The major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft was a snappy affair this afternoon, as 12 teams made a combined 13 picks, and everyone else passed.
There was nothing of note for the Braves in the major league portion. With a full 40-man roster, the Braves did not make any picks, nor were their players eligible to be taken in the major league phase, including Blake Burkhalter, snapped up by anyone else. As I wrote earlier this week, the Rule 5 Draft is an oddball affair at this point, and while the first
couple of picks (R.J. Petit, from the Tigers to the Rockies, and Jedixson Paez, from the Red Sox to the White Sox) were on my list of guys that would be interesting to see taken, a lot of the rest was sort of a smorgasbord of “whuh?” The only other guy I had identified was White Sox hurler Peyton Pallette, who was taken by the Guardians.
The full set of picks:
Rockies: RJ Petit (from DET)
White Sox: RHP Jedixson Paez (from BOS)
Nationals: RHP Griff McGarry (from PHI)
Twins: C Daniel Susac (from ATH)
Pirates: RHP Carter Baumler (from BAL)
Athletics: RHP Ryan Watson (from SF)
Cardinals: RHP Matthew Pushard (from MIA)
Astros: RHP Roddery Munoz (from CIN)
Guardians: RHP Peyton Pallette (from CWS)
Blue Jays: RHP Miles Spencer (from SF)
Yankees: RHP Cade Winquest (from STL)
Phillies: RHP Zach McCambley (from MIA)
White Sox (picking again): RHP Alexander Alberto (from TB)
At the time of writing, the minor league phase only had a little bit of action this time, with 28 picks. Players picked during the minor league phase are not subject to any roster restrictions in the following season, or otherwise. The Braves picked up outfielder Carter Howell from the Giants. Howell was an undrafted free agent who hit pretty well (with an OBP-over-SLG profile) until repeating Double-A last year, where he faltered. He turns 27 in a couple of months, but maybe the Braves have some kind of idea for him. Minor league phase picks tend to be the most whatever of MLB roster transactions this side of minor league free agency, so not much to sweat.
The Braves didn’t lose anyone in either the minor or major league portions, though one-time Braves prospect Roddery Munoz got yoinked by the Astros… even though Munoz was also non-tendered by the Reds earlier, so not sure what that’s about unless he signed a minor league deal afterwards.
Anyway, all quiet on the Braves front — maybe rejoice if you were hoping Burkhalter survived the draft — but otherwise, go back to looking askance at the Braves’ lack of offseason activity or whatever else you were doing this afternoon.
