The Rangers have prepared their 40-man roster ahead of the upcoming Rule 5 draft. They are protecting 38 players.

They added A.J. Alexy and Yerry Rodriguez, both right-handed pitchers, as well as David Garcia, a catcher.

The biggest name not protected is Alex Speas, the right-handed flame thrower whose fastball regularly hits 102 miles per hour but struggles with control. Also available to be taken by any other team is left-handed pitcher Cole Ragans, the Rangers number one pick in the 2016 draft. He’s had one more win, three, than Tommy John surgeries, two. Ragans appears to be another case of bad luck with Rangers first-round picks.

Alexy was one of the players the Rangers got along with Willie Calhoun from the Dodgers for Yu Darvish. The Rangers signed Rodriguez out of the Dominican. In four seasons he hasn’t risen above A-ball, but has posted really strong numbers. Garcia is a twenty-year-old catcher out of Venezuela.

The Rule 5 draft is December 10. It was supposed to take place at the Winter Meetings which were supposed to take place in Dallas. It will be virtual now.