DETROIT – We’ve reached that time in the offseason for MLB teams to set their 40-man rosters -- this year’s deadline is Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 6 PM ET.
First, let’s go over what the Rule-5 Draft is and what the rules are.
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MLB’s Rule-5 Draft is held every December on the final day of the Winter Meetings -- where front offices, agents, and executives gather each offseason.
The purpose of the Rule-5 draft is to prevent teams from stockpiling players in the minor leagues when other organizations may be willing to give them an opportunity in the major leagues.
Only teams that don’t have a full 40-man roster may make selections in the Rule-5 Draft, and the draft order is the reverse of the previous season’s standings -- the team with the worst record picks first.
Who is eligible for the Rule-5 Draft?
- A player who signed at 18 years old or younger and is not added to the 40-man roster within 5 seasons.
- A player who signed at 19 or older and is not added to the 40-man roster within 4 seasons.
How does a team protect one of their players from the Rule-5 Draft?
A team protects a player from the Rule-5 draft by adding him to its 40-man roster before the deadline. Once he is placed on the 40-man roster, he now has option years available, allowing the team to send him to the minor leagues.
What happens when a player is selected in the Rule-5 Draft?
- The team who selects the player must pay the player’s original team $100,000.
- The player must be added to the selecting team’s 26-man major league roster immediately.
- The team may not send him to the minor leagues unless:
- He is placed on outright waivers.
- Every other MLB team must pass on claiming him.
- If he clears waivers, he must be offered back to his original team for $50,000.
- His original club must decline to take him back.
Who in the Tigers organization is Rule-5 eligible?
The most notable names eligible for the Rule-5 draft include but are not limited to:
Thayron Liranzo (C), Eduardo Valencia (C/1B), Hao-Yu Lee (2B/3B), Peyton Graham (INF), Izaac Pacheco (INF), Trei Cruz (INF/OF), Roberto Campos (OF), Seth Stephenson (OF), Justice Bigbie (OF), Jake Miller (LHP), Garrett Burhenn (LHP), R.J. Petit (RHP), Eric Silva (RHP), Yosber Sanchez (RHP), Tanner Kohlhepp (RHP)
Who will the Tigers protect?
Thayron Liranzo, who was acquired by the Tigers in 2024 as part of the Jack Flaherty trade, is a 22-year-old switch-hitting catcher. He turned heads in High-A West Michigan immediately as he increased his walk rate from 15.6 to 22.6% after coming over from the Dodgers organization and decreased his strikeout rate from 26.1 to 17.4%.
He spent 2025 in Double-A Erie where he slashed .206/.308/.351 with 11 HR and 16 doubles. His strikeout rate shot back up to over 30%, but he maintained a walk rate of 11.9%.
Liranzo’s hit tool is fringy and there is swing-and-miss concern, but he knows the strike zone and takes his walks as well. His raw power is double-plus (70) from both sides, and if he is able to limit the strikeouts, should translate to in-game power.
He has done defensive work behind the plate with Tigers catching coordinator Brayan Peña, which made scouts more optimistic about his ability to stick behind the plate.
He has an above-average arm that helps him turn pop times of 1.9 seconds, and although the run tool is a 20, it is mostly a non-factor for catchers.
He currently sits at #5 on the Tigers prospect rankings.
Hao-Yu Lee is an infield prospect, primarily second base but has gotten recent reps at third base, who came over from the Philadelphia Phillies in 2023 in the Michael Lorenzen trade.
Lee garnered attention in his 2024 season in AA-Erie where he slashed .298/.363/.488 with 12 home runs, 19 doubles, and 16 stolen bases.
He spent the 2025 season in AAA-Toledo and slashed .243/.342/.406 with 14 home runs, 23 doubles, and 22 stolen bases. He even increased his walk rate by 3%.
Lee’s hit tool is regarded as average, his power is average (will manifest in doubles more than home runs, but he does have over-the-fence power to the pull-side). It is worth noting that he does hit the ball hard, with his 90th percentile exit velocities sitting around 104 mph.
His run tool is above-average and he is a base stealing threat as he has excellent instincts on the bases. Defensively, his range is limited, but his actions are solid and he has a quick first step. His fringy arm is what limits him defensively.
He currently sits at #6 on the Tigers prospect rankings.
Jake Miller is a left-handed pitcher drafted by the Tigers in the 8th round of the 2022 amateur draft. He spent most of 2023 on the injured list and returned in 2024 as a reliever in Single-A Lakeland and was moved to the rotation in May after dominating in his relief role with a 0.00 ERA.
He dominated as a starter as well, posting a 1.16 ERA by early August when he was promoted to High-A West Michigan. He posted a 4.50 ERA and struck out 20 batters in 20 innings, walking only 3 batters.
Miller started 2025 in Double-A Erie, pitching just 17 innings, striking out 16, and posting a 2.12 ERA before the injury bug bit again and he was out for the rest of the season.
It was announced that Miller would be sent to the Arizona Fall League for the second year in a row, but the organization pulled him last minute due to unknown reasons.
Miller’s arsenal includes a fastball that sits 93 and gets swing-and-miss, a low-80s slider that breaks late, and a plus changeup that he can throw for strikes and wreaks havoc on right-handed batters.
Another interesting player with potential to be protected by the Tigers is C/1B Eduardo Valencia.
Valencia was signed by the Tigers as an international free agent in 2018.
His hit tool garnered him attention in 2025 as he slashed .311/.382/.559 between Double-A Erie and Triple-A Toledo. He had almost the same amount of plate appearances between the two and hit 24 home runs and 74 doubles between both levels.
He is said to most likely have more of a future at 1B than behind the plate and has battled injury throughout his career, but his defense has improved and he could have a future role as a backup catcher.
There is no limit to the number of players a team can protect from the Rule-5 Draft, but Miller and Valencia should certainly draw interest should the Tigers choose not to protect them.