Like so many other teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates have some difficult decisions between now and Tuesday's deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft.

Players signed at 18 or younger must be protected after five minor-league seasons. Players signed at 19 or older must be protected after four minor-league seasons.

If those players are not placed on their team's 40-man roster, then they can be drafted by another organization for $100,000. Any player who does not spend the entire ensuing season on the drafting team's major-league roster and accrue at least 90 days of MLB service time can be offered back to his original team for $50,000.

The most crucial Rule 5-eligible player the Pirates must decide on is Esmerlyn Valdez, a 21-year-old outfielder/first baseman who finished this season with Double-A Altoona. Between Altoona and High-A Greensboro, he batted .286/.376/.520 with 26 home runs and 86 RBIs in 123 games. Valdez then hit eight home runs in just 19 Arizona Fall League games while slashing .368/.513/842.

Right-hander reliever Brandan Bidois also has a strong case to be placed on the 40-man roster following a phenomenal season where he spent time with all four full-season farm teams, including making nine scoreless appearances for Triple-A Indianapolis that covered 13 innings. The 24-year-old finished the season with an 8-0 record, seven saves, and 69 strikeouts in 61 innings over 40 games.

A right-handed starter who warrants consideration for protection is Antwone Kelly. The 22-year-old made 25 starts combined with Altoona and Greensboro, going 3-3 with a 3.19 ERA. Kelly struck out 116 batters in 107 2/3 innings.

Wilbert Dotel is another right-handed starter who could be protected despite pedestrian statistics this year at Altoona, where he had a 7-9 record and 4.15 ERA in 27 starts. However, the 23-year-old registered 131 strikeouts against 43 walks in 125 1/3 innings.

The Pirates signed all four players as international amateur free agents – Valdez and Dotel from the Dominican Republic, Bidois from Australia, and Kelly from Aruba.A

Baseball America ranks Kelly as the Pirates' No. 7 prospect, Dotel at No. 8, and Valdez at No. 10. None of the four players is ranked among the organization's top 10 players by MLB Pipeline.