Phillies 2025 Rule 5 Protection Preview

On Tuesday MLB teams will need to add players eligible for the Rule 5 draft to their 40 man rosters in order to protect them from the major league phase of the Rule 5 draft on December 10 (they also need to set their AAA roster for the minor league phase, but that is not publicized). You can find the full list of eligible Phillies here. Currently the Phillies 40 man roster is at 30, so they have 10 spots, but some of those will be earmarked for major league contributors like Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, or their replacements. The Phillies don’t have enough eligible and good enough players to get close to filling those spots anyway, so there could also be a trade like the Curtis Mead/Cristopher Sanchez deal where they send a younger prospect out for a player a team does not have space to protect.

Lock to Protect

Andrew Painter, RHP

We have an entire ranking season to debate what happened to Andrew Painter and if we should be worried, but even if he is a mid rotation starter, he is a lock to be protected. He is potentially the Phillies #4/#5 starter out of camp and an in demand trade chip.

Almost Locks

Alex McFarlane, RHP

There are some warts with McFarlane, his control is shaky, he had a real problem with lefties, and he has not been a reliever that long. All that being said, he should be better another year removed from Tommy John and the Phillies are desperate for young under control relievers. With a fastball that sits upper 90s and a plus slider, he is an easy selection for a lot of orgs if he is available.

Gabriel Rincones Jr., OF

Rincones can’t hit lefties, isn’t a great defender, and doesn’t get the most out of his power. The Phillies are unsettled in their outfield which gives him a path to the majors depending on how the offseason unfolds. On the other side, major league ready with a real skill (hitting right handed pitching) is an archetype that is rarely available and often selected with some success in the Rule 5 draft. That makes Rincones an easy decision to make.

A Real Debate

Griff McGarry, RHP

“Is Griff McGarry an MLB pitcher?” is a legitimate question. His high end stuff is largely back, but he is now a 4-5 inning starting pitcher who has proven in many ways that being a reliever is untenable. He will turn 27 in June, so he isn’t young either. Yet, he is was very good for stretches of time in 2025 and the stuff is really good. The normal question here is “will he actually stick if he is selected?” and the answer is probably no. But that really isn’t a good question given what we saw with Eiberson Castellano last year and what we know about Griff McGarry.

I think if another team selects him they will try and force him into a bullpen role. It will probably go poorly because they don’t have time to ease him in or give him long warmups or outings. At best for the Phillies, he comes back and takes a little bit to get back on track to something. Worst case is it costs a full year for a guy who will be 27. That is probably the end of him getting developmental priority in the Phillies system. Last year, the Phillies exposed Castellano to the Rule 5 draft and the Twins selected him, put him in the bullpen and his stuff jumped and he nearly made the team, except that his control was not ready. Castellano hurt his shoulder and really limped through more injuries and ineffectiveness until he was no where near where he was in 2024 and just became a minor league free agent this offseason.

Leaving McGarry unprotected is just giving up on him because you don’t believe, which is a defensible position to take. If you still believe, then you protect him and work on developing him into something that will help the Phillies whether in the rotation or a slow return to the bullpen.

Good Names to Know, But Aren’t Getting Protected

Some of these names will come up in a couple of weeks when we talk about who may be selected, but these players are unlikely to be selected or stick. The Phillies prioritize players who can contribute to the majors in the short term and for the most part these players are a little distance away.

• Andrew Walling, LHP – Walling is a lefty reliever who can get the ball up to 97 with cut and then pairs it with two more armside offerings in a cutter and sweeper. He was actually better against righties than lefties and has some Matt Strahm vibes. Has just 5 AAA innings, and some control problems without the gaudy strikeout numbers to make you look past them.
• Caleb Ricketts, C – Ricketts is a catcher in a sport without catchers. He can make contact and is left handed, but virtually all of his power has come while batting at Reading and his throwing arm is bad enough to make most base runners automatic at stealing bases. Teams are likely going to want a catcher with more defensive chops if they are thrusting him into the majors.
• Daniel Harper, RHP – This spring, Harper was upper 90s, but he has had some injury problems and regression and was low to mid 90s the rest of the way. His control is kind of middling, and his secondary pitches lack a real bat misser to fall back on.
• Jack Dallas, RHP – Dallas is on the older side and was just ok in Reading. However, he can really spin a breaking ball, has a whole battery of pitches and can pitch multiple innings. He also showed increase strikeout rates in the Arizona Fall League. He isn’t going to be protected or selected, but he also could pop up as a MLB callup if they need a long man over the summer.
• Saul Teran, RHP – Teran had a great ERA on the year, but his strikeout and walk rates regressed as he climbed levels. His slider is a plus to plus plus pitch and he generally has good control. However, his fastballs top out at 95, he has sort of a slight build, and has 4.1 innings in AA. To top it off he turns 24 in March and lacks physical projection to throw harder so there is not more to dream on if you were to select him. Some teams may be intrigued, but he is probably 6-12 months away from actually being a major league contributor.
• Robert Moore, IF – Moore is a versatile defender who has not hit in pro ball, but he is in the upper minors with some defensive chops.
• Estibenzon Jimenez, RHP – Jimenez is a starting pitcher with middling fastball, good slider, and solid changeup. He has flashed more mid 90s velocity and bat missing ability in his relief appearances, so maybe a team that likes his slider falls in love with a conversion.
• Tristan Garnett, LHP – Garnett is a tall, funky lefty which may do it for some org.
• Tommy McCollum, RHP – There is a chance McCollum is a serviceable middle reliever at some point. He has a low to mid 90s fastball, good splitter, and fine cutter to go with control that comes and goes. He lacks future upside and current security which makes him a decent player to have in an org, but difficult to justify carrying on a major league roster.
• Felix Reyes, 1B/OF – Reyes hit a ton this year, but he has approach problems, a lack of position, and doesn’t seem to have drawn rave reviews from opposing evaluators.