The Los Angeles Dodgers lost a pair of prospects in pitcher Nelfri Contreras and shortstop Carlos Santiago during the Minor League portion of the 2021 Rule 5 Draft.
Contreras, 22, was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the fourth round. He went 3-1 with a 3.80 ERA and 1.59 WHIP in 47.1 innings for Low-A Rancho Cucamonga this past season (31 appearances).
Originally signed by the Dodgers out of the Dominican Republic in 2017, Contreras has gone 9-5 with a 4.19 ERA and 1.56 WHIP over parts of four Minor League seasons.
Santiago, 20, was taken by the Miami Marlins in the fifth round. He batted .168/.237/.305 with four doubles, two triples, five home runs and 25 RBI over 44 games with the Rookie-level Dodgers in the Arizona Complex League this year.
The Venezuela native had been with the Dodgers organization since signing a contract in 2017. Over parts of three professional seasons, Santiago has hit .180/.266/.300 with 19 doubles, four triples, 12 home runs and 74 RBI in 599 plate appearances (147 games).
Players not protected on a 38-man Triple-A roster were eligible to be selected in the Minor League portion of the Rule 5 Draft. Each player taken requires a $24,500 payment to be made to the original team.
Dodgers add Fulmer, Rios & Duplantier in Rule 5 Draft
Aside from losing Contreras and Santiago in the Rule 5 Draft, the Dodgers also added three new players to their organization.
L.A. selected Kekai Rios from the Milwaukee Brewers in the first round, who batted .270/.357/.410 this year before earning a promotion to Double-A. The 24-year-old catcher, at minimum, gives the organization some much-needed depth at the position.
Then in the second round, the Dodgers took an interesting flier on Carson Fulmer from the Cincinnati Reds. The former No. 8 overall pick has struggled to find his footing in the Majors thus far, but there aren’t many organizations who are better suited to help him turn his career around than L.A.
The Dodgers ended their day by selecting another former top pitching prospect in Jon Duplantier from the San Francisco Giants in the third round.
The 27-year-old posted a 13.15 ERA and 8.63 FIP in 13 innings with the Arizona Diamondbacks this year, and for his career, owns a 6.70 ERA and 5.18 FIP in 49.2 innings.
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