D-backs select RHP Nick Green of Yankees in Rule 5 Draft

The Arizona Diamondbacks selected right-handed pitcher Nick Green of the New York Yankees with the 12th pick in the Rule 5 MLB Draft on Thursday.

In the Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 draft, Arizona added Giants outfielder prospect Jeffrey Baez with the 13th overall selection.

Green pitched as a starter for the Yankees’ high Single-A Tampa Tarpons in 20 games last year, finishing with a 3.28 ERA and 7-5 record. He had 112 strikeouts to 57 walks and a 1.40 WHIP.

He also played in three Double-A games, going 1-2 with a 3.63 ERA.

For the Diamondbacks, the 23-year-old projects as a bullpen arm.

#Dbacks GM Mike Hazen said that Green had been part of some trade discussions with the Yankees and have liked him for a while. See him competing for bullpen role. https://t.co/jsYSCfwbkI

— Steve Gilbert (@SteveGilbertMLB) December 13, 2018

By the rules of the Rule 5 Draft, Arizona will pay $100,000 for drafting Green and must offer him back to New York for $50,000 if he does not remain on the D-backs’ 25-man roster for the entire season.

Green was drafted by the Yankees in the 35th round of the 2013 MLB Draft but didn’t sign with the team. The Texas Rangers selected him in the seventh round in 2014, but he was traded to New York two years later in a deal that centered around Carlos Beltran, who headed from the Yankees to the Rangers.

Baez, 25, played for the Double-A Tennessee Smokies last year, slashing .262/.346/.414 with 67 hits, 14 doubles and seven home runs.

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