The winter meetings ends with the Rule 5 draft and while there was a big trade in baseball, the minor moves still occurred. The day started with the Phillies expected to lose as many as 4 players and in the end they lost the one they expected to lose.
Major League Phase
Minnesota Twins select RHP Eiberson Castellano from Phillies
Eiberson has been all over potential pick lists after the Phillies did not protect him. He has a pair of fastballs that sit 92-96. They lack ideal shape, but he greatly improved his command and can elevate the 4-seamer for swings and misses. His power curveball (79-83) is a plus pitch and one he will need to lean on in the majors. He saw real growth in his changeup later in the season. He could project as a back end starter or middle relief. There is a chance he can stick, especially if he carves out a role in the bullpen.
Eiberson would have ranked in the late teens on my Phillies top 50.
Phillies select RHP Mike Vasil from New York Mets
…and may have traded him for cash (will update if official or if not).
…and traded him to the Rays for cash consideration. Considering that only one pick happened after the Phillies took Vasil, someone near the top of the draft hinted they would take him and the Rays offered a sweetener to the Phillies, who likely wouldn’t have picked, to jump and get their guy.
Minor League Phase
Phillies select OF Eduardo Lopez from the Boston Red Sox
Lopez signed for $1.15M with the Red Sox back in 2018. Since then he has not played more than 79 games in a season and has moved from center field to an outfield corner. Last year he hit .232/.343/.425 in a return trip to Hi-A Salem. It was the first time he hit for any meaningful amount of power with a large jump in HR/FB rate. He has always hit a bunch of line drives, but overall his profile looks light on bat for the defensive downgrades.
Phillies select RHP Enmanuel Mejia from the Tampa Bay Rays
Despite pitching the full year in AAA, the Rays opted to not protect Mejia after a terrible season. He put up a 7.83 ERA in 54 innings with 36 walks and 59 strikeouts. He has a mid 90s fastball with natural cut, but mediocre movement, a sinker with moderate drop, and an interesting mid 80s gyro slider. He missed more bats in 2023, but has long struggled with control. He looks to be org relief depth.
Phillies select RHP Augusto Calderon from the St. Louis Cardinals
Calderon is a 24 year old who has yet to get above low-A as a reliever in the Cardinals system. He has a 4.87 ERA last year, but 25 walks and 68 strikeouts in 61 innings was solid. He has a 4 seam fastball with more sinker like movement that averages just under 96. He has interesting changeup that he used almost as much as his fastball that had very high whiff rates, especially in the zone. He also has an interesting slider.
Phillies select OF Elio Prado from the Baltimore Orioles
Prado was once traded for Andrew Cashner in his first season in the DSL. Last year he hit .223/.332/.327 for high-A Aberdeen. He has played all over the outfield and has shown a little more power in the past.
Phillies select RHP Gabriel Barbosa from the New York Yankees
Barbosa was selected by the Yankees from the Rockies last year and then pitched as a starter for their Tampa team. He put up a 5.09 ERA, but walked 38 to 128 strikeouts. He throws a sweeper, slider, four seam fastball, changeup, and sinker. None of his offerings standout and his fastball sits about 90. It is sort of a weird set of movement profiles, which makes him intriguing.
Phillies select OF Isaias Dipre from the Pittsburgh Pirates
Dipre signed in August of 2019, and did not debut until 2021 due to the pandemic and then missed all of 2023 due to injury. He will turn 22 in June and has never played outside of the DSL. However, he hit .301/.441/.579 this year, which was the 7th highest OPS in the league. He appears to be playing winter ball in Columbia where he is teammates with Felix Reyes.