The San Francisco Giants projected to have a fairly busy 2025 Rule 5 Draft, after choosing to make zero protections (thus leaving some intriguing names available), and waiving Marco Luciano to open up a roster spot.
And indeed, they had a busy day. The Giants lost a pair of arms in the Major League portion of the draft, most notably right-hander Spencer Miles, who was poached by the Toronto Blue Jays. Miles is an utterly fascinating Rule 5 selection, because he’s only pitched 14.2 innings in his entire
Minor League career, and none above Low-A.
Miles, who was a fourth-round pick in 2022 out of Missouri, had some of the most electric stuff in the system, but rarely got the chance to show it due to a series of injuries, including Tommy John surgery in 2024. He pitched 7.1 innings between the Arizona Complex League and Low-A San Jose after getting drafted, then missed the entirety of the 2023 season. He pitched 7.1 more innings in the Complex League in 2024 before his surgery, which cost him all of 2025. Across his various Minor League stints, he has a 4.30 ERA, with 22 strikeouts and five walks.
But Miles did have one great thing going for him: the Giants sent him to the desert for the Arizona Fall League in October, a decision that ultimately cost them his talents. Miles opened eyes for the Scottsdale Scorpions, posting a 4.15 ERA in five appearances, and most notably having 12 strikeouts against just one walk in 8.2 innings. Most importantly, though, were that his underlying metrics showed an MLB-caliber arm, with fantastic velocity and movement to go along with impressive control. With every AFL appearance, it became increasingly possible that he could get poached in the Rule 5. And indeed, he was.
It doesn’t mean it’s the end of Miles’ time with the organization. A large number of Rule 5 draftees ultimately get returned to their teams, including the most recent player taken from the Giants, right-hander Nick Avila. Miles’ chances of getting returned to the Giants are likely increased by the fact that he was selected by the Blue Jays, a championship contender who cannot afford to stash an unproductive player on their roster the way a second level team could. However, if Miles once again deals with injuries, that’s an issue that Toronto won’t have to deal with, as he can spend much of the year on IL and rehab stints (though it should be noted that if a Rule 5 selection spends most of the year on the IL, they’re still subject to the same roster restrictions the next season).
Miles still has all the potential in the world as a starting pitcher, though given the roster restrictions, it’s safe to assume that the Blue Jays will start him out as a reliever.
In addition to Miles, the Giants lost right-handed pitcher Ryan Watson to the Athletics, who subsequently traded him to the Boston Red Sox. Watson is less of a loss, as he’s more a depth piece than a prospect. The Giants acquired the 28-year old — who was drafted in the 39th round of the 2016 draft — in a late-2024 trade in which they sent cash to the Baltimore Orioles. Watson worked in relief for AAA Sacramento in 2025, sporting a 4.26 ERA and a 3.73 FIP in 50.2 innings, with 64 strikeouts against just 16 walks.
But it wasn’t all players being lost, as the Giants made a Rule 5 addition, as well — their first since acquiring Blake Sabol in 2022. After passing on their chance to select someone, it was announced that the Giants had swung a trade for Athletics catcher Daniel Susac, who had been taken by the Minnesota Twins with the fourth pick. In exchange for Susac, the Giants sent catcher Miguel Caraballo to the Twins. Caraballo is a 17-year old who made his debut last year in the Dominican Summer League, where he posted an .874 OPS and a 135 wRC+.
Susac is an exciting addition to the Giants, and he brings some serious prospect pedigree: the A’s selected him in the first round of the 2022 draft, with the 19th overall pick. He also brings some Giants pedigree, as his brother Andrew was Buster Posey’s backup at one point, was a second-round pick by the Giants in 2011, and won a championship with the team in 2014. And according to Alex Pavlovic, Athletics GM David Forst revealed that the Giants tried to trade for Susac earlier in the year, but the teams couldn’t come to an agreement.
The 24-year old younger Susac brother, who hits right-handed and was the only position player taken in the Major League phase of the Rule 5, never lived up to his prospect hype, and has hit modestly at every stop in his career. He spent all of 2025 with the A’s AAA affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators, where he hit .275/.349/.483 for an .832 OPS and a 94 wRC+. He had a 26.8% strikeout rate, which highlighted one of the flaws in his game: his chase rate was in the 11th percentile in AAA last year. He has a decent amount of power — he hit 18 home runs in 407 plate appearances last year, albeit in a very hitter’s friendly environment — so with some tweaks to approach, he could be a decent hitter.
He’s a very solid defensive catcher though, which is probably what drew the bulk of the Giants interest. Susac is likely someone that Posey and Tony Vitello would feel very comfortable with catching every third game, which is a valuable thing to have. It seems likely that there will be a Spring Training battle between Susac and Jesús Rodríguez (whose profile is the polar opposite) for who should be backing up Patrick Bailey when Opening Day rolls around.
By adding Susac, the Giants 40-man roster is now full, and they’ll need to get rid of players for any free agent signings they make.
The Minor League portion of the Rule 5 Draft was less fruitful for the Giants. Despite only protecting 31 players (a very low number relative to the other teams, with 38 being the maximum number), the Giants surprisingly chose not to draft anyone in the Minor League phase. They did, however, lose five players. Here’s a quick rundown of all five:
- Right-handed pitcher Junior Flores, a 23-year old who signed in 2020 out of Venezuela. Flores dealt with injuries this year, and had a 3.38 ERA and a 4.84 FIP in eight games for Low-A San Jose and High-A Eugene.
- Right-handed pitcher Ryan Murphy, a 26-year old taken in the fifth round of the truncated 2020 MLB Draft. He also dealt with injuries this year, and had a 5.59 ERA and a 5.19 FIP in eight games for High-A Eugene and AA Richmond.
- Outfielder Carter Howell, a 26-year old undrafted free agent from the 2022 class. He had a .639 OPS and a 91 wRC+ for AA Richmond this year, in his second season at the level.
- Right-handed pitcher Jan Caraballo, a 22-year old who signed in 2021 out of the Dominican Republic. He had a 4.30 ERA and a 3.88 FIP in 12 games in the Arizona Complex League this year.
- Right-handed pitcher Evan Gates, a 27-year old undrafted free agent from the 2021 class. He had a 3.23 ERA and a 3.68 FIP with AA Richmond this year, in his fourth season at the level.
As a refresher, players taken in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft cannot be optioned. Should a team wish to no longer carry them on their active roster, they’ll need to be waived. If they clear waivers, they will be offered back to their original team, without roster restrictions. Players taken in the Minor League phase have no restrictions, and are simply gone for good.
