Baltimore Orioles: Orioles likely to select a player in Rule 5 Draft

With the Rule 5 Draft just around the corner, everyone is questioning whether the Baltimore Orioles will participate in this year’s draft.

The Baltimore Orioles are notoriously known for taking advantage of the Rule 5 Draft, and finding diamonds in the rough of players.  And many wondered if the Orioles were going to take advantage of the draft again this year.

Well, don’t fret Orioles fans, because the O’s plan on participating in the Rule 5 Draft after they’ve been successful in the past. In the last few years, the Orioles found three players that ended up being locks on their roster: Joey Rickard (2015), T.J. McFarland (2012) and Ryan Flaherty (2011).

It’s a 100% guarantee the O’s will make a draft pick during the Winter Meetings with hope there’s mutual love the whole year. It would almost be similar to a recurring plotline in a romantic comedy.

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For those unfamiliar, the Rule 5 Draft takes place during the Winter Meetings, and teams are able to pick players from other teams farm systems. The rule is they must stay on the roster for the entire season. If they don’t stay on the roster the whole year, they have to be offered back to their original team.

The Orioles could use the new draft pick in an abundance of ways. They could place him in the bullpen, they could find a cheap infielder or outfielder. Or, they could find a left-handed bat to replace free agents Matt Wieters and Pedro Alvarez.

Rickard should be good to go for Spring Training after he tore a ligament in his thumb back in July. Doctors said he didn’t need surgery, but the Orioles are holding their breath. There’s still plenty of Hot Stove season between now and February, when position players report to Spring Training.

Next: Which players are a fit for the Orioles?

Rickard never came close to being placed on waivers. The Orioles assigned him to the Major league roster out of Spring Training after he notched 25 hits and a .472 on-base percentage.