Braves leave 4 players eligible for Rule 5 draft

The Braves didn’t add any prospects to their 40-man roster before Tuesday evening’s deadline, meaning they have four players who are eligible in the Rule 5 draft.

Those players are right-hander Blake Burkhalter, right-hander Ian Mejia, right-hander Elison Joseph and third baseman David McCabe.

Players signed at age 18 or younger must be added to the 40-man roster within five seasons or they’re eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Players signed at 19 years old and older must be added within four seasons, according to MLB’s process for the Rule 5 draft.

A club can pay $100,000 to take a player in the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft. If the player doesn’t remain on the team’s 26-man roster for the full campaign, he must be offered back to the original team for $50,000.

In other words, selecting a player in the major league Rule 5 draft shows a belief in and potential commitment to the individual.

The Braves selected a player for the first time under president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos, taking righty Anderson Pilar. But Pilar was erratic in spring and failed to make the roster. He was returned to Miami, later released and rejoined the Braves organization.

As for the Braves’ eligible prospects for the upcoming draft, Burkhalter is the biggest name. A former Auburn closer, he’s started for most of his Braves career. He had a 3.13 ERA with 65 strikeouts and 29 walks over 72 innings at Double-A Columbus last season. He earned a promotion to Triple-A Gwinnett, where 16 of his 18 appearances were as a reliever. He had a 3.77 ERA in 31 innings.

Burkhalter, 25, was a second-round pick in the 2022 draft. A team could want to look at him in spring training for a potential bullpen spot.

Mejia is an interesting player. He had a 2.62 ERA for Double-A Mississippi last season (he finished with one start in Triple-A). But his profile isn’t one that indicates there’s much upside, particularly given he’s 25 years old.

McCabe, 25, has hit .277/.385/.459 over six minor-league seasons. He finished the last campaign in Gwinnett where he hit .235 with a .719 OPS in 28 games. He was a fourth-rounder in 2022 out of UNC-Charlotte.

The 24-year-old Joseph has a 3.84 ERA in 158 games as a reliever. He had a 2.48 ERA over 19 appearances in High-A Rome last year, earning a promotion to Columbus. He had a 4.31 ERA in 37 appearances in Double-A. He struck out 57 and walked 41 in 39-2/3 innings.

The Braves and Giants were the only two teams that didn’t add a player to their 40-man roster ahead of the deadline.