Rule 5 Draft Opportunity One Week Away
Perhaps it’s time to talk more seriously about the Rule 5 draft, that “shot in the dark” which usually yields nothing (no offense, Ben Copeland) but occasionally lands you a Mark Canha or even a Johan Santana.
The A’s have done relatively well with the Rule 5 picks, nabbing Canha 10 years ago and Mitch Spence last year, for two of the more successful selections in recent history. Their chances of picking a winner in 2024 are enhanced by the fact that while they are only slotted at 5th overall, teams need to have space on their 40-man roster in order to pick and currently that eliminates 3 of the 4 teams ahead of the A’s.
So if the Rule 5 draft were being held today the A’s would pick 2nd. Likely come December 11th they will pick 2nd or 3rd. With that in mind, I have identified 3 available players to highlight today.
Great minds think alike. The Just Baseball site has their top 3 picks in accordance with my conclusions. Not surprisingly, given the overall demographics of this year’s pool, all 3 are pitchers.
Yordanny Monegro (22, RHP, Red Sox)
The pluses are easy to see: With one of the more electric arms around, Monegro’s power sinker and plus slider made him dominant in 2024: 66 IP, 42 hits, 26 BB, 82 K. And Monegro was just as effective in 2023, with a 2.07 ERA and 93 K in 65.2 IP.
The “catch” is that unlike most of the Rule 5 pool, Monegro has not played above A+ and so the Red Sox are gambling teams won’t want to put him on their big league roster all season when he is so raw.
However, he could be a useful bullpen arm in 2025, be in long relief or some high leverage chances, with a bright future you would need to give up a lot if you wanted to acquire him through trade.
Ryan Webb (25, LHP, Guardians)
I have discussed Webb before, as he seems like as good a candidate as any to be selected 1st or 2nd. Only the Guardians’ depth allows them to leave Webb unprotected when he is MLB ready and quite polished.
A 4-pitch SP with an excellent changeup, Webb has mastered every level of the minors, posting a 2.87 ERA in AA in 2024 and then finishing up the season with a 2.60 ERA in 7 AAA starts.
His stuff profiles more like a solid #4 SP, which might feel redundant given that the A’s are swimming in those without anything much at the front end, but then again nabbing a good #4 SP in the Rule 5 draft is a coup.
Bryan Magdaleno (23, LHP, Rangers)
If you like eye popping stats, Magdaleno is your guy. Try a 1.27 ERA in 2024 across A, A+, AA, with 68 K in 42.2 IP — and only 19 hits allowed. Batters finished the season 1 for 61 against him with 35 Ks.
The “catch” with Magdelano is that he’s a reliever, but a mid-90 fastball and effective slider he seems like a potential high leverage piece who should be ready to at least contribute in 2025.
I suppose the other catch would be that in 2024 the A’s called up a reliever with similar “misprint” stats in Grant Holman and he was only “ok” in the big leagues. But he was also a rookie getting his feet wet, and for a Rule 5 pick you would similarly temper immediate expectations with hopes of a bright future.
So there’s a possible “top 3,” one of which the A’s ought to be in position to select if they so choose. Is this the right top 3 list, and if so in what order should it be? If not, who should be on there and why?
We have a week to figure this out!