I’m not sure this would be such a big deal if it weren’t for the dearth of any other real news on the minor-league front. The Rule 5 draft? Please. About the only thing anyone knows for sure is that the pool is a year older and the new candidates haven’t participated in a game that counts or was scouted since 2019.
Those new candidates for the Nationals? Most notably: Jackson Tetreault, Gabe Klobosits, and Cole Freeman. The old (and previous) candidates who might get a second look: Nick Banks and Sterling Sharp.
One contrarian viewpoint is that Sharp could be taken despite his option to become a free agent upon a DFA if the drafting team can “sell” him on the merits of their organization. While I can see that logic, given the league-wide parsimony and the glut of free agents, I have a hard time believing any team will pony up $100K rather than just wait until he can be signed as a minor-league free agent and stashed either in the minors OR in one of the “partner” leagues.
I would agree that perhaps the minor-league phases may be a little busier than usual, given how little it costs ($24K per pick) and no requirement to keep the player on any given roster. [Insert reminder that we don’t have a clue as to who might be available because the 38-man protection lists are not public.]
Until tomorrow… maybe.