The White Sox took two more Rule 5 flyers on Wednesday, plucking Jedixson Paez from the Boston Red Sox and Alexander Alberto from the Tampa Bay Rays for the cost of a couple of stadium hot dogs. It’s the classic scratch-off ticket move. It’s possible you hit, but maybe you just end up with mustard on your thumb.
Last year, the South Siders lucked into Shane Smith, then scooped up Mike Vasil after he pinballed through Philadelphia and Tampa. But don’t go buying yourself a Paez or Alberto City Connect
jersey just yet. Rule 5 picks are usually more lottery ticket than golden ticket, and most wind up right back where they started.
The 21-year-old Paez was Boston’s No. 19 prospect. The righthander was 0-3 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.09 WHIP for the High-A Greenville Drive.
Alberto combined for a 2-2 record, a 2.59 ERA, and 1.17 WHIP over 48 2/3 IP in 42 contests across Single-A and High-A in 2025.
Per the Rule 5 draft, Paez and Alberto have to loiter on the 26-player roster all season or else the Sox have to hand him back to the original team for half the price. There’s no stashing him in Charlotte.
Stay tuned for the inevitable flurry of front office quotes and maybe another Rule 5 dart throw before the dust settles.
