Early in A.J. Preller's tenure as general manager, the Padres were extremely active in the Rule 5 Draft. In consecutive years in 2015 and '16, they selected a total of seven players.

But the Padres were acquiring talent through the Rule 5 Draft long before Preller came on board.

The Rule 5 Draft takes place annually at baseball's Winter Meetings, and it's a chance for teams to gamble on eligible prospects who are left off rival 40-man rosters. A team can draft those eligible players, and if they remain in the Major Leagues for the duration of the next season, they get to keep them.

These are the Padres' top five Rule 5 picks of all-time:

1. Bip Roberts, 1985

Then-GM Jack McKeon played the Rule 5 game perfectly with Roberts. He identified a talented young player who was left unprotected -- and he made certain that player had a versatile skill set that would fit on his big league roster for the 1986 season. The Padres drafted Roberts out of the Pirates organization, and he struggled a bit in '86. But after spending that year in the Majors, Roberts got two more years of seasoning in the Padres' farm system, where he began to thrive. Roberts received a September callup in '88, then was worth 11 WAR over the next three seasons. In seven years with the Padres, Roberts saw meaningful time at all three outfield spots, third base, second base and shortstop. He batted .298/.361/.387 with 148 steals and a brilliant '90 campaign worth 5.8 WAR.

2. Alan Wiggins, 1980

In Wiggins, the Padres saw an elite speedster capable of hitting for average and reaching base. So they drafted him from the Dodgers in the 1980 Rule 5 Draft, then worked out a trade to acquire his rights fully and be able to send him to the Minors for the beginning of the '81 season. Turns out, Wiggins wouldn't need much more seasoning. He was called up that September and quickly established himself as one of the game's top stolen-base threats. He swiped 66 bags in '83 and 70 in '84 -- and he did plenty of work on the basepaths, too, as the leadoff man ahead of Tony Gwynn.

3. Everth Cabrera, 2008

By default, teams expect their Rule 5 picks to struggle. These players generally aren't close to being big league-ready. Yet they’re thrust into a big league setting. That makes Cabrera's exploits even more impressive. The speedy shortstop was productive from the start -- despite never having played a game above Class A Advanced in the Rockies system. In 2009, Cabrera batted .255/.342/.361 with 25 steals and displayed a solid glove. He even received down-ballot NL Rookie of the Year Award votes. Cabrera spent six seasons in San Diego, hitting .248/.319/.333, including a trip to the All-Star Game in 2013.

4. Frank Seminara, 1990

As with Wiggins, the Padres drafted Seminara, then worked out a deal with the Yankees to allow Seminara to spend the 1991 season in the Minors. He earned his callup in '92 and was solid across 18 starts. Seminara posted a 3.68 ERA and finished seventh in NL Rookie of the Year Award voting -- though he walked 46 in 100 1/3 innings. Ultimately, that lack of control was the biggest reason Seminara never stuck, and he was out of the Major Leagues after three seasons.

5. Luis Torrens, 2016

In retrospect, Preller's 2015-16 Rule 5 spree didn't bear much fruit. Luis Perdomo was a fringe relief arm for a while. At various times, Jabari Blash and Miguel Diaz showed promise. But Torrens produced the most value -- despite, perhaps, the ugliest Year 1 showing. In '17, Torrens batted just .163/.243/.203 and struggled defensively. Of course, it's no small ask for a 21-year-old catcher who hadn't yet reached Double-A to thrive in the big leagues. After his poor '17 campaign, Torrens spent two seasons in the Minors and developed into a polished all-around catcher. He earned a callup in 2020, then was an important trade chip in the deal that landed Austin Nola in San Diego.