The Winter Meetings conclude with the Rule 5 draft, which will be held on Wednesday afternoon at 1 p.m. CT. The Rule 5 draft is a way for teams to select players buried in deep organizations to give them a shot at a big league career. Players are eligible if they are not on a 40-man roster and turned professional at age 18 or younger in 2021 or at age 19 or older in 2022. Teams must keep a selected player on the active roster all season or offer them back to their original team. Last year’s draft had a few players who ended up making solid contributions, including catcher Liam Hicks (Tigers) and pitchers Shane Smith and Mike Vasil (White Sox).

The Royals have two spots available on the 40-man roster to make selections, but I would not expect them to be active. If they do make a selection, it is likely to be a reliever, possibly a lefty specialist. They could also look for a right-handed outfield bat to spell Jac Caglianone. The order is determined by the reverse order of last year’s standings for teams that have open roster spots, and the Royals hold the 16th pick.

Choate has a fastball that doesn’t break 90 mph, but his 6’8” frame gives hitters odd angles with his plus breaking balls and a terrific change-up. The 24-year-old had a 3.51 ERA with 123 strikeouts in 102.2 innings at Double-A as a starter, though his walk rate remains high.

The lanky 6’7” Auburn grad has bounced back from Tommy John surgery in 2022. He struck out 123 in 101.2 innings last year with a 2.21 ERA across High-A and Double-A. Mullins has a high walk rate, doesn’t throw particularly hard, and has a limited platoon split, so he may not be a great fit for the Royals, but his strong performance still makes him a viable candidate

Murphy is another “great results, meh stuff” guy who had a 1.38 ERA in 110.2 innings at Double-A, but with only 6.7 strikeouts per nine innings. His fastball sits at 90 mph, but he has a deep arsenal with a sinker, change-up, cutter, curve, slider, and sweeper. Lefties hit just .184/.235/.291 against him last year.

Natera didn’t begin pitching until he was 17 years old, so there may still be some projection remaining for the 26-year-old. He had a 2.84 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 57 innings across Double-A and Triple-A, featuring a plus slider. Lefties hit just .160/.300/.259 against him, but he does struggle with walks.

Selvidge is currently ranked as the #10 prospect in the Yankees farm system by MLB Pipeline, but is available because a bicep injury kept him out of action the second half of 2024 and the first half of 2025. He returned this year to post a 4.92 ERA with just 61 strikeouts in 75 innings with a high walk rate. He doesn’t throw hard, but features a plus sweeper and a cutter.

Webb doesn’t have exceptional stuff, but relies on his off-speed pitches to yield a 4.15 ERA with 119 strikeouts in 121.1 innings in Triple-A as a 26-year-old starter. His numbers in 2024 were much better, but he can struggle with walks and only throws in the low-90s.

The Iowa native has had trouble staying on the mound, but when he pitched in 2025, he was very effective. The 23-year-old posted a 2.04 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 39.2 innings, mostly in High-A. He throws in the mid-90s with a slider and curve, and finished the season strong.

Castillo seems like an odd choice to leave unprotected for a terrible, pitching-starved organization. The 25-year-old had a 2.94 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 52 innings across Double-A and Triple-A and features a plus slider to pair with a mid-90s fastball, although he can have control issues.

A former undrafted free agent out of Georgia, Childers has put up solid numbers the last two seasons, including a 3.20 ERA with 68 strikeouts in 64.2 innings last year. He did struggle with control upon his promotion to Triple-A, but he features a fastball that reaches 99 mph.

García would be a gamble, but he offers significant upside as a 22-year-old with strong strikeout rates. He posted a 1.70 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 47.2 innings across Double-A and Triple-A, although his walk rate was high.

There is a fair amount of buzz for McCambley, so he may not be available for the Royals. He struck out 83 hitters in 62 innings across Double-A and Triple-A with a 2.90 ERA and an average walk rate. The 26-year-old features a huge sweeper with 15 inches of break that yielded a 51 percent whiff rate, plus an effective cutter.

McGarry went unselected in the Rule 5 draft last year, and dominated in the Phillies’ farm system, striking out 124 hitters in 83.2 innings with a 3.44 ERA in 21 starts. Baseball Prospectus named him a top 100 prospect back in 2023, but he lost that status after some crazy-high walk seasons. It appears he has rediscovered his command, bringing a plus fastball, sweeper, slider, and curveball.

Peyton Pallette, White Sox

Pallette is a former second-round pick who is ranked #13 in the White Sox organization by MLB Pipeline. He posted a 4.06 ERA with 86 strikeouts in 64.1 innings in relief. He throws in the mid-90s with a curve and a change-up that produced a 50 percent whiff rate.

Petit is a polished minor league reliever who can step into a bullpen right away. The 26-year-old throws in the mid-90s a four-seam fastball, sinker, slider, and change-up, and posted a 2.44 ERA with 79 strikeouts in 66.1 innings across Double-A and Triple-A.

Pushard brings a large 6’4”, 250-pound frame to throw in the mid-90s. The 28-year-old had a 3.61 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 62.1 innings, and has generally posted good numbers at each level since graduating from the University of Maine.

José Rodríguez, Dodgers

Rodríguez throws in the upper-90s and features big-time strikeout numbers, but has trouble with walks. The 24-year-old Mexican native had a 5.50 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 54 innings across Double-A and Triple-A, but walked 5.8 per nine innings. He throws a solid slider and a change-up that netted a 67 percent whiff rate.

Santa was in the Futures Game and posted a 1.26 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 57 innings in Double-A before he moved up to Triple-A, where he struggled. He has a good array of pitches and nets a lot of ground balls, but he can struggle with control.

Right-handed hitting outfielders

Bleis is a former top 100 prospect who has only played 30 games above High-A ball. He hit .226/.314/.422 with 13 home runs and 20 steals in High-A, but struggled significantly in Double-A. He is ranked #13 in the Red Sox organization and has five-tool potential, but is not likely to be a contributor in 2026.

Cauley is a very versatile player with a lot of infield experience and 43 games in center field last year. He popped 15 home runs in 113 games last year and stole 28 bases to boot at Double-A. He hit .314/.429/.495 against lefties, and at age 22, could still have a lot of upside left.

Wichita fans saw Fedko excel this summer, as he smashed 20 home runs in Double-A before hitting 8 more at Triple-A for St. Paul. Overall, he hit .258/.367/.487 with strong walk rates and 38 steals in 46 attempts. He is capable of playing all three outfield positions, but is likely a corner outfielder and could serve as a useful role player.

Pintar doesn’t bring a huge bat, but he did hit lefties well, albeit in a pretty limited sample. He hit .269/.338/.384 overall with 23 steals, and could serve as a speedy right-handed bat to spell Kyle Isbel in center.

Another masher for Wichita, Rosario hit .256/.358/.487 with 25 home runs and 32 steals for the Wind Surge. The Hawaii native mashed lefties, hitting .293/.393/.561 against them and can play right field, making him a hitter that could spell Jac Caglianone.