Rule 5 Decisions: What Happened Was...

Enough guessing...time for the ruling.

Photo Credit: Kirk Nawrotzky | Richmond Flying Squirrels

What a day! Fifteen different transactions! A big new crop of Giants’ major leaguers added to the 40-man roster and one entirely new player brought into the organization. Though the Giants certainly do prioritize the importance of each and every 40-man spot, they ended up turning over nearly 20% of that roster in one feverish burst of activity last night!

Of course, nearly all of that activity came after the 6 pm eastern time deadline — a custom we’ve all become acquainted with over the years. I’ve been making predictions about the protection deadline over the last few weeks, but friend of the site (and long-time former Giants’ employee) Eric Flemming made the best prediction when it came to the Giants’ Rule 5 decisions:

Eric Flemming @EricFlemming

My prediction - Luciano and Matos get protected plus a surprise arm (Avila, Cruz or Winn). Second prediction - the Giants won’t submit their reserve list until the final 30-60 seconds.

Melissa Lockard @melissalockard

Giants: https://t.co/NCztFkpd6z

Ah yes….it wouldn’t be a deadline without waiting until the final seconds — and then some — before learning what the Giants had decided to do. They can absolutely, positively, always be counted on to extend things to the wire and beyond.

So let’s get to it! What were those decisions at the end of the day?