Rule 5 Draft News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/rule-5-draft/ Minnesota sports, but different Sun, 16 Nov 2025 02:24:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=32,height=32,fit=crop,quality=80,format=auto,onerror=redirect,metadata=none/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-cropped-MSF-favicon-1.jpg Rule 5 Draft News - MinnesotaSportsFan https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/tag/rule-5-draft/ 32 32 MN Twins Have Four Must-Add Rule 5 Prospects https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/mn-twins-have-four-must-add-rule-5-prospects/ Sun, 16 Nov 2025 02:24:09 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=72053 We are still multiple weeks away from the Winter Meetings, when the Rule 5 Draft will take place. However, the Minnesota Twins must add eligible prospects to the 40-man roster by November 18 in order to protect them from being selected by another franchise.

Earlier this offseason Derek Falvey cleared multiple spaces on the 40-man roster, including jettisoning Jose Miranda from the organization. They currently have seven openings with 33 players on the roster, but that doesn’t mean all will be filled by internal talent.

There are four absolute givens to be added before the Tuesday deadline, and a few others have strong cases as well.

Four locks for Minnesota Twins Rule 5 protection

There is simply no way the Minnesota Twins will allow some of their best prospects to be poached by the competition. Nothing excites a Pohlad more than the thought of cost control, and that’s what top prospects bring to the table. Falvey has four players that will certainly be added by the Tuesday deadline.

NamePositionAgeLevel
Connor PrielippLHP24Triple-A
Gabriel GonzalezOF21Triple-A
Kendry RojasLHP22Triple-A
Andrew MorrisRHP24Triple-A

Prielipp has the highest ceiling among the pitchers in this group, and it was disappointing he didn’t see the majors down the stretch this season. The 4.03 ERA across 82 2/3 innings between Double and Triple-A wasn’t great, but the fact that he stayed healthy was. He will quickly be a big league option in 2026.

Gabriel Gonzalez is the lone remaining piece of the Jorge Polanco trade with Seattle, and he rebounded in a big way this year. After a .707 OPS in 2024, he had a .909 OPS in 2025 including 15 home runs. He has big power and controls the strike zone well too.

Minnesota swung a trade for Rojas at the deadline. Sending Louie Varland packing was the least appreciated move, and Ty France went on to win a Gold Glove. Still, Rojas is an exciting lefty to dream on. He had a 4.70 ERA across 69 innings this season, and it could have been nicer had he not given up 25 runs (20 earned) in 27 1/3 with the Saints.

Morris was probably the next-closest depth arm to seeing a 2025 appearance. He has back-end starter stuff, and he owned a 4.09 ERA in 94 2/3 innings at Triple-A. It’s possible he reaches another level, but even if he doesn’t there should be a safe floor here.

MN Twins have decisions on other players as well

It’s not just the locks that the Twins have to consider. They certainly could use all seven open spots on the 40-man roster, and have even more fat to trim if they want to remove more than that as well. The balancing act to weigh is whether a player will go selected by another team and you want them, or if they can be kept and not added.

You also must consider the readiness of a player for the big league level. A Rule 5 pick must remain on the major league roster all season or be offered back to their original organization. Guys already at Triple-A are often the easiest to project as ready for the limelight.

Minnesota acquired Hendry Mendez from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Harrison Bader deal. He had an .837 OPS at Double-A and went to the Arizona Fall League. Kala’i Rosario parlayed a second-straight AFL experience into a career-best .844 OPS and his 32 steals came out of nowhere. He went unclaimed in the Rule 5 Draft last season, but that seems unlikely to be the case again.

Guys like C.J. Culpepper, John Klein, and Kyler Fedko are typically seen throughout competing organizations. Culpepper had a 2.65 ERA at Double-A though, and Fedko blasted 28 home runs. That sort of production is always going to sting and create a what if scenario.

Several other notable names include Jose Olivares, Ricardo Olivar, Cory Lewis, Tanner Schobel, Noah Cardenas, Andy Lugo, Danny De Andrade, Aaron Sabato, and Christian MacLeod. Minnesota, as a mediocre team looking to limit spending, is a logical franchise to select a player in the Rule 5 Draft as well.

]]> Sat, 15 Nov 2025 20:24:12 +0000 Minnesota Twins Minnesota Twins Select Pitcher in 2024 Rule 5 Draft https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/minnesota-twins/minnesota-twins-news/rule-5-draft-eiberson-castellano-pick/ Wed, 11 Dec 2024 20:00:40 +0000 https://www.minnesotasportsfan.com/?p=58117 The Minnesota Twins have been largely unbothered by the presence of this week’s Winter Meetings. They are fielding calls on Carlos Correa, but adding to the roster hasn’t been much of a focus. That changed on Wednesday when they used a 26-man roster spot on a Rule 5 Draft selection.

Welcome to the Twins Eiberson Castellano

Last season the Minnesota Twins pitching depth was tested. This season they’ll need the starting rotation and bullpen to show a greater deal of health. They recently added Huascar Ynoa to supplement the group, and they grabbed Eiberson Castellano in the Rule 5 Draft from Philadelphia.

Castellano is a 23-year-old that signed with the Phillies as an international free agent out of Venezuela. Minnesota would certainly love for him to follow in the footsteps of a former Rule 5 Draft pick from the same country. Maybe you remember Johan Santana?

Last season Castellano pitched at both the High-A and Double-A level. His fastball sits 94-95 mph and he posted a 3.99 ERA in 103 2/3 innings. His 11.8 K/9 is impressive, as is the 2.5 BB/9. Castellano was actually better in his eight starts at Double-A, owning a 3.79 ERA for reading.

Related: Minnesota Twins Sign Familiar Starting Pitcher to Compete for Rotation Spot

It remains to be seen if the Twins will use him in the rotation or bullpen, but both places could present opportunity. Chris Paddack is a prime trade candidate, and young pitching may need more time to develop.

“He was one of the most-talked about names pre-draft. One of the better combos of stuff and readiness.”

J.J. Cooper on Eiberson Castellano (X)

Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper spoke highly of the Twins selection. The publication’s scouting report says his curveball has “slurvy” movement and notes and advanced feel for the changeup. Castellano was named the Phillies minor league pitcher of the year.

What happens next?

The Minnesota Twins will now pay the Philadelphia Phillies $100,000 for drafting Castellano. But there is a catch. The new Twins pitcher must remain on the 26-man roster all season, or be offered back to the Phillies for half of what they paid to draft him ($50,000). Castellano is Minnesota’s first Rule 5 Draft selection since Tyler Kinley in 2017.

Twins avoid losses in Rule 5 Draft

There was speculation that Minnesota could lose a bit of talent during the Rule 5 Draft. That didn’t come to fruition. The two most likely names to be on the move were left-handed reliever Jovani Moran, and corner outfielder Kala’i Rosario.

Moran has thrown 91 big league innings and posted a 2.21 ERA in 2022. He underwent Tommy John surgery last season and was left unprotected while remaining off the 40 man roster. It’s very plausible that he sees the big leagues in Minnesota’s bullpen again this season.

The Twins have sent Kala’i Rosario to the Arizona Fall League in consecutive years, He showed out well again and should reach Triple-A at some point in 2025. He is a slugging corner bat that posted a .726 OPS with eight home runs in 67 games last year. He launched 23 dingers in 2023 with High-A Cedar Rapids.

Related: 2025 MLB Draft Lottery Pushes Minnesota Twins Down the Board

It’s a positive that Minnesota gambled right on all of their Rule 5 Draft eligible prospects. Ricardo Olivar was another name that could have been selected. Each will now begin the year in Fort Myers for spring training.

Twins make minor league additions

Minnesota also made a selection in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft. Right-handed pitcher Trent Baker, of the St. Louis Cardinals organization, now joins Twins Territory.

The 25-year-old spent time starting and relieving this year at Double-A. His 4.89 ERA also saw him generate 81 strikeouts in 81 innings. He gave up two runs on on two hits with a 2/4 K/BB in seven Arizona Fall League frames.

Related: Latest News on Japanese Sensation Roki Sasaki Brings Hope for Minnesota Twins

As they continue to add depth, the Twins made an outfield selection in the second round of the minor league Rule 5 Draft. Another Venezuelan, Miguel Briceno has played second, third, and outfield. Across 94 games at Low-A in 2024, the 20-year-old had a .685 OPS. He cracked three home runs and stole 16 bases.

After selecting four players in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft last season, the Twins kept going. Their third round selection wound up being catcher Jefferson Valladares. The 22-year-old Venezuelan played just 22 games last season, all of which we at Low-A or Rookie Ball. He posted a .728 OPS with four doubles.

The Seattle Mariners grabbed right-handed pitcher Taylor Floyd from the Twins Double-A stash with their second round pick during the minor league phase.

Related: Local MLB Insider Reveals Who is on Minnesota Twins Trade Block

Derek Falvey can turn his focus to rounding out the 40-man roster and figuring out how to shuffle payroll. It may take some time for the Twins to truly be active, but the offseason is well underway.

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