Cubs Deal For Ruggiano, Cardinals Active In Draft

Cubs Deal For Ruggiano

(Chicago, IL) -- The Cubs acquired outfielder Justin Ruggiano from Miami for outfielder Brian Bogusevic. Ruggiano his .222 with 18 homers and 50 RBI in 128 games last season. He is 31 years old and has a career .251 average.

Cards Active in Rule 5 Draft

(Lake Buena Vista, FL) -- The Cardinals farm system was active in the Rule 5 Draft at baseball's Winter Meetings Thursday. The Cards selected shortstop Greg Miclat out of the Rangers organization in the first round of the draft's Triple-A portion. They also added first baseman Jesus Ustariz, formerly with the Tigers. The Cards paid 12 thousand dollars to snag each player.

Astros Pick First In Rule 5 Draft

Buena Vista, FL (SportsNetwork.com) -- The  Houston Astros selected left-handed  pitcher Patrick Schuster of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization with the first pick in Major League Baseball's annual Rule 5 Draft on Thursday.

The Astrosthenimmediately shipped him to San Diego as the player to be named later in the Anthony Bass deal the two teams completed on Wednesday.

Schuster went 0-1 with a 1.83 ER, 45 strikeouts against 18 walks and a .191 opponents batting average over 55 relief appearances for High Single-A Visalia this past season.

Originally signed by Arizona as a 13th-round selection in the 2009 First-Year Player Draft, Schuster has gone 16-14 with a 3.55 ERA 262 strikeouts against 129 walks and a .240 opponents batting average in 149 games, 31 starts, over parts of five minor league seasons in the Diamondbacks (2009-13) organization.

There were nine players taken in the major league phase of the draft on Thursday. If those players do not sign with  their new team, they must be offered back to their original team, effectively canceling the Rule 5 draft choice.

However, once they spend an entire season on their new team's 25-man roster, their status reverts to normal and they may be optioned or designated for assignment.

The same rules apply to players who are selected then traded, like Schuster.

Seattle Seahawks quarterback, Russell Wilson, whose rights were held by the Colorado Rockies, was taken in the Triple-A phase of the draft by the Texas Rangers.

It's the third time that he has been drafted.

Of course, several players  have succeeded through the Rule  5 Draft in the past, most notably Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana and 2010  AL MVP Josh  Hamilton. Other prominent players selected through the Rule 5 Draft include pitchers Joakim  Soria, Matt Mantei and Antonio Alfonseca, as well as second baseman Dan Uggla and outfielders George Bell, Willy Taveras and Shane Victorino.

Players who are not currently on their team's 40-man roster are eligible to be taken in this draft, but only after a standard exemption period has elapsed. Also, only teams whose rosters are under the 40-man limit are eligible to participate.

A player who is 18 when he's signed can spend five seasons in an organization before he has to be protected. Anyone who is 19 or older must be protected after four years. Once past that time of service, a player must be put on the 40-man roster if that team wants to keep him from becoming eligible for the Rule 5 Draft.