Detroit Tigers could add these prospects to 40-man roster to protect from Rule 5 draft

Detroit Tigers could add these prospects to 40-man roster to protect from Rule 5 draft The Detroit Tigers have less than 24 hours to protect players eligible for the 2024 Rule 5 Draft by adding them to the 40-man roster. Any eligible player left unprotected can be targeted by other teams and selected in the draft, which is scheduled for Dec. 11. "It is really tough to decide who you need to protect and who you don't," president of baseball operations Scott Harris said in mid-October. "The short answer is, I don't know yet, but we're going to spend a lot of time on it. ... Those are undoubtedly going to be tough decisions for us." The 40-man roster is at 40 players, so if the Tigers want to protect even one prospect, they'll have to create space. In the Rule 5 draft, teams can select an eligible unprotected player from another team for $100,000. A player picked in the Rule 5 draft must stay on the 26-man roster (or the injured list) for the entire 2025 season. If removed from the roster, the player will be placed on waivers and offered back to their original team for $50,000. LISTEN UP: 'Days of Roar': Ben Verlander on Tigers' playoff run, Justin Verlander's mindset and more Here's the full list of 2024 Rule 5 draft-eligible players from the Tigers' organization ahead of Tuesday's deadline: BREAK THE BANK? Detroit Tigers in MLB free agency: 10 starting pitchers to target on 1-year contracts Here are six of the more notable Rule 5 eligible players: Highest level in 2024: Did not play. The buzz: Mattison, a reliever, underwent Tommy John surgery in mid-March to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, missing the entire 2024 season. But he logged a 1.62 ERA with 18 walks (13.2% walk rate) and 46 strikeouts (33.8% strikeout rate) across 33⅓ innings in 22 games for Double-A Erie in 2023. His fastball averages 95 mph with ride and deception to generate whiffs. He also misses bats with his curveball and changeup. Mattison is injured, but that doesn't mean he's off-limits in the Rule 5 draft. The buzz: Owens, a reliever, registered a 2.96 ERA with 16 walks (7.5% walk rate) and 55 strikeouts (25.7% strikeout rate) across 51⅔ innings in 39 games at the Double-A level. Of those games, he appeared 13 times for Double-A Erie after the trade from the Rangers to the Tigers. Owens throws a fastball, slider, cutter and splitter. His fastball sits around 95 mph — touching 99 mph — and generates swings and misses. The buzz: Lee, a low-velocity reliever who throws from a sidearm delivery, posted a 2.76 ERA with 11 walks (7.4% walk rate) and 42 strikeouts (28.4% strikeout rate) across 32⅔ innings in 25 games at the Triple-A level, including a 3.27 ERA with a 4.2% walk rate and a 32.3% strikeout rate in 17 games after the trade from the Rangers to the Tigers. His four-seam fastball averages just 89.5 mph, but he's crafty when he locates all four of his pitches. The buzz: Kohlhepp, one of the most underrated relievers in the Tigers' organization, spent the entire season at the High-A level, logging a 4.55 ERA with 30 walks (11% walk rate) and 78 strikeouts (28.6% strikeout rate) across 61⅓ innings in 46 games. His fastball averages 96 mph, and he has three pitches with above-average potential, but his command must improve. Kohlhepp missed 2022 with Tommy John surgery. The buzz: Bigbie experienced a breakthrough in 2023 and received a non-roster invitation to big-league spring training, but he failed to build on his success in 2024. He hit .248 with four home runs, 60 walks (10.8% walk rate) and 104 strikeouts (18.6% strikeout rate) in 136 games in Triple-A Toledo. Bigbie still has upside from above-average marks in exit velocity, contact rate, walk rate and strikeout rate, but he needs to stop hitting so many ground balls. The buzz: Montalvo, a starter, registered a 3.00 ERA with 26 walks (8% walk rate) and 88 strikeouts (27.2% strikeout rate) across 78 innings in 18 starts at the High-A level, including a 4.74 ERA with an 8.8% walk rate and an 18.8% strikeout rate in five starts after the trade from the Rangers to the Tigers. He has a long ways to go in his development with his three pitches and his command, so the Tigers shouldn't worry too much about losing him. Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold. Listen to our weekly Tigers show "Days of Roar" every Monday afternoon on demand at freep.com, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts. And catch all of our podcasts and daily voice briefing at freep.com/podcasts.