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

The deadline to protect prospects from the Rule 5 Draft has passed, and the Cincinnati Reds, who relied heavily on young talent last season, added three prospects to the team's 40-man roster.

Rece Hinds, Jacob Hurtubise, and Christian Roa all had their contracts selected and were added to the Reds 40-man roster. But any Rule 5 Draft-eligible prospect whose contract is not selected by Tuesday's deadline could be on another team in a few weeks.

The Rule 5 Draft will take place during the upcoming MLB Winter Meetings and a few Reds prospects who were left unprotected could be poached by other teams.

1. Reds prospect Vin Tampanelli could be poached during the Rule 5 Draft

Vin Tampanelli was, at one time, a rather highly-regarded prospect in the Cincinnati Reds farm systetm. No, Tampanelli wasn't a household name that most Reds fans would recognize, but the scouting and development department looked fondly upon the right-hander.

While it's unlikely that the Reds faith in Tampanelli has wavered all that much, the fact the club did not choose to protect the reliever from the Rule 5 Draft suggests that he's either fallen out of favor slightly or the Reds do not believe another team will select him during next month's supplemental draft.

Tampanelli is a strikeout machine. Last season, while splitting time between High-A Dayton and Double-A Chattanooga, the 25-year-old recorded 60 punch outs in 55.1 innings of work. A 9.76 K/9 and 24.5-percent strikeout-rate will always gain some attention.

However, Tampanelli's walk-rate, which was above 12-percent, could have been the reason he was left off the Cincinnati Reds 40-man roster. Tampanelli could draw the interest of opposing clubs during the Rule 5 Draft, or he could slip through and find his way to Goodyear with a chance to make an impact.

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.