Rule 5 draft for basic book: 15 names to know

On the final day of next week’s MLB Winter Meetings, all 30 teams will gather in a hotel venue for the most hectic hour of the week – the Rule 5 draft. Last year, 10 players were selected in the major-league portion of the draft, while another 63 landed in new organizations in the minor-league portion.

A player selected in the major-league portion of the Rule 5 draft must remain on a team’s active roster (or injured list) for the entire season. If they are delisted, they must be offered back to their original team for half of the $100,000 fee the selected team paid to acquire the player in the draft. Players traded during their “Rule 5 year” remain under the same roster restrictions until that season ends. Only teams with open spots on their 40-man roster can make a selection in the draft. The draft continues until each team has passed when their draft slot is up.

Because roster rules are so strict for those taken in the major-league portion, Rule 5 picks often don’t stay with their new teams for the entire season. Last year, six Rule 5 picks stayed with their teams the entire season, while a seventh spent the entire season on the IL.

The top pick, right-hander Mitch Spence, had a solid rookie season for the Athletics, accumulating 1.6 bWAR in 151 1/3 innings. Ryan Fernandez, pick no. 5, stuck in the Cardinals’ bullpen all season, posting a 3.51 ERA in 66 2/3 innings after being optioned out of the Red Sox organization. Justin Slaten, originally selected by the Mets as the seventh pick before being traded to the Red Sox, was one of Boston’s most effective relievers, posting a 2.93 ERA in 55 1/3 innings. Anthony Molina (No. 3 pick; Rockies), Nasim Nuñez (No. 4; Nationals) and Stephen Kolek (No. 6; Padres) all remained with their new organizations through the 2024 season. Carson Coleman, the last pick in the Rule 5 draft, injured his shoulder during spring training with the Rangers and remained on their 60-day IL for the entire season, only to be sent back to the Yankees after the season ended. He went straight to Triple A by New York.

Nov. 19 was the deadline for teams to add Rule 5-eligible players to their 40-man roster, removing them from the potential draft pool. We looked at the most exciting names added at that deadline here. Now it’s time to look at the players who could hear their names called Wednesday in Dallas. Below are 15 players (listed in alphabetical order) who could catch the eye of teams interested in making a Rule 5 pick.

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Will Bednar, RHP, Giants

Bednar, election no. 14 in the 2021 MLB Draft, is the highest draft pick from that class with Rule 5 eligibility to be left unprotected. The 2021 College World Series hero has been plagued by back injuries and has thrown just 114 2/3 innings in his four-year pro career. He made a career-high 32 appearances in 2024, posting a 6.00 ERA but striking out 74 in 54 innings. His command was terrible – 47 times; most come in Double A — but the velocity returned to the mid-90s levels he showed in college, and his slider was sharp. Bednar, whose older brother is Pirates reliever David Bednar, moved into a relief role midway through last season. He’s a long shot to be selected, but given his first-round pedigree, a team could take a chance and see what Bednar could do in shorter outings.

Cooper Bowman, IF/OF, Athletics

Acquired from the Yankees in the 2022 Frankie Montas deal, Bowman has put up prolific stolen base numbers since joining the A’s organization, swiping 93 bases in 223 games. He’s also generally done a good job of getting on base, and he showed more power this past season, hitting 12 homers in 80 games in Double A before struggling in the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League over the last six weeks of the season. He is a midfielder who can also play midfield. Bowman doesn’t have any flashy tools and doesn’t project as a starter at the big-league level, but he has the makings of a useful bench player.

Tanner Burns, RHP, Guardians

The 36th overall pick in the 2020 draft out of Auburn, Burns spent the first 2 1/2 years of his career in the rotation before moving to the bullpen midway through the 2023 season. He spent all of 2024 in Triple A and had a 4.59 ERA. Burns, 25, struck out 70 in 68 2/3 innings but walked 47. Command has been an issue the past two seasons, but Burns has an above-average fastball and two serviceable secondary pitches (slider and curveball). The command will likely scare teams away, but his talent and draft pedigree could attract some interest.

Eiberson Castellano, RHP, Phillies

Castellano, 23, began his professional career as a reliever and slowly transitioned into a full-time starting role in the 2022 and 2023 seasons. As a full-time starter this past season (20 starts in 22 appearances), he had a 3.99 ERA in a career-high 103 2 /3 innings with a 136:29 K:BB. He reached Double A for the first time and made eight starts with Reading to finish the year. Castellano has a solid mix of three pitches, and his experience in both starting and relief could make him an excellent fit as the 11th or 12th pitcher on a big league team next season.

Christian Franklin, OF, Cubs

Franklin, 25, was a 2021 fourth-round pick out of Arkansas. He has been an on-base machine as a pro, posting a .395 OBP over three minor-league seasons. He missed all of 2022 with a torn patella in his left knee and has yet to play 100 games in a full season. He’s just a career .259 hitter, but teams will value his strike-zone rating more than his batting average. He hasn’t translated his pregame power to in-game power yet, but there’s 15-20 homer potential and he’s still an above-average runner despite the knee injury. Franklin can play all three outfield positions and would be a good fourth or fifth outfield candidate.

Damon Keith, OF, Dodgers

There always seems to be a handful of exciting power bats from the Dodgers organization in the Rule 5 pool, and Keith is certainly one of them this year. Keith, an 18th-round pick out of California Baptist in 2021, was limited by injuries but hit 16 homers in 75 Double-A games this past season (and one in a rehab game in the Arizona Complex League for good measure ). He’s a true three hitter with a career .455 SLG and .368 OBP but 396 strikeouts in 327 games. Keith, 24, is limited to the corners defensively, but the power could be intriguing enough for a team to call his name.

Griff McGarry, RHP, Phillies

McGarry, a 2021 fifth-round pick out of Virginia, was once one of the Phillies’ top prospects, but continued command problems resulted in a move to the bullpen this past season. He struck out 40 in 30 2/3 innings for Triple-A Lehigh Valley but walked 36. Those command problems continued in the Arizona Fall League. McGarry, 25, has great stuff, as evidenced by his 296 strikeouts in 203 1/3 innings and a .182 batting average against for his career, but he’s also averaged 6.8 walks per inning. nine innings over four seasons (including 10.2 per nine last year) ). That’s probably too high for a team to take a chance on him, but you never know given the quality of his arsenal.

Zach Messinger, RHP, Yankees

Messinger, another 2021 draft pick out of UVA, is coming off a strong season in Double A in which he threw 150 innings and posted a 3.06 ERA. The 25-year-old struck out 136 and walked 52. Messinger’s stuff doesn’t stand out, but he’s had results throughout his minor-league career. He doesn’t quite have the same track record as last year’s top Rule 5 pick and fellow Yankees draft pick Spence, but he could fill a similar swingman role for a team.

Kala’i Rosario, OF, Twins

Rosario’s 2024 season was limited to 69 games due to injury. In 67 games in Double A, he hit just .235/.321/.405 with eight home runs, a disappointing showing after hitting 21 homers with an .832 OPS in High A in 2023. Rosario is still young (22) and has flashed legitimate power with a solid understanding of the strike zone and the defensive chops to handle right field. He likely doesn’t have enough upper-level experience to be selected in this year’s draft, but a team willing to sacrifice a roster spot for a project player with talent could bite.

Sammy Siani, OF, Pirates

Siani, the No. 37 pick in the 2019 draft out of high school, reached Double A for the first time last season but hit just .254/.325/.368 in 96 games there. Still, it was a step forward for the 23-year-old, who hit .324 with a .402 OBP in 20 High-A games and then starred in the Arizona Fall League with a .375/.457/.550 line in 22 games . Siani doesn’t project as an everyday outfielder right now, but he has improved his bat-to-ball skills, plays solid defense, can run the bases well and has a good idea of ​​the strike zone. A team with a fourth- or fifth-outfielder opening might see if they can build on the adjustments Siani made last season.

Shane Smith, RHP, Brewers

Teams looking for pitching would do a lot worse than shopping the Cleveland and Milwaukee organizations. Smith, 24, is an intriguing Rule 5 candidate after making the successful switch from dominant reliever in 2023 (1.96 ERA in 59 2/3 innings) to solid swingman in 2024 (3.05 ERA in 94 1/3 innings; 16 starts in 32 appearances). Smith had reached Triple A by the end of last season and has a track record of missing bats and filling the strike zone. In shorter outings, his fastball can touch 98, and he sits in the 92-94 mph range in longer appearances. He has two secondary offers, and given his relative inexperience as a starter, could have room to add another. He would be an interesting project for a big-league pitching coach at the 11th or 12th pitching spot.

Ryan Ward, 1B, Dodgers

During the 2022 Rule 5 draft, the A’s took a first baseman named Ryan from the Dodgers with the second pick. Ryan Noda ended up posting a 2.3-WAR season in 2023 before losing his starting job in 2024. Ryan Ward, 26, doesn’t have Noda’s long track record of above-average OBPs, but he has similar power from lefty page. Ward hit a career-high 34 homers in 2024, mostly at the Triple-A level. He has never had fewer than 21 homers in any of his four full minor-league seasons. He doesn’t provide any defensive flexibility, but a team looking for left-handed power might want to give him a shot.

Ryan Webb, LHP, Guardians

Webb is a left-hander in the classic finesse mode who has performed at every level since being selected in the 2021 fourth round by Georgia. He had his best season in 2024, posting a 2.80 ERA in 141 1/3 innings with a 151:52 K:BB. Webb, 25, doesn’t throw hard, but he mixes up his four pitches well, and he improved his walk rate from 5.8 BB/9 to 3.3 BB/9 from 2023 to 2024. He reached Triple A at the end of last season and could be used either in a swingman role or as a fifth starter on a rebuilding club.

Logan Workman, RHP, Rays

Workman was just that in 2024, throwing 146 innings between Double A and Triple A. The 2021 seventh-round pick dominated at the lower level, posting a 2.71 ERA in 123 innings before allowing 11 runs in 23 innings in Durham to end the season. Workman, 25, has a starter’s arsenal with a four-seam fastball, a cut fastball, a changeup and a breaking ball. He can run his fastball into the upper 90s and commands his pitches well. Workman missed time with an oblique injury in 2023, but has otherwise been healthy as a pro. Given the need around the game for innings in the back of rotations or in long relief, Workman could be one of the top targets in the draft.

AJ Vukovich, OF, Diamondbacks

Another high school pick in the truncated 2020 draft (fourth round), Vukovich spent nearly two full seasons in Double A before finally reaching Triple A at the end of this season. He hit .268 with 43 homers in 247 Double-A games, but was hampered by his strikeout totals (310 in that span). He’s reached double figures in homers in all four of his pro seasons and has decent speed, but he’s limited to the corners defensively. If a team thinks it can fix his strikeout issues, it could take a shot at the 23-year-old.

(Top photo of Christian Franklin: Danny Parker / Four Seam Images via Associated Press)