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Phillies select, then trade minor-league infielder Vimael Machin in Rule 5 draft

But the team also didn't lose any players in the final event of the winter meetings.

Vimael Machin, then with Virginia Commonwealth, tagging out a Miami runner during the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
Vimael Machin, then with Virginia Commonwealth, tagging out a Miami runner during the 2015 NCAA Tournament.Read moreAlan Diaz / AP

SAN DIEGO — Nothing gained, nothing lost.

In their final order of business before leaving the winter meetings Thursday, the Phillies selected one player in the major-league phase of the Rule 5 draft, then traded him. But they also didn’t lose any of the players they left exposed.

The Phillies drafted Vimael Machin, a 26-year-old shortstop who finished last season with the Chicago Cubs’ triple-A affiliate, with the 15th overall pick, before dealing him to the Oakland A’s for cash considerations.

Rule 5 picks must remain on their new team’s major-league roster for one full season or be offered back to their former club for $25,000. Given the expansion of rosters to 26 players in 2020, there was a chance that teams might be more inclined to stash a Rule 5 selection.

But the Phillies retained their players, including 20-year-old catcher Rafael Marchan, who was left unprotected after finishing last season at low-A Clearwater.

The Phillies liked a few other players who were taken before the team picked.