Gordon among 3 protected from Rule 5 Draft

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins added prospects Nick Gordon, LaMonte Wade Jr. and Luis Arraez to their 40-man roster ahead of Tuesday's 7 p.m. CT deadline to protect players from next month's Rule 5 Draft. Additionally, Minnesota sold the rights to reliever Alan Busenitz to the Rakuten Eagles of Nippon Professional Baseball's Pacific League in Japan and traded Minor League right-hander Nick Anderson to the Marlins for Minor League infielder Brian Schales.
Gordon, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the Twins' No. 5 prospect, is the headliner, while Wade is the club's No. 13 prospect and Arraez is No. 15. Minor Leaguers who were not added to the 40-man roster and are eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft include infielder/outfielder Zander Wiel, catcher Brian Navarreto, right-hander Jake Reed and left-hander Tyler Jay. Jay, No. 22, is the only one of that group on the Twins' Top 30 Prospects list.
Gordon, 23, hit a combined .248/.298/.355 with seven homers, 23 doubles and 20 stolen bases in 141 games between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Rochester last season. The middle infielder -- and brother to Marlins center fielder Dee Gordon -- struggled in the second half, but is still considered close to reaching the Majors.

Wade, 24, also split time between Double-A and Triple-A, batting a combined .257/.360/.380 with 11 homers, 11 doubles and 48 RBIs in 120 games. He has a career .391 on-base percentage in the Minors and can play all three outfield spots.
Arraez hit .310/.361/.397 with three homers, 20 doubles and 36 RBIs in 108 games between Class A Advanced Fort Myers and Chattanooga. The 21-year-old played 67 games at second base, 16 at third base and 14 at shortstop.
Anderson, 27, was a candidate to be added to the 40-man roster after a breakout year that saw him go 8-2 with a 3.30 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 60 innings with Triple-A Rochester, but he was dealt to the Marlins instead. In return, the Twins received Schales, who batted .258/.354/.403 with 10 homers, 27 doubles and 49 RBIs in 127 games at Double-A Jacksonville. The 22-year-old is primarily a third baseman but has seen time at second base as well.
Busenitz, meanwhile, had a strong rookie year in 2017, posting 1.99 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings, but he struggled last season. In 23 appearances, Busenitz posted a 7.82 ERA with 26 strikeouts, 14 walks and eight homers surrendered in 25 1/3 innings. He's the second Twins player this offseason to leave the organization to play in Japan. First baseman Kennys Vargas signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines earlier this month.
The Twins now have 38 players on their 40-man roster.