3 alluring players the Reds should take in the Rule 5 Draft

The Rule 5 Draft always offers intrigue. Oftentimes teams will leave players unprotected who've battled injuries or have yet to reach the upper levels of the minor leagues for one reason or another.

The Rule 5 Draft allows opposing teams to select a player who meets certain criteria. Typically, players who are chosen have been in another team's farm system for four or more years. The cavaet, however, is the selecting team must keep the player on the active roster or offer him back to his original club.

The Cincinnati Reds struck gold with Josh Hamilton several years ago, but more recently players like Mark Payton have been selected, but didn't pan out. Which three players, available in this year's Rule 5 Draft, could grab the Reds attention?

1. Reds should select Orioles OF Hudson Haskin in the Rule 5 Draft

There's a desire from the Cincinnati Reds fanbase for the club to acquire a right-handed hitting outfielder this offseason. Well, it just so happens that the Baltimore Orioles left such a player off their 40-man roster.

Hudson Haskin was a second-round pick during the abbreviated 2020 MLB Draft. Like it or not, the condensed selection process caused a lot of talented players to fall off the radar, while other prospects may have received a higher grade than they should have.

Haskin is talented, but some injuries have obviously become cause for concern among the Orioles front office. Haskin suffered a hamstring injury last season and was then out for the remainder of the 2023 season with a hip injury that would eventually require surgery.

All in all, Haskin played in just 33 games last season, but did hit a combined .287 and posted an OPS of .837 while playing at High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A.

Haskin plays solid defense and has above-average speed. That would seem to fit this Cincinnati Reds roster rather well. If the Reds are looking to take a flier on an outfield prospect that could stick on the active roster, the 24-year-old Hudson Haskin could be a nice selection in the Rule 5 Draft.

2. Reds should select Athletics RHP J.T. Ginn in the Rule 5 Draft

There's one very big reason why the Oakland Athletics left J.T. Ginn off the team's 40-man roster - he just can't stay healthy. In three minor league seasons, Ginn has only appeared in 38 games, including just eight starts last season.

Ginn was drafted in 2020, but because of the cancellation of the minor league season that year, the right-hander didn't get his professional career off the ground until 2021. That year, Ginn started 18 games and looked like he could be a solid starting pitcher in the big leagues.

In 2021, Ginn was 5-5 while splitting time between Low-A and High-A as part of the New York Mets organization. But Ginn was part of the Chris Bassett trade that sent the former A's starter to the Big Apple.

After coming to the A's organization, Ginn started just 12 games in 2022. Biceps tendentitis sidelined Ginn this past season and the 24-year-old logged just over 25 innings pitched while splitting time in the Arizona Complex League and Double-A.

When he's healthy, J.T. Ginn has the type of pitching repertoire that could see him as a mid-rotation starter in the major leagues. But the absence of the 2020 minor league season and several hiccups along the way have seen Ginn fall out of favor with the Oakland A's organization. Perhaps the Cincinnati Reds could snag Ginn in the Rule 5 Draft.