How the Rule 5 Draft impacted teams' Top 30 Prospects lists

MLB Pipeline gives our organizational Top 30 prospect rankings complete refreshes twice per calendar year (once in spring, once in-season) and provides other live updates as graduations and other transactions necessitate them. In the latter category, two dates in particular are our busiest for Top 30 updates: the Trade Deadline and the Rule 5 Draft.

The latter arrived Wednesday as part of the Winter Meetings in Dallas. MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo recapped the Rule 5 results from the heaviest-volume draft in some time, featuring 83 total picks, including 15 during the Major League phase.

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To quickly summarize, Rule 5-eligible players who were selected in the MLB portion must stick in the Majors for the entire 2025 season or else be offered back to their original organizations.

Seven of the 15 picks from the MLB phase entered new Top 30s, and four left old ones, requiring further shuffling in their farm systems’ rankings. Here’s a summary of the Top 30 movement from a busy Wednesday in the land of prospects.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays
Added: Angel Bastardo, RHP (No. 29)

The Rule 5 Draft is typically conducted with the short term in mind because of how players need to stick on the MLB roster, but there are times when clubs can take long-term views in the process as Toronto did here. Bastardo underwent Tommy John surgery last summer and will likely spend much of 2025 recovering and rehabbing from that procedure. Toronto will get to oversee that process as it determines Bastardo’s future with the club, and the righty must be on the active roster for 90 days in order to fulfill his Rule 5 duties (a stipulation that could carry into 2026 if needed). Bastardo showed an ability to touch 97 mph with his fastball before getting hurt, and his above-average changeup intrigues the Jays. He also sports two average breaking balls that give him a chance to start when he's recovered.

Orioles
Lost: Juan Nuñez, RHP (No. 8)
Top 30 replacement: Luis Almeyda, SS/3B (No. 30)

Known for their hitting prospects, the Orioles lost the second highest-ranked pitching talent in their system when Nuñez was taken by the Padres. Nuñez, 24, jumped up the Baltimore list on the strength of his stuff -- namely a mid-90s fastball, two breaking pitches that flash plus and a solid changeup -- but he was left unprotected after a shoulder injury limited him to 29⅓ innings in 2024. He’s still yet to pitch above High-A and faces an uphill battle to stick on a contending San Diego club. In Nuñez’s stead, Almeyda -- a $2.3 million international signee in 2023 -- slots in as another quality infield prospect on the O's list.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Tigers
Lost: Gage Workman, 3B/SS (No. 29)
Top 30 replacement: Sawyer Gipson-Long, RHP (No. 30)

A 2020 fourth-rounder out of Arizona State, Workman fell off previous Detroit Top 30s due to serious strikeout concerns. He gave up switch-hitting to bat exclusively from the left side and his K rate promptly decreased to a much more manageable 27.5 percent at Double-A in 2024. The improvement may have gotten him back on our ranked list but it wasn’t enough to get him on Detroit’s 40-man. Now he’ll get a chance to crack the Cubs’ infield instead. Gipson-Long didn’t pitch in 2024 after undergoing Tommy John and hip surgeries, but he’s still considered part of the Tigers’ organizational starting depth heading into 2025.

Twins
Added: Eiberson Castellano, RHP (No. 13)

The 23-year-old right-hander jumps up the Minnesota board on the strength of a solid three-pitch mix, highlighted by a mid-90s fastball and an above-average upper-80s changeup. His low-80s curveball also has its fans among scouts. Castellano used that repertoire to build a breakout 2024 season in which he posted a 3.99 ERA with 136 strikeouts and 29 walks over a career-high 103⅔ innings between High-A and Double-A. While he markedly improved his walk rate, he still has his best chance at working out of the Minnesota bullpen to begin his MLB journey with sights set on the rotation down the line.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

Angels
Added: Garrett McDaniels, LHP (No. 29)
Los Angeles general manager Perry Minasian talked about how difficult it can be to find quality left-handed relief help, and that was a big motivation in the Halos’ decision to take McDaniels from the Dodgers. The 24-year-old southpaw was finally fully healthy in 2024 and finished with a 3.19 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 73 1/3 innings across three levels, topping out at Double-A. His fastball touches 97 mph and draws plus grades, while his 87-89 mph slider can help miss bats too. That’s enough for him to crack the Halos’ shallow Top 30.

Athletics
Lost: Cooper Bowman, 2B/OF (No. 20)
Top 30 replacement: Logan Davidson, 3B/SS/OF (No. 30)
Bowman felt tailor-made to be a Rule 5 pick as a plus-plus runner with a versatile defensive history and upper-level experience, but the A’s decided to risk losing him by leaving him off the 40-man, allowing the Reds to swoop in. Bowman is replaced by one of his Triple-A Las Vegas teammates in Davidson, who has similarly seen time on both the dirt and grass. The 2019 first-rounder hit a career-high 15 homers in 2024, spending it mostly in the Pacific Coast League, and his above-average exit velocities proved the slugging jump was real and not desert-manufactured. He’ll still have to improve his contact rate to stick in the Majors in 2025.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Mets
Lost: Mike Vasil, RHP (No. 18)
Top 30 replacement: Eli Serrano III, OF (No. 30)

Vasil was set to fall down the Mets’ Top 30 in this offseason’s update after a rough Triple-A season in which he posted a 6.04 ERA and 18 percent K rate in 134 innings. He was first selected by the Phillies before being traded to the Rays for cash considerations. Tampa Bay will hope to get him back to 2023 form, perhaps starting by eliminating a four-seam fastball that Triple-A hitters slugged .753 against last year. Serrano hops into New York's Top 30 months after being selected in the fourth round in the 2024 Draft. The North Carolina State product is a bat-first outfielder with simple mechanics from the left side, and given his 6-foot-5 size, there could be room for more power in there too.

Nationals
Added: Evan Reifert, RHP (No. 26)

Reifert's 82-85 mph slider might be the best pitch in this Rule 5 Draft class. The breaking ball generated a 70 percent whiff rate at Double-A Montgomery in '24, thanks to impressive drop and difficult tunneling out of the right-hander’s low three-quarters delivery. It’s a pitch Washington should have him lean on heavily against both righties and lefties, though his 94-97 mph fastball is solid too. Reifert’s previous battles with command likely kept him off Tampa Bay’s 40-man, but there’s high-leverage relief upside here for the Nats if they can help Reifert keep those in the past.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers
Added: Connor Thomas, LHP (No. 30)

The Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Year in 2022, Thomas featured at St. Louis’ Triple-A affiliate in four consecutive seasons but never broke through to the Majors, even when he was on the 40-man for a spell. He moved to Memphis’ bullpen in '24 and posted a 2.89 ERA in 90 1/3 innings, helping his Rule 5 case. The 5-foot-11 southpaw is a throwback with subpar velocity on his 88-91 mph sinker but gets a ton of ground-ball contact. His 81-83 mph sweeping slider is a standout pitch, while his upper-80s cutter offers a sharper option. His ability to keep the ball on the dirt could be a perfect fit for a Brewers club that employs stellar defenders Brice Turang and Joey Ortiz on the infield.

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Cubs
Added: Gage Workman, 3B/SS (No. 29)

As mentioned above, it took Workman’s significant offensive turnaround to get back on Detroit’s Top 30, and he’ll need to carry that to Chicago if he’s going to stick in Wrigleyville. That said, the Cubs won’t need him to be an everyday player, and Workman brings other skills that should strengthen his case, namely above-average speed and a plus glove. His 55-grade arm strength helped him get time at third base in Double-A last year, but he’s still athletic enough to handle shortstop when needed. There’s a decent floor here, as long as Workman doesn’t rack up a strikeout rate above 35 percent in his MLB looks.

Reds
Added: Cooper Bowman, 2B/OF (No. 26)

Jonathan India’s trade to the Royals this offseason allowed Matt McLain to slide into the second-base role full time and opened a spot for a bench infielder on Cincinnati’s roster. Enter Bowman, who stole 43 bags last year between Double-A and Triple-A. That same plus-plus speed helped him play a good amount of center field at the Minors’ top level in '24 too. That versatility should be an asset for his MLB chances. He’ll need to cut down on chasing and show better power after struggling in both areas in Triple-A.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

Padres
Added: Juan Nuñez, RHP (No. 11)

A.J. Preller is known for taking big swings in all types of transactions, and this might be another. On one hand, Nuñez has the deepened arsenal and relative success to project as a potential backend starter in the Majors. Those types are hard to find in the Rule 5 Draft. On the other, he’s a 24-year-old with no upper-level experience and a recent shoulder injury. Those types typically don’t stick in The Show, especially for clubs with World Series aspirations. Nonetheless, Padres brass are willing to give Nuñez at least a look in spring, and given how shallow their system is because of other aggressive trades, the former Oriole slides into a prominent spot on San Diego's Top 30.