Murphy: Do the Pirates protect anyone from the Rule 5 this year?
A look at some of the notable names Rule 5 eligible, and if the Pirates should/need to protect them
The deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft is today, which can spark a lot of conversation from the fanbase. It generally doesn’t lead to much, as the Rule 5 can get overblown at times.
Thanks to some late-season additions, this year’s version of the Pirates will somehow be even less exciting than the previous one.
Billy Cook and Nick Yorke were both set to be eligible this offseason, but they both made their debuts at the end of the season. Technically, Jared Jones would have been, but he made the team out of camp.
So, with those names off the board, there may not be much activity on the horizon. I take a look at some of the notable names who are eligible for the Rule 5 draft this offseason:
Sammy Siani
This is the most notable name out there right now, after the former first-round pick played very well in the Arizona Fall League. While offense rules out there, it was a solid performance nonetheless.
Sammy Siani has previously been eligible, being a former 2019 prep draft pick. It’s taken him a couple of years to break out of Greensboro, but a swing change helped propel him to Altoona finally.
He’s not a power hitter, he’s going to be someone that will rely on contact, speed, and good outfield defense. Baseball America recently named him the best outfield defender in the system.
For Siani, any decision to keep him would be based on the upward trajectory that he is on, not so much for past performances.
The numbers don’t quite do justice of the progress he’s made as a baseball player, and potential contributor at the major league level.
Whether that’s enough to have him added to the 40-man, we will have to wait and see.
Omar Alfonzo
Another player that was formerly available in the Rule 5 and went undrafted, Omar Alfonzo put together another solid season and took a step forward when it comes to his ability to hit for power in games.
The exit velocity numbers ticked it in the right direction without sacrificing contact, and finished the year out in Greensboro. He’s likely a fringe catcher/first base prospect, which is fine, but probably not the kind of player that gets selected in the Rule 5, especially just getting to High-A at the end of the season.
Ryan Harbin
He has one of the best sliders in the system, and hit triple-digits with his fastball, but his control still needs a lot of work. Ryan Harbin is the kind of player that if something clicks with the control, he could fly through the system, but still not someone that gets taken.
Matt Gorski
The raw power and elite defense is something that theoretically drive some interest, which should speak to the concerns about the hit tool that Matt Gorski still hasn’t gotten an opportunity yet.
He has three straight seasons of at least 20 home runs in the minors, but with one year left before minor league free agency, it feels like a case of ‘if no one has tried it yet, they probably wont.’
Malcom Nunez
There was some interest in him as the ‘first base of the future’ after the Pirates traded for him, and he’s still young, but Malcom Nunez has mostly stalled out in Triple-A. He’s limited to first base, and potentially as a platoon guy.
Those aren’t the type to get selected here.
Eddy Yean
He had a better-thank-it-looked AFL for Scottsdale, and there is a chance Eddy Yean could pitch in the major next year. Still, most teams are going to have their own fringe-relief prospect that they like so they won’t likely dig elsewhere to grab one.
New Names
With Yorke and Cook both being added during the season, that doesn’t leave many names left that are first-time eligible this offseason.
Brandan Bidois
He’s in the same boat as Harbin, the stuff is really good, he just lacks control and is still in High-A. Brandan Bidois remains a sleeper/ish prospect deeper in the system due to his secondary stuff but isn’t in a position where a team takes a gamble on him.
Nick Dombkowski
A left-handed undrafted free agent in 2021, Nick Dombkowski has carved out a solid role in the minors as a depth pitcher. Exclusively a reliever to start his pro career, Dombkowski has shown the flexibility to step into the rotation if need be.
Solomon Maguire
He’ll be 22 when the 2025 season starts, which is crazy for how long it seems like he’s been around. There are some tools there, but he hasn’t been able to stay on the field long enough to attempt to put them together. The 56 he played for Bradenton in 2024 is the most in a single year of his pro career.
Tyler Samaniego
Another lefty from 2021, Tyler Samaniego got off to a solid start to his pro career but has stalled out in the upper levels. He only pitched 17.2 innings in 2024.
Sean Sullivan
If an injury hadn’t cut his season short, this would be a fun argument to have. Sean Sullivan has almost 200 innings at the Double-A level, which you would have to imagine he saw Indianapolis at some point if he stayed healthy.
Questions about the injury makes him irrelevant at this point, when it comes to the Rule 5.
Final Question: Do the Pirates protect anyone?
It’d be easy for the Pirates to make some extra room on their 40-man if they wanted to go ahead and add Siani to the mix. Connor Joe is somebody that isn’t getting tendered, and you could make a case at a few more.
If Sullivan stayed healthy, I could probably make a very compelling argument for him, but that would also assume he pitched in Triple-A at some point in 2024.
Again, with Siani, it isn’t so much with previous results as much as it is him having an upward arrow as a prospect. He’s very much turned himself into a legitimate prospect again. Maybe not someone with a lot of upside, but it’s easy to see Siani as a bench player on a major league team.
It still isn’t likely he gets added to the 40-man, but if there is one player that could get added, it’s probably him.
If he had made it to Triple-A, maybe, but outside a super off the wall addition, this should be a very boring deadline for the Pirates.
So, no, I don’t think the Pirates add anyone, but at the same time, my position and mindset on Siani has completely shifted over the course of the year, with the AFL playing little part to it.
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Nobody added.
This is a repeat of my post yesterday at a high level so feel free to stop reading!! I think they should protect Siana. In past years I felt more of a roster crunch but this year to me it is worth the gamble that he truly has found something. And if he hasn't shown that by June, he can be an easy candidate to take off the 40 if the space is needed. When both Cabbage and Gray were claimed I put them in the release and hope they clear waivers and get them in AAA bucket, the type of transaction you see all winter so there are 2 spots IMO. I also see Bae, Palacios, and Williams as easily replaced with waiver wire pickups just like the above 2. I would add (maybe put at the front of the line) DeLa Cruz but I just don't see them doing that this early in the off season.