ST. PETERSBURG -- The Rays stared down their annual dilemma as Tuesday¡¯s reserve list deadline approached, needing to protect a small horde of talented prospects from the Rule 5 Draft but lacking the 40-man roster space to keep them all.

Tampa Bay¡¯s front office worked through the roster crunch by doing a little bit of everything. The Rays traded from their Major League roster, their big league depth and their class of Rule 5-eligible prospects, then designated three players for assignment -- including recent rotation mainstay Ryan Yarbrough -- to make room for the addition of five prospects: notably, right-handed starter Taj Bradley and slugging infielder Curtis Mead alongside Osleivis Basabe, Greg Jones and Colby White.

¡°The decisions today are always tough, which is a good thing. That means we have a lot of good players,¡± Rays general manager Peter Bendix said. ¡°We have to have 40 on the roster, and that leads to difficult decisions -- difficult decisions in terms of players that might have to come off the roster, difficult decisions in terms of players that are Rule 5-eligible that we might choose to trade away or not protect.

¡°But ultimately, that's what we're hoping for. The more difficult these decisions, probably, the better the state of our farm system and our organization.¡±

Here¡¯s how the Rays cut down their group of Rule 5-eligible prospects and cleared the necessary five spots on their 40-man roster:

? Designated Yarbrough, RHP Javy Guerra and 1B/OF Bligh Madris for assignment. (If not traded by Friday night, Yarbrough and Guerra will be non-tendered.)

? Traded RHP JT Chargois and Rule 5-eligible prospect Xavier Edwards to the Marlins for Minor League RHPs Santiago Su¨¢rez and Marcus Johnson

? Traded INF/OF Miles Mastrobuoni to the Cubs for Minor League RHP Alfredo Z¨¢rraga

? Traded Rule 5-eligible prospect Brett Wisely to the Giants for Minor League OF Tristan Peters

None of their additions necessarily came as a surprise.

Bradley, 21, is the Rays¡¯ No. 1 prospect and No. 20 on MLB Pipeline¡¯s Top 100, with the 22-year-old Mead No. 2 on the organization's list and No. 35 overall. Both appeared in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and reached Triple-A this season, and they could debut next year.

¡°Both of them are a huge part of our future. They're both going to come into Spring Training and compete for Major League jobs,¡± Bendix said. ¡°They're both so young and have a lot of development in front of them, but they're top prospects for a reason. I think we're really excited about them.¡±

Basabe, one of three prospects acquired for Nathaniel Lowe in December 2020, broke out with High-A Bowling Green and Double-A Montgomery. The athletic shortstop, now the Rays¡¯ No. 12 prospect, hit .324/.385/.462 with 39 doubles and 21 stolen bases in 112 games.

¡°He opened a lot of eyes,¡± Bendix said, ¡°and I think he's made us really excited for his future.¡±

Jones, a first-round Draft pick in 2019, struggled at the plate in Double-A this year. The speedy, switch-hitting shortstop hit .238 with a .710 OPS and a 35.8% strikeout rate in 79 games, and many evaluators still believe the 24-year-old is best suited for the outfield. But the Rays believe their No. 15 prospect has too much talent to risk losing him.

¡°He still has the tools that made him such a high pick in the first place, and I think we still believe in him,¡± Bendix said. ¡°Putting him on the roster, I think, is a sign of that.¡±

After flying through four levels of the Minors and earning the Rays¡¯ Minor League Reliever of the Year award in 2021, White might have been in Tampa Bay¡¯s bullpen this summer if he hadn¡¯t required Tommy John surgery on April 4. White¡¯s rehab is going well, Bendix said, putting him on schedule to pitch in rehab games in April and be back at full strength by May or June.

¡°His stuff is top tier. Great demeanor on the mound,¡± Bendix said. ¡°We could always use relievers, and he has a chance to be an elite one.¡±

The Rays still could lose some players in the Rule 5 Draft, which will be held Dec. 7 at the Winter Meetings. Among their most intriguing unprotected prospects are outfielders Heriberto Hernandez and Kameron Misner, infielders Ronny Simon and Austin Shenton and catcher Blake Hunt.

¡°You can only protect 40 [players], and you're automatically going to worry about the 41st, 42nd, 43rd,¡± Bendix said. ¡°We just have to make sure that the 40 that we protect are the right 40, and that's what we're trying to do.¡±