SAN DIEGO -- The last act of the annual winter meetings occurs Thursday morning with the Rule 5 draft.
The Texas Rangers have the third overall pick of the Major League Phase portion. Last year, the Rangers didn't select anyone with the 21st pick, and there were just nine players overall taken.
The last time the Rangers drafted someone in the Rule 5 was in 2012, when Coty Woods was selected 13th overall. In that same draft, the Rangers lost first baseman Chris McGuiness in the Double-A phase after he was picked by the Cleveland Indians.
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said he didn't want to speculate on what selecting a player could mean to Texas, which currently has 38 players on the 40-man roster.
If a player is selected in the Rule 5 draft, he must remain on the 40-man roster the entire season. Daniels also could draft a player for another team and trade.
"Usually, we're picking 18th or 21st," Daniels said. "You don't have teams trading up for it. I think that's what we're weighing now: Is there some value [in trading now]? If we trade, it would be for another player."
The Rangers could lose infielder and Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson in the Rule 5 draft. Wilson is on the Triple-A roster; if a club picks him, he must remain on its 40-man roster the entire season. It's doubtful if a team would draft Wilson, considering he won't play big league baseball.
Two names of interest are second baseman/centerfielder Delino DeShields Jr. and catcher Roberto Pena for the Rangers.
Here are Baseball America's notable Rule 5 players.
