CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cleveland’s front office has done it again – potentially. The Guardians’ selection of right-handed pitcher Peyton Pallette in the Rule 5 draft might just be the latest example of the organization’s uncanny ability to identify and develop bullpen talent that other teams overlook.
Pallette, the former No. 14 prospect in the Chicago White Sox system, represents a calculated $100,000 gamble that could pay immediate dividends for a Cleveland bullpen in desperate need of reinforcements.
“This guy’s going to get a long look in spring training as long as he’s healthy,” cleveland.com Guardians beat reporter Paul Hoynes explained on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. “As Stephen Vogt said, we’ve got four or five guys in the pen and we need eight. So Peyton Pallette could fit into that pen somewhere.”
What makes Pallette particularly intriguing is his journey to this point. Once projected as a top-10 pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Tommy John surgery derailed those plans. The White Sox still selected him in the second round, investing $1.5 million in the Arkansas product, and their patience was rewarded when Pallette found his groove in the bullpen.
The numbers tell the story of a potential late-inning weapon: 86 strikeouts against just 28 walks in 55 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A last season. While he sits around 95 mph with his fastball, his two breaking balls and changeup give him a diverse arsenal that could translate immediately to major league success.
Unlike the towering relievers that have become a Cleveland trademark – Cade Smith (6-foot-5), Hunter Gattis (6-foot-6), Tim Herrin (6-foot-6) – Pallette stands just 6-foot-1 and weighs 190 pounds. But in an organization known for maximizing pitcher strengths, physical stature isn’t everything.
“The one thing the Guardians do really well is they find guys that they can plug into their bullpen,” Hoynes noted. “They’ve done it for years, guys under the radar, Rule 5 or minor league free agents or free agents coming off a kind of an injury or a subpar year. Their pitching group is able to find what the identify what these guys do well and really take advantage of it.”
As a Rule 5 selection, Pallette must remain on Cleveland’s 26-man roster all season, or be offered back to Chicago for half of the selection price. This restriction might actually work in his favor, as the Guardians have little choice but to give him meaningful opportunities.
“It looks like he’s going to have a real good chance to make the club out of spring training and stick,” said Joe Noga of cleveland.com. “They don’t necessarily have to pitch this guy in high leverage situations. But maybe in games where they’re down and he comes in, gives them an inning or two and can strike out a bunch of guys.”
For a franchise that consistently gets more from less in the bullpen department, Pallette represents the latest opportunity to turn another team’s oversight into Cleveland’s gain. And with several bullpen spots still up for grabs, Spring Training in Goodyear just became that much more interesting.
Will Pallette be the next hidden gem unearthed by Cleveland’s pitching development machine? Tune into the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast for more insights as the Guardians continue building their 2025 roster.
Podcast transcript
Joe Noga: Welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes, fresh off a plane from the winter meetings back home in Northeast Ohio to much fanfare after being elected to the writers wing of the Baseball hall of Fame during the winter meetings. But Hoinsey, a lot went on on the last day of the the meetings down there. The Rule 5 draft took place and the guardians were active.
Paul Hoynes: Yes, definitely, Joe. They, you know, they came in, they went into the rule Rule 5 with two open spots on the roster and they used one of them to take a right hander, Peyton Pette off the White Sox unprotected roster. And they also took a, another pitcher in the triple A phase from Pittsburgh.
Joe Noga: Jack Kerry.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Jack Kerry, Exactly.
Joe Noga: Yeah. Paulette. The 14, the number 14 prospect in the White Sox system according to MLB Pipeline was between double A Birmingham and Triple A Charlotte in the the White Sox farm system last season. Arkansas pitcher who had a, you know, elbow surgery before the, what was it, the 2022 draft.
Paul Hoynes: Yes, yes.
Joe Noga: This was a kid who was a highly, you know, sought after prospect before that draft, you know, before injuring himself. And then, you know, the White Sox stuck with him and brought him along. A high strikeout guy.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, he was in 2022 going into the draft or early in the draft. He was projected to be one of the top 10 picks in the country. Fortunately, he had hurt his elbow, needed Tommy John surgery, but the White Sox still took him in the second round of that year, paid him 1.5 million. You know, they rehabbed him. They, you know, he started a little bit, but when they moved him to the bullpen, he really kind of took off. You know, his, his velo started playing up and he had a solid year last year, Joe, between double A and AAA 80, 86 strikeouts, 28 walks in 1552 innings. He’s not that big, you know, for a right hander. Usually you like 6, 5, 2, 20, you know, 220 pound right handers. But this guy’s 6, 6 foot about 190 and they were guardians were enth about his ability to fit in a bullpen. And Joe, I think with them being not desperate for, for relievers, but this guy’s going to get a long look in spring training as long as he’s healthy. Because as Stephen Vogt said, we’ve got four or five guys in the pen and we need eight. So Peyton Ped could be, you know, fit into that pen somewhere.
Joe Noga: Yeah, it looks like he’s going to have a real good Chance to make the club out of spring training and stick if they don’t necessarily have to pitch this guy in high leverage situations. But, but you know, maybe in games where they’re down and he comes in, gives them an, an inning or two and, and can strike out a bunch of guys. I mean those, those strikeout numbers are, are pretty impressive there. That, that’s a guy who can get through an inning. I just, you know, an innings eater like a Jacob Junas that you’re, you’re not getting back as a, as a free agent this year. You replace him for a fraction of the cost.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, you know, this, you know, he throws in around, kind of sits around 95 Joe. It’s got a, you know, two good breaking balls change up. So you know, he, you know, he has the pitches I guess from his days as a starter. And this is a guy that cost the guardians 100 grand. They’ve got to keep him on the 26 man roster as you said, with him being a Rule 5 guy. And if you know, it doesn’t work out, they sent gotta offer him back to the White Sox for half the, you know, half the purchase price.
Joe Noga: Now if you line this guy Peyton Paulette against or next to the guys at the back end of the Guardians bullpen, you’re, you’re talking Cade Smith, 6 5, Hunter Gattis, 6 6, you know, Tim Heron, 6 6. One of these things is not like the other. This is Peyton Paletta, a six 1,190 pound right here like you said. But, but you know, Matt Festa’s out there too and he’s, he’s not necessarily a dominating presence on the mound, but he’s a guy who pretty much pitched almost every day and would get you out of situations and was, was invaluable throughout the stretch run at least. Do you envision Peyton Pette maybe finding a role similar to that this season?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah. You know, the one thing the Guardians do really well is they find guys that they can plug into their bullpen. They’ve done it for years, guys under the radar guys, guys like they’re Rule 5 or minor league free agents or you know, free agen agents coming off a kind of an injury or a, you know, a subpar year. They, they, their pitching group is able to find what the identify what these guys do well and really take advantage of it. And you know, Pellet may be one of those guys.
Joe Noga: Jack Carey from Pittsburgh, another, he’s 26 years old, 6 foot 205 pound right hander, 5 and oh, with the with their high A Greensboro team. So this is a guy who really didn’t pitch too much in, in double A. Only three appearances there for the Altoona Curve with, with Pittsburgh. But you know, 3.62 ERA. Had a, you know, a nice, nice season in the minors. They obviously saw something here with Kerry. They got him in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. So you know, that’s sort of like how they acquired Will Wilson last year. But a guy who at some point could make his major league debut with the club maybe as a, you know, it’s a little bit of depth for the rotation at that.
Paul Hoynes: Definitely. It was a guy without any roster restrictions on him like Paulette. It cost him 12 grand to select him off the Pirates unprotected roster. Yeah, Joe, He’s a former 11th round pick in 2021, 26 years old. So you know. Yeah, I think he could help. You know, he’s a guy that, you know, probably we’ll see if things go well for him, we’ll see some time at AAA this year and maybe he’ll be ready for a, for a full, you know, hey, then keep him away.
Joe Noga: From Carl Willis and spring training because you know, he went to Duke. So you know, North Carolina’s, North Carolina’s own Carl Willis might, might not want to, you know, necessarily help the guy out, but no, I don’t think that’s the case. All the guys from down Tobacco Road are, they’re, they’re friends when they get in Arizona, they’re building depth there. Are they done to this bullpen or is there, are there more options out there? Maybe an under the radar type free agent signing?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, there’s, they’re, they’re not done, Joe. They can’t be done. They, they’ve been spending a lot of time looking at all the free agent relievers, lefties, righties, and there’s a ton of them out there, Joe. The minor league guys, the guys that were non tendered, there’s, there’s a, there’s. The market is full of, you know, relievers. I bet they bet they’ll bring in at least two more on some kind of deals. Either, you know, they’ve got one open spot on a 40 man left and you know, they’ve always signed guys to minor league deals. So. Yeah, yeah, I believe this is just the beginning.
Joe Noga: Well, the free agent market for relievers has been pretty robust at the top of the market, at least throughout the league. Robert Suarez signing with the Atlanta Braves. It’s being reported three years, $45 million deals. Again, I keep going back to what top end closers were fetching in terms of prospects or dollars. You know, you think about the record deal that Edwin Diaz signed with the Dodgers earlier ahead of the meetings. That just makes the loss of Emmanuel Class A as a, as a trade chip, a trade possibility just that much more painful for this Guardians organization.
Paul Hoynes: Sure is, Joe. And you know.
Paul Hoynes: You know, Chris Antonetti at the winter meetings, you know, just said we’re still trying to recover from losing Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Class A in the, because of the gambling indictment. So, you know, I don’t think it’s, you know, it’s not a matter of replacing those guys with numbers, Joe. It’s a matter of replacing them with talent. Where, where do you get a guy like Class A? You’re not going to find that guy unless, you know, you really identify him and go out and trade. You can see what, what Edwin Diaz got from the Dodgers and what Suarez just got. I mean that’s huge money and that, that’s the only way you find a guy like that or you get very, very lucky and then, and you do a good job scouting, which the Guardians did when they got Class A from Texas.
Joe Noga: Well, and it’s the value that they, that they could bring back in terms of prospects as well. You could have restocked your minor league system with, you know, one or two top prospects there. It really does hurt you and set you back in terms of that cycle from the trade deadline. So again, just a big problem, something that you have to keep reminding yourself of when you’re thinking of what the position that the Guardians are in right now is because they didn’t have those opportunities. We talked about the Rule 5 draft. We did not yet talk about the draft lottery which took place I believe on Tuesday night. The, the White Sox jumping up and a year after they set a record for futility and, and in, in a, in the 2024 season and didn’t come away with the top pick in that draft the next year. Now they, because of the draft lottery system, they do acquire the, the number one overall pick. It’s just, you know, a big step for that organization and they’re seemingly unending road to getting back into contention.
Paul Hoynes: You just remember how excited the Guardians were a couple years ago when they won the lottery and kind of came out of nowhere to get the first round pick. You can imagine, you know, one of the teams they finished just nosed out was the White Sox. So you know, you can imagine how happy the White Sox are about this can really, you know, they, they made it, you know, big step and improvement over last year be after the disastrous 2024 season. Really. They can’t, you know, they were just bad last year. They didn’t set any records as they.
Joe Noga: They weren’t, they were just bad. They weren’t historically bad. How’s that?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, exactly. Oh, you know, they’re, they’re turn. You know, they’re headed in the right direction and getting the number one pick which will give them access to the number one player in the country, whoever they believe that is. You know, that’s, that’s a big step for this franchise.
Joe Noga: Rock Chawalski. Chalowski. Rock Chalosky I believe is the, the consensus number one prospect. He’s a right handed bat from ucla. This is the guy who, from the, from the moment that the, the White Sox won the pick, this is the guy who it looks like he’s going to be. I think he’s a shortstop for ucla. Rock Chalowski sounds like a garbageman from Queens, but I don’t know. The kid looks like he can hit, so he’s 20 years old. Vallejo, California.
Joe Noga: Yeah, there you go. Maybe he knows Cece or Cece’s son. I don’t know. That’ll be the, the talk of the summer will be how. How the, the, the White Sox are are scouting Chalowski and where, where he ends up could be very interesting. I, I just. That’s. What a great name. What Years of covering, years of covering AL Central. Battles between the Guardians and Rock Chalowski. Come on, man, that’s great.
Paul Hoynes: He w eee guy, you know.
Joe Noga: There you go. Rock Chalowski, Chalowski and the Iron Chic are in a cage match with Nikolai Volkov. There you go. I can bring it all back. Yeah. So the draft lottery going to the White Sox trying to build something there. The Kansas City Royals jumping up. I think they got the sixth pick. I think three of the top six picks because the Twins are what, number number three?
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, number three.
Joe Noga: So there’s going to be a lot of, lot of talent coming into the AL Central for those three teams. The, the Twins, the White Sox and the, the Royals who are all going to be picking within the first six picks of the, the, the draft. The Guardians still not completely set on where they’re picking somewhere in the 19 or 20 area there. And, and then again at the end with a competitive balance pick somewhere in the 30s. But those numbers still have to be determined by where certain free agents sign in terms of the Competitive balance.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, you know, the, the teams outside of the lottery picks, they could vacillate a little, as you said, Joe, depending on the, the free agent market. Right now, Cleveland has a 19th pick and could come back and, you know, pick the first. Have the first pick in the, the first competitive round a. At. At number 29. So that’s, that’s interesting. That’s, that’s not bad. I mean, to have the two picks, two high picks like that when, you know, you win your division and, and you know, you really don’t fat, you know, you, you’re not factoring into the top 10. So they’ve done all right for themselves.
Joe Noga: I mean, it’s. We’ve said it time and again, this is a club that, that its future and its fortunes are determined by how well they do in the draft and, you know, whether or not they hit in the draft and, and produce. And we’ve seen how their success has been sustained by drafts like the 2016 draft that just seemed like that was the giving tree that, you know, it gave every branch and every, every bark and every leaf from that 2016 draft. And it’s still producing somewhere down the line. So, you know, they, they have another Dr. And this team will be set up for a good long time again. All right, Hoinsey, there’s, there’s still. Even though you guys were down in the sun and warmer temperatures down in Florida, there was some work being done back home. We see that swing camp was going on at Progressive Field. The new facilities at the ballpark after the renovations were done. The really nice batting cages and the, the areas where they can go and work out there at the park. Kyle Manzardo in town. Angel Martinez, David Fry working at swing camp. Cade Smith, the newly bearded Cade Smith showing up to do some. To get in some workouts. What did Stephen Vogt have to say about the guys who were putting in work here in December in Cleveland?
Paul Hoynes: Joe, he, he was very encouraged, you know, about David Fry’s health. Said he looked like, you know, he, he’s fully or he’s on the way to a full recovery from getting hit in the. In the face late last season by Tarek Skubal. You know, he’s really looking forward to having, you know, fry 100% at 100% and you taking advantage of his versatility like you did, you know, in the first half of 2024. As for Manzano, he said he’s had some conversations with Kyle. Kyle’s gained like 14 pounds. They want him to be bigger and Stronger so he can, you know, finish the season stronger and not kind of, you know, kind of hit a wall. You know, they believe, like a lot of young players, that’s what happened to him last season in September and the postseason. So, you know, they’re very encouraged by what he’s. By the progress he’s made. They want him, you know, they want him, Joe. They want him to be their everyday first baseman. They want him to. That’s what they want him to work, Work toward. And Martinez, they see, you know, he’s played a little infield right now. It sounds like he’s. He’s going to concentrate on the outfield, especially center field.
Joe Noga: So angel didn’t. Didn’t play much winter ball or did he play any winter ball at all, or was. Was he just sort of working with the instructors this year?
Paul Hoynes: He played a few games, Joe. I don’t think he played. Maybe played 10 games or any. Maybe he. He might. I don’t know if he’s. Obviously he’s up in Cleveland now, so he’s not playing now, but he might go back and play.
Joe Noga: But he didn’t. He.
Paul Hoynes: He played very little. He didn’t play a whole lot.
Joe Noga: Yeah. So, you know, some of these guys you talked about, like we talked yesterday about the prospects like Travis Bazana not playing in the fall league, but they, they get their swings and they figure out a way to. To get there, to stay active and stay sharp during the off season as well. Another thing that you guys talked about when you were down there in Florida, I know you get to. You have a nice little, uh, breakfast session with Stephen Vogt and, uh, and the guys there just to chat and talk. One of the subjects that came up was abs, and we’ve talked about the automated ball strike system, the challenge system that’s coming this year. We are going to talk a lot more about that this off season on podcasts because it’s going to be a major change. We heard Austin Hedges talk about what an important change this is going to be and how. How important it is for the Guardians to get ahead of and be the best at challenging. And he says the teams that are the best at. At challenging balls and strikes and using the system to their advantage are going to be the teams that, that do better and win championships. And so you know what Stephen Vogt’s philosophy on putting together the Guardians attack plan for this, who’s going to be. I think we’ve made it pretty clear on our podcasts and in our chats here that we think Stephen Kwan and Jose Ramirez are going to be the guys with carte blanche to sort of challenge whenever they want. But what about pitchers and catchers and the way that they challenge Joe?
Paul Hoynes: Not surprising. Vogt, being a former catcher, wants his catchers to really control the challenge situation. He says a pitcher, you know, going through his wind up with his head down after he releases the pitch is not in the greatest position to, to argue with an umpire or you know, to challenge an umpire’s call on a ball or strike, you know, wants, he wants the, basically the catchers to handle that, that challenge and the pitchers to pitch. So we’ll see how that works. But it makes sense. You know, Chris Antonetti added that a pitcher in the heat of the moment is not really doesn’t think logically. A lot of times he wants to strike, he wants a borderline strike. He wants the sure strike, he wants the high strike. There’s, there’s not a pitch that he doesn’t think, usually doesn’t think is in strikes. You know, you could go through your challenges awfully fast. So I think the catchers probably have a better perspective.
Joe Noga: Yeah, we’re so the guardians are going to be relying on Bo Nailer and Austin Hedges to be the calm, level headed voice of reason behind the plate and making those challenges all season long. Okay, I’ll buy that. That’s great. No, I just from that perspective I get what Stephen Vogt is saying, that a pitcher might not necessarily have the best look at it and a catcher, he does. I mean the catcher is going to have the same look that the umpire had. So I guess, you know, if they disagree about that then, you know, that’s when those challenges are going to happen. But I can’t wait to see what it looks like on the scoreboard when, when it pops up the first time and the place goes nuts. So I’m just thinking, I’m thinking about, you know, a warm night, warm Friday night in June with 35,000 fans in the stands and, and we’re all just sort of looking up at the scoreboard, waiting for the, the video game to pop up and, and, and everybody goes nuts. So see how that goes. I, from the, the hitter’s perspective though, you know, we’ve talked about this before. Stephen Kwan, obviously one of the best eyes at the plate in all of baseball. This is a guy who we’ve talked about has been victimized more than any left handed hitter since he entered the league on you know, just obviously bad strike calls or not or non calls by, by umpires His. His reputation sort of precedes him. But you think about Jose Ramirez.
Paul Hoynes: He.
Joe Noga: The. The number of times he, what, he struck out. He struck out only like, what, 75.
Paul Hoynes: Times last season, he struck out 74 times against 66 walks.
Joe Noga: I mean, that’s some pretty good, you know, discipline and knowledge of the strikes on there, too. Hosey just has a bit of a different reaction when he gets a call that he doesn’t like.
Paul Hoynes: Yeah, yeah. You know, he’s not real happy when. When a call goes against him, he kind of steps out and kind of sniffs the air like some. Doesn’t smell too good.
Joe Noga: Well, there you go. So it’ll be different, hopefully, and we’ll see the change coming up this year and as. As ABS becomes a part of Major League Baseball. All right, Hoins, that’s going to wrap up today’s edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast. We’ll wrap up the week on. And what a week it’s been tomorrow. We’ll talk to you then.
Paul Hoynes: Hey, Joe, thanks, man.