The 10 best Rule 5 Draft picks of the past decade

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Every year, teams try to find some big league help at the Winter Meetings via the Rule 5 Draft. This year’s edition takes place here at 2 p.m. ET on Wednesday and will be streamed live on MLB.com.

Three players taken in last year's Major League phase made significant contributions to their new big league teams in 2025 (more on them later).

As a reminder, any player who turned pro at age 18 or younger in 2021 or at age 19 or older in 2022 is eligible for selection in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft if he isn't on a 40-man roster. Clubs that take a player in that phase must pay his former team $100,000 and keep him on their active big league roster throughout the following season. The player can't be sent to the Minors without first clearing waivers and then getting offered back to his original organization for half of his Draft price.

In the past 10 years (2015-24), 135 players have been selected in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 (there was no Major League phase in 2021). Most haven't made much of a big league impact, but some have been solid contributors. Here's a list of the 10 best, using a combination of production to date (using bWAR) and potential in the future, with their current team.

1. Anthony Santander, OF, Blue Jays: Selected by Orioles from Cleveland, 2016 (10.3)
After not playing much over his first couple of seasons, Santander has continued to display that his power from both sides of the plate will show up consistently in big league games. After hitting 33 homers (2.3 bWAR) in 2022, he added 28 more and 3.0 WAR during the 2023 season to move him up this list. He then ascended to the top following his 44-homer 2024 campaign. His first season in Toronto in 2025 was a lost one because of injuries, but we’re willing to give him a mulligan.

2. Brad Keller, RHP, Cubs: Selected by Reds (traded to Royals) from D-backs, 2017 (10.3)
Keller made a huge contribution in his rookie season in 2018, starting the year in the bullpen and finishing in the Royals' rotation, accruing 4.2 bWAR in the process. He added 3.0 more in 2019 and 1.8 in the shortened 2020 season. His effectiveness waned after that for a while, with thoracic outlet syndrome really limiting his mound time, though he spent some time in the big leagues with the White Sox and Red Sox in 2024. He enjoyed a nice bounceback year (1.4 WAR) pitching out of the Cubs' bullpen in 2025.

3. Garrett Whitlock, RHP, Red Sox: Selected by Red Sox from Yankees, 2020 (8.2)
Whitlock was the No. 4 pick in the 2020 "virtual" Rule 5 Draft. (There were no Winter Meetings to attend in person because of the pandemic.) His rookie season in 2021 has been his best (1.96 ERA, 2.8 bWAR), but he's provided valuable innings -- both relieving and starting -- for the Red Sox, even while fighting through a hip injury in 2022 and missing nearly all of the 2024 season with an elbow injury. He came back and threw very well in 2025 (2.25 ERA, 2.4 WAR) to bring him to a career 3.13 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, .236 BAA and 4.51 K/BB ratio.

4. Shane Smith, RHP, White Sox: Selected by White Sox from Brewers, 2024 (2.3)
The first of two White Sox acquisitions to jump on this list after a strong rookie season, Smith became just the second Rule 5 pick after Dan Uggla to make an All-Star team the year following his selection. The right-hander made 29 starts and struck out nearly a batter per inning across 146 1/3 total frames, finishing with a 3.81 ERA and a .216 average-against.

5. Mike Vasil, RHP, White Sox: Selected by Phillies (traded to Rays; selected off waivers by White Sox) from Mets (2.9)
Vasil spent most of Spring Training with the Rays, then the White Sox claimed him when Tampa Bay was ready to send him back to the Mets, and boy, what a great decision that turned out to be. A starter throughout the Minors, Vasil turned into a very effective multi-inning reliever in Chicago with over 100 IP for the season, topping all American League qualified rookies in ERA (2.50) and BAA (.204).

6. Tyler Wells, RHP, Orioles: Selected by Orioles from Twins, 2020 (3.8)
Wells made a strong first impression pitching out of the Orioles' bullpen in 2021, tossing 57 innings and recording a 5.4 K/BB ratio (65 strikeouts, 12 walks) with a 0.91 WHIP. He was largely a starter in 2022 and '23, then made three relief appearances in the 2023 postseason. But he missed nearly all of 2024 due to an elbow injury that resulted in internal brace surgery. He did return to make four solid starts in 2025 to help point to a potential bounceback in ‘26.

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7. Liam Hicks, C, Marlins: Selected by Marlins from Tigers, 2024 (1.3)
It’s rare for a catcher taken in the Rule 5 to stick, but Hicks, the No. 2 pick last year, did just that. He picked up 332 at-bats with the Marlins, catching in 62 games while getting the rest of his time at first base or DH. He didn’t swing-and-miss much (14.4 K rate) and walked nearly as much (11.0 BB rate) while finishing with a .692 OPS for the year.

8. Kevin Kelly, RHP, Rays: Selected by Rockies (traded to Rays) from Guardians, 2022 (1.5)
Kelly had settled in as a valuable member of the bullpen in his first two seasons after being selected (2.88 ERA, 0.988 WHIP, 4.96 K/BB). Year three didn’t go quite as well, as the right-handed reliever finished with a 5.90 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP over 41 appearances. Opposing hitters teed off and finished with an OPS of .872, compared to .617 in 2024 and .589 in ‘23.

9. Justin Slaten, RHP, Red Sox: Selected by Mets (traded to Red Sox) from Rangers, 2023 (0.7)
Slaten had the best ERA (2.93) in Boston's bullpen in 2024 while notching six wins, 13 holds and two saves. His 6.44 K/BB ratio was ninth in the Majors among all pitchers with at least 50 innings. A neck issue that caused numbness and pain in his shoulder hampered him in 2025 (4.24 ERA), limiting him to just 36 appearances.

10. Akil Baddoo, OF, Tigers: Selected by Tigers from Twins, 2020 (2.8)
Baddoo has spent at least a little time in the big leagues in each of the five seasons since being acquired by the Tigers, though he’s yet to rediscover the magic of 2021, when he hit 13 homers and stole 18 bags over 124 games in his rookie season. He did reach double digits in homers and steals again in 2023, but hit .218 and has played just 38 big league games over the past two years combined.

Others of note (listed with the teams that acquired them in Rule 5): Ji-Man Choi, 1B, Angels; Ryan Fernandez, RHP, Cardinals; Ryan Noda, 1B, A's; Victor Reyes, OF, Tigers; Blake Sabol, OF/C, Giants; Mitch Spence, RHP, A’s