Here’s each team’s toughest Rule 5 Draft decision

It’s decision time. Clubs have until 6 p.m. ET Tuesday to add players to their 40-man rosters and protect them from the Rule 5 Draft, which will take place Dec. 11 at the Winter Meetings in Dallas. We’ve listed every organization’s ranked prospects who are Rule 5-eligible here.

There are four Top 100 prospects who require protection — Cubs outfielder Owen Caissie, White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery, Cardinals right-hander Tink Hence and Rockies outfielder Zac Veen — and they’ll all join 40-man rosters before the deadline. But many other calls won’t be nearly as easy.

We have identified a player on the 40-man bubble for every organization. In most cases we chose a ranked prospect, though in some instances, we opted for players who performed in the Arizona Fall League, which wrapped up its season on Saturday.

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Blue Jays: Adrian Pinto, 2B/OFAcquired from the Rockies as part of the Randal Grichuk trade in March 2022, Pinto has played in just 102 games the past three years because of injuries and has yet to reach Double-A. But he showed some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the Fall League, sports a career .296/.419/.444 line as a pro and also offers solid speed and some defensive versatility.

Orioles: Brandon Young, RHP (No. 19)As an undrafted free agent in the COVID-shortened 2020 Draft, Young could have been taken in last year’s Rule 5 Draft, but an elbow issue that required surgery limited him to three starts in 2022 and he didn’t return until July 2023. He spent most of this past year at Triple-A and finished with solid overall numbers (3.57 ERA, .243 BAA, 1.25 WHIP, 10.7 K/9 over 111 IP), so he is knocking on the door. But he’s 26 for most of the 2025 season with a limited ceiling as a back-end starter.

Rays: Alexander Alberto, RHPSigned for $70,000 out of the Dominican Republic in November 2019, Alberto didn’t arrive in full-season ball until this June, 55 months later. While he’s inexperienced and battles the strike zone, he’s also 6-foot-8 and has a power arsenal that includes a mid-90s fastball, mid-80s slider and upper-90s cutter.

Red Sox: Allan Castro, OF (No. 19)A switch-hitter best suited for an outfield corner, Castro has the chance for average tools across the board but doesn’t stand out in any aspect. Signed for $100,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2019, he slashed .229/.343/.400 with 15 homers and 17 steals in 123 games between High-A and Double-A.

Yankees: Zach Messinger, RHP (No. 17)Messinger misses a lot of bats with a mid-80s sweeper and creates angle and extension with his 6-foot-6 frame, though his fastball sits at a pedestrian 92-94 mph, and he’s starting to look more like a future reliever than starter. A 13th-rounder in 2021 out of Virginia, he led the Double-A Eastern League in average-against (.207) and WHIP (1.11) while ranking second in ERA (3.06) and striking out 136 in 150 innings.

Guardians: Allan Hernandez, RHPHernandez has gone from 12th-round pick as a Miami high schooler in 2019 to one of the harder throwers in the system, parking at 96 mph and peaking at 99 with his fastball while also dealing mid-80s sliders. Strictly a reliever, he posted a 2.79 ERA, .182 average-against and 51 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings at High-A before performing well in the Fall League.

Royals: Chandler Champlain, RHP (No. 16)Part of the Andrew Benintendi trade with the Yankees in 2022, Champlain hit the wall after he advanced to Triple-A this May, logging a 5.61 ERA with 46 walks vs. 72 strikeouts in 104 1/3 innings. He has good feel for spinning the ball, producing natural cutting action on his 92-95 mph fastball and fashioning both a mid-80s slider and upper-70s curve.

Tigers: Roberto Campos, OF (No. 25)Campos defected from Cuba at age 13 in 2016 and signed three years later for $2.85 million based largely on his power potential, though he has homered just 28 times in 357 pro games thus far. He repeated High-A this season and batted .272/.342/.425 with 10 homers and 11 steals in 118 contests.

Twins: Kala’i Rosario, OF (No. 19)A fifth-rounder out of the Hawaii high school ranks in 2020, Rosario looked like he was starting to figure some things out, winning High-A Midwest League MVP honors in 2023 and showing his power would play in the Arizona Fall League. But an elbow injury caused him to miss two months of the 2024 season, and he wasn’t nearly as productive with the move to Double-A. His recent solid return to the Fall League might help his cause.

White Sox: Wilfred Veras, OF (No. 25)Veras has extensive big league bloodlines with father Wilson, uncle Fernando Tatis Sr. and cousin Fernando Tatis Jr. all reaching the Majors. He features some of the best raw power in Chicago’s system but mitigates it with an extremely aggressive approach, slashing .267/.319/.424 with 16 homers and 25 steals in 128 Double-A games.

Angels: Jack Dashwood, LHPHealth has been an issue for the 6-foot-6 lefty drafted in 2019 as he’s thrown just 40 innings over the past two seasons combined (10 in 2024). He has a low-90s fastball and a decent mid-80s slider that he used to post a 17/2 K/BB ratio over 10 AFL innings this fall. He’s 27, but could be a potential Rule 5 target as a useful lefty reliever.

Astros: Alex Santos, RHPOne of the best high school arms to come out of New York City in the last decade, Santos was the Astros’ top pick (supplemental second round) in 2020, but his career hasn’t gone as hoped. His stuff and control backed up and he missed most of 2024 with elbow problems, though he did rebound to lead the Fall League in strikeouts (26 in 17 2/3 innings) while displaying a mid-90s fastball, upper-80s cutter and low-80s slider.

A’s: Gunnar Hoglund, RHP (No. 12)A 2021 first-round pick of the Blue Jays, Hoglund came to the A’s via the Matt Chapman trade in 2022 while he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. This season was his first full, healthy one and he pitched well at Double-A, though he wasn’t quite as effective with a move to Triple-A for five starts. His velocity hasn’t come all the way back (averaged around 92 mph with his fastball in 2024) and his ceiling is limited, but he does throw strikes and has the chance to start.

Mariners: Jason Ruffcorn, RHPOriginally an eighth-round pick of the Phillies in 2021 out of Oklahoma, Ruffcorn joined the Mariners in a trade for cash considerations in March. Scott Ruffcorn’s kid reached the upper levels of the Minors for the first time this year, using his four-seam fastball, cutter and sweeper to finish the season with a 3.44 ERA, 10.0 K/9 rate and .225 BAA. The 26-year-old missed a good amount of bats (13.8 K/9) in 13 2/3 innings of Fall League work.

Rangers: Aidan Curry, RHP (No. 19)Signed as a nondrafted free agent out of a New York high school in 2020, Curry won Single-A Carolina League pitcher of the year honors in 2023 before slumping to a 6.44 ERA at High-A this season. It was more a matter of losing command and deception, because he still retained his mid-90s fastball with carry and a low-80s slider with depth.

Braves: Luis De Avila, LHP (No. 15)The Braves first got De Avila in the Rule 5 Draft — the Minor League phase — in December 2021. At the lower levels of Atlanta’s system, he missed bats and got a lot of ground-ball outs in 2022 and 2023. He was effective at Double-A in 2024, with a 3.74 ERA that would have placed him fifth in that category in the Southern League had he thrown enough innings, to go along with a 1.68 GO/AO. He missed a lot fewer bats (79 K’s in 101 IP), but he is a lefty with a track record.

Marlins: Dax Fulton, LHP (No. 26)Fulton signed for $2.4 million as a second-rounder in 2020, and the Oklahoma prep product became one of the best left-handed pitching prospects by pairing a 93-97 mph four-seamer with a plus curveball and slider. But he has had two Tommy John surgeries in four years and missed all of this season following his second elbow reconstruction in June 2023, so his future is uncertain.

Mets: Dom Hamel, RHP (No. 15)A 2021 third-rounder from Dallas Baptist, Hamel has impressive metrics with his 92-95 mph four-seamer and high-spin slider in the low 80s. After thriving at lower levels he struggled at Triple-A, recording a 6.79 ERA with 124 strikeouts but also 77 walks in 124 2/3 innings.

Nationals: Kevin Made, SS (No. 25)In July 2019, Made signed with the Cubs for $1.5 million and was moved to full-season ball in 2021. He was sent to the Nationals at the 2022 Trade Deadline in the Jeimer Candelario deal, and he was left unprotected last year and wasn’t taken in the Rule 5. That’s because questions remain about his impact at the plate, even if he has the potential to be a plus defender at shortstop.

Phillies: Christian McGowan, RHP (No. 22)A junior college product taken in Round 7 of the 2021 Draft, McGowan had Tommy John surgery shortly after the start of his first full season and then a back issue forced him out for nearly two months this year, so he’s thrown just 78 1/3 innings since signing with the Phillies. He had uneven results in the Fall League this year but showed off solid stuff with a fastball that averaged in the 94-95 mph range and a decent mid-80s slider and upper-80s changeup.

Brewers: Coleman Crow, RHP (No. 30)Before his Arizona stint this fall, Crow last pitched in a game in April 2023, when he was with the Angels. He went to the Mets in June of that year, had Tommy John surgery later that summer, then was dealt to the Brewers. He has fringy stuff outside of his curve, which can be plus, and he’ll be just 24 for all of the 2025 season, with a history of strike-throwing albeit without a ton of track record.

Cardinals: Darlin Saladin, RHP (No. 21)Saladin signed for $200,000 in 2019, so he could have been selected a year ago but had just two innings of full-season pitching on his résumé. He had a terrific 2024 campaign, finishing with a 2.71 ERA and a 9.8 K/9 rate thanks to a plus four-seamer he throws with a flat vertical approach angle. But he’s yet to pitch above A-ball, so the Cards may roll the dice again and hope he isn’t taken in the Rule 5 or doesn’t have the stuff to stick if he is.

Cubs: Ben Cowles, INF (No. 29)The Cubs appreciate Cowles and acquired him in a July trade that sent Mark Leiter Jr. to the Yankees, but they also have an abundance of big league-ready position players. He lacks a standout tool but is otherwise close to average across the board, and his tools play up thanks to his instincts, leading to a .286/.372/.457 line with nine homers and 14 steals in 92 Double-A games.

Pirates: Sammy Siani, OFA swing change in 2024 when Siani flattened his bat path led to tremendous results with High-A Greensboro and enabled him to reach Double-A for the first time. He went on to hit .375/.457/.550 in the Fall League showing his new approach just might work. Siani runs well and can play all three outfield positions, so Michael’s younger brother could have a backup outfielder profile that might be of interest in the Rule 5.

Reds: Jose Acuna, RHPThe Reds got Acuna, along with Hector Rodriguez, in the Tyler Naquin/Phillip Diehl deal at the 2022 Trade Deadline. He’s made a lot of progress since coming to the organization, though he missed a bunch of time with a flexor strain this year. He got more work in the Fall League, and while he struggled with his command, he missed bats (11.1 K/9) and held hitters to a .170 BAA.

D-backs: Kristian Robinson, OFRobinson was once an elite-level prospect on our Top 100, and he was on the 40-man roster previously. He missed nearly four years due to a combination of mental health, legal and visa issues, but he came back in 2023, played last year at Double-A and showed off some of his tools in the Fall League, which could lead to a return to the D-backs’ roster.

Dodgers: Jerming Rosario, RHPSigned for the 10th-highest ($650,000) of any pitcher in the 2018 international class, the Dominican-born Rosario works with a 92-97 mph fastball and a low-80s slider. He posted a 4.47 ERA, .199 average-against and 120 strikeouts in 108 2/3 innings while rising from High-A to Triple-A, then fanned 24 in 16 Fall League frames.

Giants: Aeverson Arteaga, SS (No. 11)While Arteaga is a plus defender at shortstop with arm strength to match, he has yet to reach Double-A and played just 24 games this year while recovering from surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome. Signed for $1 million out of Venezuela in 2019, he also has some sneaky pop that could translate into 15 or more homers per season.

Padres: Jagger Haynes, LHP (No. 20)The Padres rolled the dice on drafting Haynes as a raw prep lefty in the final round of the shortened 2020 Draft, and he’s shown glimpses of promise without much production. He had Tommy John surgery and didn’t make his official pro debut until 2023, only throwing 25 1/3 innings that year. He was healthy in 2024 with mixed results at High-A, which probably means he’s too far away for real Rule 5 consideration, but his fastball-curve combination from the left side is intriguing.

Rockies: Yujanyer Herrera, RHP (No. 29)Signed by the Brewers for just $10,000 in 2019, he headed to the Rockies as part of the Nick Mears trade in 2024, finishing with over 100 IP for the first time with solid all-around numbers (3.04 ERA, .231 BAA, 1.18 WHIP), mostly at High-A. There’s a solid three-pitch mix here and he could have the chance to start, but he’s only 21 and hasn’t gotten out of A-ball yet, so the Rockies may decide to risk leaving him exposed.