Cyclones spin a free prospect through Rule 5 trade.(43.13)

[niles08]

Omaha has always been pretty active during the Rule-5 draft each off-season. Part of that is because there is always a need in Omaha it seems, but even when there isn’t, it seems Omaha still grabs a player or two to see what can be done.

Jake Garcia, Roberto Amaya, Robert Christoph, and Tony Perez are all examples of rule 5 guys that are sitting on Omaha’s roster or were over the past few seasons. This year, Amaya, Christoph and Perez will likely find themselves in AAA again, just in the Omaha farm system now.

“I think that regardless of whether we need a player or not, there may be another team that wishes they could have had another guy in the Rule 5 Draft who may be taken before the draft gets back around to them. With that in mind, we always make a list, and we always grab players. You never know if you’re going to end up needing them or if they can be used as bait to another team. I mean worst case…You send them back for free like it never happened, right?” said GM Justin Niles.

That strategy was on point this season as Omaha sent back 2 of the 3 drafted players yesterday to their respected teams, but instead of sending Sam Cop back to Madison, a team with a need and desire stepped up and send Omaha a prospect for Cop instead.

Now, Cop will have to remain on Edmonton’s BBA active roster for this season or be sent back to Madison, but the player acquired from Edmonton is free to be placed in Omaha’s farm system, where he has already been put in AAA Lincoln.

The player acquired was pitcher Randy Dickinson. He is pretty unlikely to set the world on fire at age 24 but he appears developed, and the fact he is left handed is never a bad thing for a pitcher. It is possible that Omaha may look to convert Dickinson to a reliever this next off-season depending on how Dickinson performs in AAA as a starter. Regardless, Dickinson was essentially a free prospect sent from Edmonton only because Omaha drafted a few guys in the Rule 5 Draft as depth options that they didn’t wind up needing.

[7teen]

Not a bad flip...

But terrible treatment of a former Ammy Creation by me!