Major League Baseball conducted the Major League phase of its Rule 5 Draft process on Thursday, and the Chicago Cubs lost Marwin Gonzalez to the Boston Red Sox (later traded to the Houston Astros for Marco Duarte), lost Ryan Flaherty to the Baltimore Orioles and selected Lendy Casillo from the Philadelphia Phillies' system.
The Red Sox selected Marwin Gonzalez, a 22-year old infielder who has been with the Cubs' minor league system since 2006 and hit .288/.343/.400 between AA Tennessee and AAA Iowa in 2011, with the 10th overall selection in the Rule 5 draft and then traded him for RHP Marco Duarte.
With the fourth overall selection the Baltimore Orioles selected Ryan Flaherty, a 25-year old utility player originally selected as a first-round sandwich pick in 2008. Flaherty hit .280/.347.478 between AA Tennessee and AAA Iowa in 2011.
The Cubs opted to take Lendy Castillo from the Philadelphia Phillies' organization with the sixth overall selection in the major league phase. Castillo is a 22-year old right-handed pitcher that recently converted from an outfield prospect. He is very raw, and only pitched in A ball last season, but he throws in the mid-to-upper 90s (94-96 mph) and has tons of upside.
To be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, a player cannot have been on their team's 40-man roster and must have been either (a) signed at 18 or younger and in the system for five years, or (b) signed at 19 or older and in the system for four years. All Rule 5 players must stay with their new MLB club for the entire season or be offered back to the old team.
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