The Rule 5 draft will be held in December, giving teams a chance to pluck diamonds in the rough from other organizations. Teams can protect eligible players by placing them on the 40-man roster by late November. Players are eligible after four seasons in the minors if they signed at age 19 or later, or after five seasons if they signed younger than age 19. That means this year, the college draftees from 2022 become eligible, while all signees from 2021 and before are eligible.
The Royals currently
have a full 40-man roster, although after the World Series they have four free agents who will come off the roster – Adam Frazier, Hunter Harvey, Luke Maile, and Mike Yastrzemski. They will pick up Salvador Perez’s club option, but have decisions to make on mutual options for Michael Lorenzen and Randall Grichuk. Kris Bubic, Alec Marsh, and James McArthur will all need to be activated from the 60-day Injured List and added to the roster after the World Series. The Royals will also have to decide which arbitration-eligible players will need to be non-tendered.
Here are the players eligible for the Rule 5 draft that the Royals will consider protecting:
Will be added
Ben Kudrna is one of the top pitching prospects in the organization and could be a factor at the big league level in 2026. The Blue Valley Southwest grad posted a 4.21 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 94 innings at Double-A before being promoted to Omaha for four games to end the year. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the #7 prospect in the farm system, writing, “his frame makes him a durable and reliable rotation arm, projecting as a back-end starter.”
Likely to be added
Felix Arronde is a promising young starter who has put up good numbers, but has yet to pitch above High-A. Ranked #13 in the farm system by MLB Pipeline, he excelled for the River Bandits with a 2.80 ERA and a high groundball rate due to his split-fingered change-up, but with a low strikeout rate of 7.1 per nine innings. Arronde has some upside potential with his age and frame, but has struggled to add weight and velocity. He could be a project for a team that thinks he can add a few miles per hour to his fastball, but he may be a long shot to be selected.
Gavin Cross is a former first-round pick who has suffered many setbacks early in his career but seemed to figure things out in the second half this year. His 2023 season was sidelined due to a bizarre bout with Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and he put up mixed results in Double-A last year. He returned to Double-A in 2025 and got off to a slow start, but turned it on in the summer and hit .296/.350/.504 with 12 home runs in his last 67 games. Cross will be 25 in February, but it seems like his struggles may be behind him, and he may be worth protecting at this point.
Could be added
Frank Mozzicato is a left-hander the Royals drafted seventh overall in 2021. He has a plus curveball that yielded high strikeout rates at lower levels, but hasn’t translated to success at higher levels. He also struggles with control, issuing 75 in 93 innings with a 5.03 ERA across High-A and Double-A. He hasn’t added the weight or velocity like the club likely hoped, with a fastball that sits around 90 mph. He is just 22 years old and his curveball is legitimately fantastic, so he could be worth a gamble if a team wants to take the risk.
Shane Panzini was another high schooler selected in the 2021 draft, but he seemed to turn the corner this year after some struggles at lower levels. The right-hander posted a 3.39 ERA with 114 strikeouts in 109 innings across three levels of the minors. He did struggle at Triple-A with his command, but he was just 23 years old. Panzini has an over-the-top delivery that presents a different view for a hitter, and could allow him to have success as a reliever.
Hunter Patteson was a fifth-round pick out of Central Florida in 2022 who has put up solid numbers at every level so far. He dominated High-A this year with a 1.99 ERA in 13 starts, although at age 25, he was significantly older than most of his competition. He was solid upon a promotion to Double-A with a 4.41 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 49 innings. The lefty is a good strike-thrower, and while his upside may not be very high, he has a higher floor than most Rule 5 draft candidates.
Luca Tresh is a power-hitting catcher in an organization that has depth behind the plate. He hit .259/.321/.473 with 10 home runs in 72 games for Triple-A Omaha this year and has put up good offensive numbers at each level. Tresh has mixed results on defense, allowing a lot of steals. He turns 26 in January and seems to be polished enough he could fill in as a backup on a Major League roster and provide occasional power.
Javier Vaz is a versatile second baseman/outfielder who can draw walks and has insanely high contact rates. His 7.8 percent strikeout rate is the lowest out of any minor league hitter with at least 300 plate appearances. He injured his finger in spring training and had a slow start to the year, but hit .256/.360/.326 with 25 steals in 103 games for Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He’s a lefty with good bat skills and positional flexibility, which could make him an ideal utility player on a big league roster.
Henry Williams was acquired from the Padres in the Scott Barlow trade and is flourishing now that he is a few years removed from the Tommy John surgery he had in college in 2022. He posted a 4.24 ERA with 100 strikeouts in 108.1 innings at Double-A, although he struggled in two starts for Omaha. Reports have his fastball velocity fluctuating a bit, so he could have more success as a reliever.
Steven Zobac was on his way to the big leagues after a terrific season in 2024 But he battled injuries and ineffectiveness this year, making just 11 starts for Double-A Northwest Arkansas with an ugly 7.68 ERA. His strikeout-to-walk numbers were still solid and he had a terrific 2024 season, so he could be worth a gamble as a strike-throwing reliever with a plus slider.
Longshots to be added
Chandler Champlain was acquired from the Yankees in the Andrew Benintendi deal, but has struggled in the upper minors for the Royals. He gave up 113 runs in 119.1 innings for Omaha, following an underwhelming season in 2024. The 26-year-old has some decent stuff at times, including a mid-90s fastball, but it hasn’t translated into any results.
Tyson Guerrero was knocking on the door to the big leagues last year after a solid 3.69 ERA as a starter in Double-A. But he made just three starts in Triple-A this year before being sidelined for the remainder of the season with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery last month. Guerrero is a lefty who has put up solid ERA and strikeout rates at every level, but he’ll also be 27 years old next year, and his status for the season is in doubt.
Brandon Johnson is a right-handed reliever with some impressive strikeout numbers in his career, but mixed results in run prevention. He was hit around in the Arizona Fall League last year, but bounced back to dominate Double-A with a 0.79 ERA in 22.2 innings. He moved up to Triple-A and saw his strikeout numbers fall as he posted a 6.75 ERA in 49.1 innings. The 26-year-old has a mid-90s fastball, but there isn’t much that makes him stand out from other relievers in the high minors.
Chazz Martinez also dominated Double-A this year, although like Johnson, he was a bit old for the level. The left-handed former Oklahoma Sooner put up a 5.64 ERA in 30.1 innings upon being moved up to Triple-A, but he did put up solid strikeout numbers. He’ll be 26 in January, and despite teams wanting lefties, it seems unlikely he would go selected.
Oscar Rayo is a Nicaraguan-born lefty who posted a 3.70 ERA in 87.2 innings as a bulk reliever at Double-A. He had very low walk rates in the lower minors, but saw those numbers spike up this year. He doesn’t miss enough bats to be on the radar as a prospect, so unless a team really believes in his stuff, it doesn’t seem likely he would be selected.
Ryan Ramsey had a terrific 2024 season in High-A, but really struggled this year at higher levels. He struck out 9.2 per nine innings at Double-A, but with a 5.54 ERA in 105.2 innings. He’ll be 25 in January, and while he has some potential, there’s not much reason to think he would get selected.
Ben Sears has put up a solid ERA as a reliever at each level, but with very underwhelming strikeout rates. He actually improved upon a promotion to Triple-A, striking out 15 in 14 innings with a 3.21 ERA. The 25-year-old could be a contributor next year, but he’s not likely to be selected in the Rule 5 draft.
Daniel Vazquez is a glove-first shortstop whose bat is beginning to develop in the lower minors. He was signed to a large bonus in the 2021 international class due to his flashy glove. He enjoyed his best season offensively, hitting .260/.336/.349 with 26 steals in 105 games at High-A. He is playing in the Arizona Fall League, so scouts will be watching his progress with the bat.
Beck Way was also acquired from the Yankees in the Benintendi trade and has failed to deliver at higher levels. He had modest success last year moving to the bullpen, but posted a 5.93 ERA with just 55 strikeouts in 74.1 innings across Double-A and Triple-A this year.
Peyton Wilson is a switch-hitting versatile utility infielder at Triple-A, so he could have some value to a team. He shows some ability to take a walk, hitting .259/.353/.389 with 20 steals at Triple-A. He’s a plus runner, but has had mixed results as a defender. It wouldn’t be a total surprise to see a team select him as a polished product, but I don’t expect him to be protected.
Other eligible players: RHP Mack Anglin, RHP Ryan Brady, IF Derlin Figueroa, IF Diego Guzman, C Kyle Hayes, C Omar Herrnandez, LHP Asa Lacy, 1B Aldrin Lucas, OF Rudy Martin, LHP Caden Monke, RHP Noah Murdock, RHP Cruz Noriega, RHP Anderson Paulino, IF Jack Pineda, C Julio E. Rodriguez, C Dionmy Salon, C Gabriel Silva, 1B Brett Squires
