Angels select Bard from Twins in Rule 5 Draft

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Angels selected right-hander Luke Bard from the Twins' Triple-A roster during the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday.
In the Minor League portion, they lost right-hander Damien Magnifico, who was ranked as the club's No. 30 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, to the Pirates, and the Halos took shortstop Riley Unroe from the Rays and right-hander Matt Ball from the Rangers.
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Bard, 27, logged a 2.76 ERA over 65 1/3 innings between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Rochester in 2017, averaging 13.6 strikeouts per nine innings. Bard was a first-round Draft pick of the Twins in 2012, and he is the younger brother of Daniel Bard, a former pitcher for the Red Sox.
"He's got power stuff," Angels general manager Billy Eppler said. "A plus secondary pitch, the ability to miss bats. We're going to give him an opportunity to make our club."
Bard's selection will cost the Angels $100,000. If he doesn't stay on the team's 25-man roster for the full 2018 season, he must be offered back to the Twins for $50,000. The Angels now have 39 players on their 40-man roster.
The Angels left Magnifico exposed to the Rule 5 Draft by leaving him off their 40-man roster last month. The 26-year-old reliever was acquired from the Orioles in May, but he made only one appearance for the Halos and struggled at Triple-A Salt Lake, posting a 6.82 ERA over 34 1/3 innings. In August, Magnifico was outrighted off the 40-man roster and demoted to Double-A Mobile, where he recorded a 3.18 ERA over 11 1/3 innings.
Unroe, 22, batted .206 with a .614 OPS in 95 games between Class-A Advanced Charlotte and Double-A Montgomery in 2017. He was a second-round Draft pick of the Rays in '13. Ball, 22, recorded a 5.67 ERA in 33 1/3 innings for Class A Hickory last season. He was originally selected by the White Sox in the 11th round of the 2013 Draft.