Jackson from Dodgers
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyNBCS) December 13, 2018
Jackson, 25, is a middle infielder who slashed .251/.356/.447 with the AA Tulsa Drillers in 2018. He had 15 homeruns and 46 RBIs. He was originally drafted in 2015 by the Seattle Mariners before being sent , along with another prospect, to the Dodgers in exchange for right-hander Chase De Jong.
The Phillies adding another shortstop/second basemen may certainly seem odd, but it was almost immediately reported that Jackson would likely be traded. He was traded to the Orioles for international bonus pool money within the hour.
Phillies trade Rule 5 pick Drew Jackson to Orioles for international slot money
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyNBCS) December 13, 2018
The Phillies frequently build up their international pool in order to sign more prospects through what is considered one of the best Latin-American pipelines in the league. The Phillies have signed players like Carlos Ruiz, César Hernández, Ranger Suarez and Freddy Galvis, as well as current prospects Sixto Sanchez and Adonis Medina, both of whom are in the MLB’s top 100 prospect list.