LAS VEGAS — In a little less than an hour, all 30 major-league clubs will gather here for the final organized act of the Baseball Winter Meetings, the event that can be nothing more than a starter’s whistle for the race to the airport. Or, it could be the place where a team scored a Cy Young winner.

Or a closer.

Or, heck, a lefty specialist.

At 11 a.m. St. Louis time today, Major League Baseball will conduct its annual Rule 5 Draft. The draft is designed to give minor leaguers a chance at the majors through one of the other 29 teams. Any player eligible for the 40-man roster who is not on the major-league 40-man roster can be selected at a price, and that player will become the property of the selecting team if he remains on the 25-man big-league roster for the 2009 season. Through the Rule 5 draft, Minnesota landed Johan Santana, Florida found slugging second baseman Dan Uggla, Cincinnati scored Josh Hamilton and Kansas City got one of the lesser-known and best closers in the game, Joakim Soria.

The St. Louis Cardinals have found workable parts — like Hector Luna and, last year, Brian Barton.

It could be more of the same for the Cardinals today. Selecting 18th overall, the Cardinals have room on their 40-man roster for a Rule 5 pick. But they don’t hold out a lot of hope of making a pick. There aren’t too man attractive players out there for the Cardinals — not even if they had one of the top 10 picks, one baseball person told me — but they do have their eye cocked for a lefthanded reliever.

They also have their fingers crossed they don’t lose someone.

(Ample speculation is that they will lose a pitcher … and there is some irony in who.)

Baseball America has a comprehensive primer on the Rule 5 draft (subscription required for this one) and some scuttlebutt from the casino floor here at the Bellagio (no subscription required for this one). MiLB.com also collects some of the “gems” that can be had in this year’s draft and a handy chart of the draft spots and the status of the 40-man rosters. The only real opening the Cardinals have on their major-league roster is for a lefthanded reliever. They have not ruled out the addition of another lefty to Trever Miller and they have two minor-league lefties ready to compete coming into spring. But there’s room for a third if a Rule 5 option presents itself.

Some of the lefties (starters, relievers) in the mix this morning that could attract Cardinals:

• Donald Veal, Chicago Cubs … Compared to Dontrelle Willis with 94-mph fastball.
• Pedro Figueroa, Oakland … 91-94 mph with that beloved sink on his heater.
• Jose Lugo, Minnesota … 76 strikeouts in 69 innings, that sink again, as shown by the 2.34 groundouts to fly outs.
• Kyle Bloom, Pittsburgh … 92-mph fastball, had a 1.50 ERA in Hawaii this winter, where hitters batted just .144 against him.
• Jon Venters, Atlanta … 92-mph fastball, plus changeup, also did well in Hawaii.
• Chris Blazek, Houston
• Chuck Lofgren, Cleveland … Futures Game participant, Carolina League pitcher of the year back in 2006.
• Zack Kroenke, NY Yankees … 2.85 ERA, .190 batting average against in 2008; hit AAA.

The list of Cardinals eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft includes: RHP Luis Perdomo, RHP Mark McCormick, LHP Ian Ostlund, RHP Mike Parisi and RHP Kenny Maiquez. Ostlund was one of the aforementioned minor-league lefties who just was signed with the invite to spring training. But it’s not him that is most likely to go. It’s Perdomo.

The righthanded reliever has attracted a lot of interest — “buzz”, as they say — entering this Rule 5 draft. He has a plus fastball. He has good numbers. He has a great shot at being taken. Across the minors with Cleveland and the Cardinals last season, Perdomo had 20 saves, a 2.36 ERA, 82 strikeouts in 72 1/3 innings and a .190 average against. He had a 0.92 ERA in the Carolina League, where he was an All-Star. He’s ticketed for the Triple-A bullpen.

The twist on him is that the Cardinals got him from Cleveland in exchange for Anthony Reyes. Remember him? Won Game1 of the World Series? Once was the Cardinals top prospect? He needed a change of scenery, and the Cardinals moved him for Perdomo.

If Perdomo is taken today and lasts the season in the majors — no sure bet with any of the Cardinals players eligible for the draft today — then the Cardinals have nothing to show for Reyes.

Well, there was that World Series.

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