In the 2025 MLB Rule 5 Draft, the Texas Rangers selected no one in the major league portion of the draft, opting to pass when their spot — #14 overall — came around. In addition, the Rangers did not have any players selected from their organization in the major league portion of the draft.
However, the beats are hinting that the Rangers did trade for a player selected in the Rule 5 Draft — pitcher Carter Baumler, a hard throwing righthander reliever who turns 24 in January, who was selected by the Pirates.
Baumler was a 5th round pick of the Orioles in 2020, but has barely pitched as a professional due to injuries, accumulating 88.2 innings over 49 appearances. BA wrote him up as someone to watch as part of their Rule 5 preview, saying his fastball has “elite vertical break” and touches 98. His primary curveball is a secondary that is a swing-and-miss pitch.
The Rangers will have to have him on the active roster or injured list for all of 2026 if they want to keep him — otherwise, they will have to either trade him, or put him on waivers and, if he goes unclaimed, offer him back to Baltimore.
The Rangers, heading into today, seemed unlikely to lose anyone in the Rule 5 Draft, so that was not a big surprise. Infielder Cam Cauley, who was draft-eligible for the first time, was the only player in the Rangers’ organization who was generally seen as being a candidate to be selected.
In the minor league portion of the draft, pitcher Jackson Kelley was selected from the Rangers by the Chicago White Sox. Kelley was a 12th rounder out of Mercer in 2022 who is seen as an organizational depth guy. He does have a sweet ‘stache though:
Also departing in the minor league portion is righthanded pitcher Kyle Larsen, selected by the Pirates. Larsen was an 18th round pick of the Rangers in 2021, getting a $575,000 bonus, a byproduct of Aaron Zavala’s medicals reducing the bonus Zavala was receiving, thus freeing up money to sign Larsen. He has not been good or healthy as a pro, throwing 96 innings, none above low-A.
The Rangers selected righthanded pitcher Jonathan Brand from the Boston Red Sox in the minor league portion of the draft.
Brand is listed at 5’9”, 200 lbs., so he’s the rare pitcher we can describe as a “fireplug.” He was an 8th rounder in 2022 out of Miami U of Ohio, and like Kelley, appears to be an organizational depth reliever.
Players selected in the minor league portion of the draft have no roster requirements with their new teams — if a team selects a player in the minor league portion, they get the player, period.
Here is the full list of selections from the major league portion of the draft (the numbers reflect the order of the players selected, and do not list teams that pass):
1 — Rockies select RHP R.J. Petit from Detroit
2 — ChiSox select RHP Jedixson Paez from Boston
3 — Nationals select RHP Griff McGarry from the Phillies
4 — Twins select C Daniel Susac from the A’s (and then traded Susac to the Giants)
5 — Pirates select RHP Carter Baumler from Baltimore
6 — A’s select RHP Ryan Watson from the Giants
7 — Cardinals select RHP Matthew Pushard from Miami
8 — Astros select RHP Roddery Munoz from the Reds
9 — Guardians select RHP Peyton Pallette from the ChiSox
10 — Blue Jays select RHP Spencer Miles from the Giants
11 — Yankees select RHP Cade Winquest from St. Louis
12 — Phillies select RHP Zach McCambley from Miami
13 — ChiSox select RHP Alexander Alberto from Tampa
