There was just one crucial choice that the Baltimore Orioles needed to make regarding their Rule 5 Draft safeguards.

On Tuesday, the Orioles were forced to add prospects to their 40-man roster in order to turn them in. They would subject them to the Rule 5 Draft if they didn’t.

As assessed by MLB.com, the Orioles had just one prospect who stood out among the Top 30.

Outfielder Hudson Haskin (No. 17) was that prospect.

The Orioles decided not to protect Haskin from the Rule 5 Draft, according to MLB.com. Their current roster will consist of 36 players.

The Orioles’ future may depend on these decisions because some players may end up on the team in the future.

One of baseball’s greatest farm systems is what the Orioles have created. It produced two possible 2024 starting outfielders in Colton Cowser and Heston Kjerstad, as well as the 2023 AL Rookie of the Year in Gunnar Henderson, catcher Adley Rutschman, and pitcher Grayson Rodriguez.

Not even Jackson Holliday, the top prospect in baseball and the Orioles’ top prospect overall, is included in that.

After winning the American League East and the AL Division Series in three games against the Rangers, Baltimore finished the season with 101 wins. While Henderson and Rutschman took home the AL Silver Sluggers last week, manager Brandon Hyde is vying for Manager of the Year.

Nashville will host the Winter Meeting Draft, also known as the Rule 5 Draft, on December 6.

In five seasons after turning pro, players who signed at age 18 or younger and were not included to the 40-man roster, or players who signed at age 19 or older and were not added to the roster,

When a team selects a player in the Rule 5 Draft, they have to pay the player’s club $100,000, add him straight away to their 26-man roster, and place him on unconditional waivers if they decide to dismiss him the following season. He returns to his previous team for $50,000 if he clears waivers.