Reds protect Shed Long, Jose Siri and four others from the Rule 5 Draft

The Cincinnati Reds had seven spots open on the 40-man roster at the beginning of Monday, the last day to protect prospects from Rule 5 Draft eligibility. They used almost all of them.

Monday evening, the Reds added six minor-league players to the 40-man roster, including two of their Top 10 prospects as ranked by Baseball America. Second baseman Shed Long and center fielder Jose Siri were added to the roster, as were infielder Alex Blandino and right-handers Jose Lopez, Jesus Reyes and Zack Weiss.

"I definitely had to make some tough decisions to leave talented players off the 40-man roster right now, but that’s just a side effect of a deeper, more-talented minor-league system than we’ve had in a few years," said farm director Jeff Graupe.

The Reds now have just one open spot on the 40-man roster. Players not on the 40-man roster – specifically, five-year professionals who signed at 18 or younger, or four-year pros who signed at 19 or older – are eligible to be drafted by other teams on the final day of the Winter Meetings in mid-December.

Only teams with open 40-man spots can select a player in the major-league portion of the Rule 5 draft. Selected players must remain on the 25-man active roster all year.

Protecting Long, Blandino and Lopez was a no-brainer. All three had strong years and finished the year at or above Double-A. Their talent and proximity to the majors would have made them easy picks for other teams in the Rule 5 draft.

The 22-year-old Long posted a .922 OPS in a half-season at High-A Daytona before struggling at Double-A, although he missed a good chunk of time with an injury. The 25-year-old Blandino is a former first-round pick who enjoyed a bounce-back season, posting an .835 OPS between Double- and Triple-A.

The 24-year-old Lopez was probably the best Reds minor-league starter who didn't reach the majors in 2017, recording a 2.57 ERA between High- and Double-A. Reyes – also 24 – followed a similar track, but was not quite as dominant. He recorded a 3.60 ERA between the two levels.

The cases for protecting Siri and Weiss weren't as clear-cut. Siri was a terrific performer at Low-A Dayton – he hit .293 with 24 home runs, 46 stolen bases, a 39-game hit streak and terrific center field defense – but teams generally don't pluck players from Low-A in the Rule 5. But because of his athleticism and raw talent, a team could have tried to stash the 22-year-old as a fourth or fifth outfielder.

On the flip side, because they've added Siri to the 40-man roster, the Reds will have just three option years to keep him in the minors, putting his development and progression through the system on a tight timetable. The Reds considered advancing him to High-A at the midway point of last season, but opted to keep him with a winning club in Dayton.

"That's just a factor in the decisions we're going to have to make moving forward," Graupe said. "But ... we ultimately decided that the winning environment, the competitive nature of a playoff hunt, was the most important thing to his long-term development."

Two offseasons ago, Weiss looked like a sure thing to make his major-league debut any moment. But persistent elbow trouble cost the reliever the entire 2016 season and two months of the 2017 campaign. Once he finally returned to the mound, he notched 2.63 ERA while striking out 12.3 batters per nine innings between High- and Double-A. He'd have been a risky Rule 5 selection with only three healthy months of action the last two years, but relievers are also easier to stash than other players.

The Reds did have some players left off the 40-man who could possibly be selected in the draft, including Double-A first baseman Gavin LaValley, Double-A outfielder Nick Longhi and High-A right-hander Wyatt Strahan.