MLB Rule 5 draft results: Analyzing all 15 picks from major-league portion as Mets lose two pitchers

Major League Baseball’s annual Rule 5 Draft was held Wednesday afternoon at the Winter Meetings in Dallas. The Rule 5 Draft is a mechanism designed to give minor leaguers a big-league opportunity by making it more difficult for clubs to stash players in the minors indefinitely.

Generally speaking, college players drafted no later than 2021 and high school players drafted no later than 2020 were Rule 5 Draft eligible this winter, as were players signed internationally no later than 2020. Players who meet the criteria and are not on the 40-man roster are eligible to be selected.

Players selected in the Rule 5 Draft must remain on their new team’s MLB roster all next season, otherwise they must pass through waivers and be offered back to their original team. Teams typically look for middle relievers and bench guys in the Rule 5 Draft. Very rarely does the Rule 5 Draft yield an impact player.

You can read more about the inner workings of the Rule 5 Draft. A total of 15 picks were made this year. Here is what you need to know about each of this year’s Rule 5 Draft selections.

1. White Sox: RHP Shane Smith (Brewers)

Once an undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest, Smith threw 94 ⅓ minor-league innings with a 3.05 ERA in Milwaukee’s farm system in 2024, and reached Triple-A. He posted strong strikeout (29.6% of batters faced), walk (7.6%), and ground ball (44.3%) rates. Smith, 24, works primarily with a low-to-mid-90s fastball and two breaking balls, and generally does a good job throwing strikes. Given the state of the White Sox roster, he stands a good chance to stick in the big leagues next season.

2. Marlins: C Liam Hicks (Tigers)

Hicks, 25, was acquired by the Tigers in the Carson Kelly trade with the Rangers at this summer’s deadline. He hit .264/.379/.357 with six home runs in 113 Double-A game in 2024. Hicks has limited power and is unrefined behind the plate, though his bat-to-ball ability is very strong. The history of catchers taken in the Rule 5 Draft is poor — it’s a demanding position and difficult to stick in the big leagues all year — though Miami’s catchers were the least productive in baseball in 2024. Hicks has a chance to make it through 2025 with the major-league club.

3. Angels: LHP Garrett McDaniels (Dodgers)

Like Smith, Daniels originally signed as an undrafted free agent. The soon-to-be 25-year-old threw 73 ⅓ innings with 84 strikeouts and 3.19 ERA between Single-A and Double-A in 2024. McDaniels typically sits in the low-90s with his fastball and also features a breaking ball and a changeup. He stands out more for his location and pitching smarts than his raw stuff. The Angels can give McDaniel a long runway next year and give him a chance to prove his worth.

4. Athletics: RHP Noah Murdock (Royals)

Murdock is one of the best ground ball artists in the minors, routinely approaching a 60% ground ball rate at every level he’s pitched (the MLB average is around 42% ground balls). The 26-year-old works off a hard mid-90s sinker and backs it up with a quality sweeper and occasional cutter. Murdock had a 3.16 ERA in 62 ⅔ innings between Double-A and Triple-A this past season and was seen as one of the most MLB-ready players available in this year’s Rule 5 Draft. The A’s have had a Rule 5 Draft pick stick each of the last two years (Mitch Spence in 2024, Ryan Noda in 2023) and it’s a good bet Murdock will do the same in 2025.

5. Nationals: RHP Evan Reifert (Rays)

A year ago, Reifert lost the strike zone and walked 15 batters in 7 ⅔ minor-league innings around an injury. He bounced back in a big way in 2024, pitching to a 1.96 ERA with 65 strikeouts and only 16 walks in 41 ⅓ Double-A innings. Reifert, 25, is a slider monster, using the mid-80s breaker as his primary pitch. A mid-90s fastball is his secondary offering. He’s an analytics darling, though Reifert carries risk given his history of inconsistent strike-throwing ability.

6. Blue Jays: RHP Angel Bastardo (Red Sox)

The Blue Jays will play the injured list stash game with Bastardo, who had Tommy John surgery in June. They’ll put him on the injured list, rehab him, see what he looks like once he’s fully recovered, then decide whether to put him on their MLB roster, or offer him back to the Red Sox. Bastardo, 22, had a 5.36 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 45 ⅓ Double-A innings before his elbow gave out this year. He operates in the low-to-mid-90s with a quality changeup and a slider. Tommy John surgery in June suggests Bastardo will miss just about the entire 2025 season, so the Blue Jays took him with an eye on 2026. If that is the case, Bastardo will need to spend at least 90 days on the active MLB roster in 2026 to satisfy the Rule 5 Draft roster requirements.

7. Reds: 2B/CF Cooper Bowman (Athletics)

The A’s originally acquired Bowman from the Yankees in the Frankie Montas trade at the 2022 deadline. The 24-year-old speedster hit .281/.378/.466 in Double-A this past season but struggled badly following a late promotion to Triple-A. Bowman stole 43 bases in 29 tries in 118 games in 2024. For his career, he has 141 steals in 334 minor-league games. Bowman’s game is slash-and-dash, and he dabbled in center field this summer. His ticket to the majors is as a speed-and-defense utility guy.

8. Rays: LHP Nate Lavender (Mets)

Another injured list stash. Lavender had Tommy John surgery in May and will miss most, if not all, of next season. Lavender, 24, is a reliever with a funky delivery that hides the ball very well. Hitters struggle to pick up his fastball even though he mostly sat around 90 mph before his elbow gave out. Lavender has struck out 174 batters in 115 ⅔ career minor-league innings, and reached Triple-A in 2023. The Rays will sit on him and wait out his Tommy John surgery rehab.

9. Twins: RHP Eiberson Castellano, Phillies

Castellano, 23, had a terrific breakout season in 2024. He threw 103 ⅔ innings with a 3.99 ERA and 136 strikeouts between Single-A and Double-A this summer, and he works in the mid-90s with a bat-missing curveball and a good changeup. Castellano has big-league traits in his three-pitch arsenal and strike-throwing ability. How he handles the jump from Double-A to MLB next year will determine whether the Twins can keep him on the roster all season.

10. Cubs: IF Gage Workman (Tigers)

A shortstop/third baseman with good defensive chips, Workman slashed .280/.366/.476 with 18 home runs and 30 stolen bases in 126 Double-A games in 2024. He gave up switch-hitting this year, focusing solely on his left-handed swing, and had a breakout campaign. The risk is Workman has struck out in almost one-third of his career plate appearances. Getting the bat on the ball can be a challenge. But, with power and speed, not to mention the kind of defense that will make the manager feel comfortable with him on the dirt, Workman has a chance to stick as a utility guy with Chicago.

11. Braves: RHP Anderson Pilar (Marlins)

A 26-year-old reliever who struck out 71 batters and had a 2.64 ERA in 58 innings while reaching Triple-A in 2024, Pilar lives off his low-90s cutter and low-80s slider. Contenders like the Braves often have a hard time keeping Rule 5 Draft picks all season because their priority is winning games, and sometimes you can’t spare the roster spot. World Series hopefuls need to carry the best player, not projects. Atlanta will see how Pilar performs in spring training and give him some rope during the regular season, if warranted.

12. Padres: RHP Juan Nunez (Orioles)

Nunez, 24, has yet to pitch above High Class-A and his 2024 season ended in May because of a shoulder issue. When healthy, he worked with a low-90s fastball with plus spin and two very good secondary pitches in his slider and changeup. Nunez had a 2.45 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 29 ⅓ innings before hurting his shoulder this year. San Diego could slow play Nunez’s return from the shoulder injury and stash him on the injured list, and evaluate him during his rehab. The injury and the big jump from High Class-A make it unlikely Nunez will stick with the Padres all next year, but he has quality stuff and is regarded as a future big league staple. The O’s acquired Nunez in the Jorge López trade with the Twins at the 2022 trade deadline.

13. Brewers: RHP Connor Thomas (Cardinals)

Thomas is a Triple-A veteran. The 2024 season was his fourth straight year at the level and he threw 90 ⅓ innings with a 2.89 ERA and a strong 53.5% ground ball rate. The 26-year-old sits right around 90 mph with his fastball and works primarily off his slider, cutter, and changeup. The Brewers are as good as any team in baseball at coaching up pitchers and turning unheralded pickups into low-cost contributors. Thomas has the look of a multi-inning low leverage reliever. A Bryse Wilson replacement, more or less.

14. Phillies: RHP Mike Vasil (Mets)

The Phillies dipped into the farm system of a division rival in the Rule 5 Draft. Vasil, 25 in March, had an unsightly 6.04 ERA with only 109 strikeouts in 124 Triple-A innings in 2024, though he has solid traits. He’s a legitimate six-pitch pitcher with three different fastballs (four-seamer, sinker, cutter), two different breaking balls (curveball, slider), and a changeup. He throws strikes as well. It’s possible Vasil throws too many pitches and would have more success shortening up his arsenal, and leaning on his top three or four pitches. The Phillies will see whether Vasil can help them as a mop-up reliever in 2024.

15. Braves: SS Christian Cairo (Guardians)

It is not often a team makes multiple picks in the Rule 5 Draft — you can make as many picks as open 40-man roster spots — and it is extremely rare that a contender makes multiple Rule 5 Draft picks. The Braves will give Cairo, 23, a look as a utility infielder next year. He is not much of a hitter, authoring a .240/.354/.326 line with four homers in 108 games at Double-A and Triple-A in 2024, and he’s spent the bulk of his career playing at second and third bases. Cairo is the son of longtime big leaguer and current Nationals bench coach Miguel Cairo.