3 Reds prospects who were left unprotected and could be poached in Rule 5 Draft

2. Reds prospect Jose Acuña may not be added to the 40-man roster

Probably the most surprising ommission from the Cincinnati Reds transaction log on Tuesday was Jose Acuña. The right-hander has posted good numbers in the minor leagues and could be very intriguing to the bevy of organizations looking for pitching depth this winter.

But Acuña is not a slam dunk to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft. Acuña went 7-3 in 20 appearances at High-A Dayton this past season and posted a 3.93 ERA in over 100 innings of work. The question facing other ball clubs when it comes to the Rule 5 Draft will be whether or not they're able to keep Acuña on the active roster.

There are rules that govern players selected in the Rule 5 Draft. On such restriction mandates that any player selected must be added to the team's 40-man roster immediately and be part of the active roster for the entire season.

Seeing as how Acuña, at just 20 years old, has not pitched above A-Ball, it seems rather unlikely that another team could forecast adding the right-hander to the roster and assume that he'd be part of the 26-man roster throughout the entire 2024 season.

Based strictly on talent, Jose Acuña is the type of player that opposing teams are looking to poach. But the fact that Acuña hasn't stepped onto a Double-A or Triple-A mound works in the Cincinnati Reds favor.

Acuña and Hector Rodrguez were part of the return Cincinnati received in exchange for Tyler Naquin in 2022. Right now, that looks like a heckuva trade on the part of Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall.