Everything you need to know about the Rule 5 Draft and 3 Reds prospects to protect

At 6 PM ET on Tuesday, November 14th, all 30 major league ball clubs must make some crucial roster decisions in order to protect some of their top prospects from the Rule 5 Draft.

Last year, the Cincinnati Reds added players like Elly De La Cruz, Noelvi Marte, and Brandon Williamson to the 40-man roster in order to keep them within the organization.

But what is the Rule 5 Draft? When is it? How does it work? And which Reds prospects are eligible to be selected this year?

What is the Rule 5 Draft?

The Rule 5 Draft is held every year at the MLB Winter Meetings. This year, those meetings take place from December 3rd through the 6th in Nashville, Tennessee. The Rule 5 Draft itself will be held on December 6th.

Each team will have the ability to select players from another organization that meet certain criteria. In this case, any player who's not part of a team's 40-man roster and was drafted in 2019 (high school player) or 2020 (college player) would be eligible.

However, if a team makes a selection during the Rule 5 Draft, there are some rules that the selecting team must follow. Any player chosen during the supplemental draft must remain on the active roster throughout the entire 2024 season, or be offered back to their original team.

The Reds have had some success through the Rule 5 Draft over the years with Josh Hamilton probably being one the best players to ever be selected through the process.

While the Rule 5 Draft is a few weeks away, the deadline to add players to the 40-man roster is less than 24 hours away. Which prospects will the Cincinnati Reds need to add to the roster before the 6 PM ET deadline?