Following the success of the 1993 expansion, which added theColorado Rockies andFlorida Marlins, MLB in 1994 set up an expansion committee to add two expansion teams.[2] Tampa Bay and Phoenix were chosen for the two expansion franchises.[3]
Similar to the1992 expansion draft, both expansion teams selected 35 players.[4] The draft was divided into three rounds. Each team would select 14 players in round 1, 14 players in round 2, and 7 players in round 3. Tampa Bay general managerChuck LaMar and Arizona general managerJoe Garagiola Jr. oversaw their teams' selections.
The Devil Rays and Diamondbacks could pick any player not on the protected lists of the 28 other teams, although no team could lose more than one player in a given round. The protected list for each team consisted of:
For the first round, 15 players from the rosters of their entire organization—both their 40-man roster, plus allminor league affiliates.[4]
Each team could add three more players to its protected list after each round.[4]
All players in an organization were eligible to be drafted, except those with no prior major league experience who had less than three years service if signed at age 19 or older, or had less than four years of service if signed at age 18 or younger.[5]
Players who were free agents after the end of the 1997 season need not be protected.
As with the 1992 expansion draft, the order was determined by a coin toss. The winner of the toss could choose either: (a) The first overall pick in the expansion draft or (b) allow the other team to pick first and receive both the second and third overall expansion draft picks and the right to pick first in the subsequent rounds of the expansion draft. Arizona won the toss and chose to select second.
Note, each noted All-Star player achieved that status in later season(s).
Jeff Suppan was the2006 NLCSMVP.The Rays tradedBobby Abreu prior to the season forKevin Stocker.Miguel Cairo has played for 10 different Major League teams at 7 different positions (counting DH).Dmitri Young was selected by the Devil Rays from the Reds, and then traded back to the Reds.
Once the draft was completed a number of trades were made. Teams had to wait until after the draft or risk losing their newly acquired players because they were not on their protected lists.[7]
The Devil Rays traded Bobby Abreu to the Philadelphia Phillies forKevin Stocker
The Devil Rays traded Andy Sheets and Brian Boehringer to the San Diego Padres forJohn Flaherty
The Devil Rays traded Dmitri Young to the Cincinnati Reds forMike Kelly
The Devil Rays purchasedFred McGriff from the Atlanta Braves
The Diamondbacks traded Gabe Alvarez, Joe Randa, and Matt Drews to the Detroit Tigers forTravis Fryman
The Diamondbacks traded Scott Winchester to the Cincinnati Reds forFélix Rodríguez
The Diamondbacks traded Jesus Martinez to the Florida Marlins forDevon White
The Diamondbacks traded Chuck McElroy to the Colorado Rockies forHarvey Pulliam
The Diamondbacks intended to spend money. The day prior to the expansion draft, they signedJay Bell to a $34 million contract across five years.[8] Two weeks following the draft, the Diamondbacks traded Fryman and Martin to theIndians forMatt Williams.[9]
While the Devil Rays consistently finished last in the AL East for the next decade, the Diamondbacks won the NL West title in1999,2001, and2002, and won the2001 World Series.[10]
