Decision time has come for all 30 Major League organizations in terms of what to do with their 40-man rosters. Space was limited, so not all prospects were able to find a home on a roster when the deadline passed on Tuesday night.

Those Minor Leaguers who were not put on a 40-man roster are now eligible to be taken by the other 29 teams in the Rule 5 Draft, which will take place at the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, on Thursday, Dec. 13.

Players first signed at age 18 must be added to 40-man rosters within five seasons or they become eligible to be drafted by other organizations through the Rule 5 process. Players signed at 19 years or older have to be protected within four seasons. Clubs pay $100,000 to select a player in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. If that player doesn't stay on the 25-man roster for the full season, he must be offered back to his former team for $50,000.

For this year, that means an international or high school Draft pick signed in 2014 -- assuming he was 18 or younger as of June 5 of that year -- has to be protected. A college player taken in the 2015 Draft is in the same position.

There were just eight players on MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list who need to be protected or become exposed to the Rule 5 Draft. All of them were added to their organization's respective rosters.

16. Mitch Keller, RHP, PIT

*25. Dylan Cease, RHP, CWS

*33. Jesus Sanchez, OF, TB

*35. Chris Paddack,RHP, SD

*39. Keibert Ruiz, C, LAD

*64. Adonis Medina, RHP, PHI

*67. Franklin Perez, RHP, DET

*69. Michael Chavis, 3B, BOS

Indicates that a player has been added to his team's 40-man roster.

That's nothing new, as Top 100 prospects tend to get protected. Over the past four seasons (2017: 8; 2016: 12; 2015: 11), all 39 Top 100 prospects got roster spots when eligible.

There were obviously many more Minor Leaguers under consideration. There were 149 prospects on organizational Top 30 lists hoping to get added to a 40-man roster, and a total of 71 (47.6 percent) were added to 40-man rosters.

That's down from last year, when there were 153, 85 of whom (55.6%) were protected. In 2016, there were 144 total, and 58% of them (84) were protected. In 2015, 75 of 156 (48%) Top 30 prospects landed on rosters.

Here's a list of all 30 teams' Top 30 prospects who needed to be protected to avoid being exposed to the Rule 5 Draft, along with non-Top 30 prospects who were given coveted roster spots:

Arizona Diamondbacks (5)



Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB Pipeline. Follow him on Twitter @JonathanMayo and Facebook, and listen to him on the weekly Pipeline Podcast.