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Phillies again use Rule 5 draft to add international cash

The Phillies selected an infielder from the Dodgers system and quickly traded him to Baltimore.

Matt Klentak, Phillies general manager.
Matt Klentak, Phillies general manager.Read moreSTEVE NESIUS / For the Inquirer

For the second straight year, the Phillies turned their Rule 5 draft pick into money to spend on the international market.

The Phillies drafted the Dodgers' minor-league infielder Drew Jackson with the 11th pick Thursday and immediately traded him to Baltimore for an undisclosed amount of international money. Jackson, 25, was in the Dodgers' system when Gabe Kapler oversaw the team’s minor-league operations. He hit .251 with 15 home runs last season in double A.

The Phillies survived the draft without losing any of their own players. Right-handed starter Tom Eshelman, left-handed reliever Tyler Gilbert, and catcher Deivi Grullon each had a chance to be selected. All will remain with the Phillies.

“I think we need to be conscious of the fact that a Rule 5 player is effectively a player without options and right now we have quite a few players who are out of options, so we just need to be mindful of what that would mean to the flexibility of our roster,” general manager Matt Klentak said.