D-backs add pair of prospects to 40-man
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The D-backs added right-hander Joe Elbis and infielder/outfielder Tim Tawa to the 40-man roster on Tuesday, protecting the two prospects from the Rule 5 Draft next month. The moves leave Arizona with 37 players on its 40-man roster.
Elbis and Tawa aren’t featured on MLB Pipeline’s list of Top 30 D-backs prospects, but the pair should help boost the club's depth at two spots heading into 2025.
Elbis, 22, recorded a 3.39 ERA over 24 starts between High-A Hillsboro and Double-A Amarillo this year. He was particularly dominant in the Northwest League, where he earned Pitcher of the Month honors for May and posted a 2.79 ERA over 16 outings for Hillsboro. The D-backs signed Elbis out of his native Venezuela for $275,000 in 2019.
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Tawa, 25, was an 11th-round Draft pick out of Stanford in 2021 and has impressed with his power over the last two seasons, batting .279/.349/.519 with 31 home runs and 90 RBIs in 142 games between Double-A Amarillo and Triple-A Reno in 2024. A right-handed hitter, Tawa has primarily been used at second base and center field, though he can play all over the field and has appeared at every defensive position except catcher in the Minors.
Players signed at age 18 or younger must be added to 40-man rosters within five seasons or they become eligible to be selected by other organizations through the Rule 5 Draft. Players signed at 19 years or older have to be protected within four seasons. Clubs pay $100,000 to select a player in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft. If that player doesn't stay on the 26-man roster for the full season, he must be offered back to his former team for $50,000.
This year’s Rule 5 Draft will take place on Dec. 11 at the Winter Meetings in Dallas. The D-backs have only one Rule 5-eligible prospect on their Top 30 list who was left unprotected on Tuesday: catcher Christian Cerda (No. 29), who batted .237/.369/.322 with five homers over 105 games between High-A Hillsboro and Double-A Amarillo in 2024.