How the Rule 5 Draft impacted 10 clubs' Top 30 Prospects lists

Call them the lucky 13.

Thirteen players -- 12 right-handed pitchers and one catcher -- received their best chances yet to crack a Major League roster upon their selections in the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday.

All 13 were Rule 5-eligible because of the length of their careers and were left open to be chosen when they weren’t protected with 40-man roster spots. Now they’ll need to remain on a Major League roster in 2026 (or at least be active for 90 days around time on the injured list) in order to stick in their new organizations.

It’s a fresh opportunity directly in The Show for prospects previously blocked in the Minors.

Those 13 transactions have various effects on the MLB Pipeline Top 30 prospect lists, both as additions and subtractions. We’ll give the Top 30s another full refresh before the 2026 season, but for now, here’s a recap of the changes we made following the latest Rule 5 Draft.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Red Sox
Lost: Jedixson Paez, RHP (No. 19)
Top 30 replacement: Tyler Uberstine, RHP (No. 30)

Boston chose not to protect Paez after a right calf strain limited him to only seven starts (19 1/3 innings) at High-A Greenville. The 21-year-old right-hander, who stands out most for his plus-plus control, will change the color of his Sox to White but will jump multiple levels as he heads to Chicago with zero experience at Double-A or Triple-A. Uberstine was one of the arms the Red Sox protected with a 40-man spot in November. The 26-year-old right-hander makes for a fascinating story as a pitcher who was cut from the USC club team as a freshman, but he’s more than that too, thanks to a 92-94 mph fastball that plays up out of his deceptive near-sidearm delivery. Uberstine could factor into Boston’s starting depth in 2026.

Yankees
Added: Cade Winquest, RHP (No. 30)

Typically entering the offseason with a crowded 40-man, the Yanks hadn’t made a Rule 5 selection since 2011 until the Cardinals right-hander enticed them back into the waters. Winquest posted a 3.99 ERA with 110 strikeouts in 106 innings between High-A and Double-A in 2025. His upper-70s curveball is his best pitch with big breaking action, but his mid-90s fastball and low-80s slider can flash average too. With a farm system thinned out massively by trades at this year’s Deadline, the Yankees can hope to squeeze out another above-average pitch from Winquest with looks this spring in Tampa and perhaps eventually in the Bronx.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Guardians
Added: Peyton Pallette, RHP (No. 19)

The 2022 second-rounder out of Arkansas won’t have to travel far. He won’t even have to leave the division. Pallette headed from the White Sox to the Guardians as the ninth pick in this year’s Rule 5 Draft. The 6-foot-1 righty transitioned to the bullpen fully in 2025 and finished with a 4.06 ERA, 86 strikeouts and .191 average-against in 64 1/3 innings over the top two levels of the Minors. He sits 94-96 mph with his fastball and pairs it with a high-spin curveball (averaged 2,840 rpm at Triple-A) and whiff-heavy changeup (50.8 percent whiff rate with Charlotte). The four-seamer is where he can get hurt (particularly against lefties), so it’ll be interesting to see how Cleveland works with his arsenal.

Tigers
Lost: RJ Petit, RHP (No. 30)
Top 30 replacement: Eduardo Valencia, 1B/C (No. 23)

The Tigers didn’t protect Petit from the Rule 5 Draft when he was first eligible last offseason and managed to keep him around. They weren’t so fortunate this time with the righty reliever going first overall to the always-pitching-needy Rockies. Valencia, who was added to the 40-man in November, slides onto the Top 30 in his stead and takes a healthy jump to reflect his impressive breakout in ‘25. After dealing with injuries and down performance for much of his career, the right-handed slugger hit .311/.382/.559 with 24 homers in 103 games at Double-A and Triple-A with his best numbers coming at the Minors’ top level. With an improved bat path and angles on contact, he could hit for both average and power in the bigs, even if his position is still up in the air.

White Sox
Added: Jedixson Paez, RHP (No. 15); Alexander Alberto, RHP (No. 21)
Lost: Peyton Pallette, RHP (No. 14)

After winning Tuesday’s MLB Draft Lottery, the Pale Hose continued a busy Winter Meetings (at least from a prospect perspective) with two Rule 5 picks and the loss of Pallette to the Guardians. Paez is an upside play. He will only turn 22 in January, has the control to start (only 15 walks in 116 innings the past two seasons) and has two promising pitches to work with in his 79-81 mph slider and mid-80s changeup. It’ll be an uphill battle getting a player with zero upper-level experience to stick, but the rebuilding Sox should at least give it a shot to see if Paez can be a part of future rotations. Alberto also lacks Double-A or Triple-A time but is more of a bet on his stuff. His 96-98 mph heater (touching 101) has cutting action that hitters can’t square up, and his mid-80s sweeping slider gives him another plus pitch. At 6-foot-8, he has good extension but a lot of body to control to throw strikes at an MLB-quality level.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

Athletics
Lost: Daniel Susac, C (No. 11)
Top 30 replacement: Darwing Ozuna, OF (No. 30)

The A’s had made a selection (or traded for a pick) in the Major League phase of every Rule 5 Draft since 2019. That streak is over. Now the club has instead lost a prospect in the process with Susac -- a backstop with some pop and good receiving skills -- going to the Giants (by way of the Twins). Ozuna slots in as his replacement. Ranked No. 16 on MLB Pipeline's 2025 international prospects list, the 6-foot-3 outfielder signed for $850,000 in January. It was slow going out of the gate in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League (.211/.301/.311 in 103 plate appearances) in his debut season, but he could be a prototypical right fielder with decent power and a huge arm.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Nationals
Added: Griff McGarry, RHP (No. 30)

The new front office in the nation’s capital stayed in the division and will get a look at some premium stuff from the former Phillies hurler. McGarry’s extreme bouts with lack of control (e.g., a 24.5 percent walk rate as a Triple-A reliever in 2024) kept him off Philadelphia's 40-man, but he reined some of that in with his move back to a starting role in ‘25. His 93-95 mph fastball, which touches the upper 90s, can play above its weight with its vertical approach angle, and his low-80s sweeper can look like a plus-plus pitch. That’s enough for the rebuilding Nats, and new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jessica Camerato) that the organization hasn’t landed yet on whether they’ll look at McGarry as a starter or a reliever.

Phillies
Added: Zach McCambley, RHP (No. 30)

McGarry wasn’t in the Phillies' Top 30 heading into the Rule 5 Draft, so the organization added to that group by taking McCambley away from the division-rival Marlins. The 26-year-old righty has been a full-time reliever since 2023, and he posted a 2.90 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 62 innings over the top two levels of the Minors in '25. His 83-85 mph slider comes with a ton of gloveside action to make it a borderline plus-plus pitch, and a shorter cutter around 88-91 helps play off that. He’ll have his work cut out for him as a Rule 5 pick trying to make Philadelphia’s contending bullpen, but the interesting pieces are there.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

Giants
Added: Daniel Susac, C (No. 15)

The Twins initially took Susac with the fourth overall Rule 5 pick before dealing him to San Francisco for DSL catcher Miguel Caraballo. Susac won’t be a huge threat to all-world defender Patrick Bailey behind the plate, but he showed MLB readiness by hitting .275/.349/.483 with a career-high 18 homers in 97 games for Triple-A Las Vegas last season -- though he could get overaggressive with his approach. Even if that power was a bit exaggerated in the Pacific Coast League, the former University of Arizona standout has improved enough with his receiving to handle an MLB staff, and his above-average arm strength should be an asset to his hopes of sticking.

Rockies
Added: RJ Petit, RHP (No. 26)

At 6-foot-8 and 300 pounds, Petit is a mountain of a man already, making him a nice fit in Denver. Even after posting a 2.44 ERA and striking out 79 in 66 1/3 innings across the Minors’ top two levels this season, he still couldn’t break into the Tigers' bullpen, but he should be a good candidate to stick with Colorado. His 83-85 mph gyro slider acts as his best pitch, a real dropper that the Rockies believe should work in the thin air, and he has some velocity too with a fastball that can touch 98. There is some limited upside here, but enough present stuff and control to make Petit a potential bulk reliever straight away in the NL West.