Like always, the Rule 5 Draft took place on the final day of the 2025 Winter Meetings. As expected, the Boston Red Sox were active during the selection process, selecting an intriguing potential bullpen option while also losing one of their more notable prospects.

Right as the draft started, the Red Sox saw 21-year-old Jedixson Paez selected by the Chicago White Sox as the second overall pick. This is the second time in three years that the White Sox have poached a pitcher from the Red Sox, the last time being Shane Drohan during the 2023 Rule 5 Draft. Drohan was returned to the Red Sox and this offseason was added to the team’s 40-man roster. Paez signed with the team as an international free agent out of Venezula in 2021 and looked to be an interesting young prospect, as he made it to Salem by 2023 when he was just 19 years old.

Paez was known for his ability to repeat his delivery along with his command and control of his pitches, allowing him to limit walks. A five-pitch repertoire was made up of his fastball, cutter, changeup, slider and curveball, with his changeup and slider being his two best pitches. His fastball, on the other hand, held him back at times due to its low velocity. Topping out at just 94 mph, he struggled to miss bats with it despite an advanced feel for the pitch.

During his time in the Red Sox organization, Paez pitched in 73 games, making 58 starts and tossing 307 2/3 innings. Going 17-15, he had a career 3.22 ERA along with 307 strikeouts and just 49 walks. Paez also missed most of the 2025 season due to a severe right calf strain that led to him to making just seven starts.  

On the flip side, coming to the Red Sox is 28-year-old Ryan Watson, who was selected by the Athletics with the eighth overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft. The Red Sox made a deal with the Athletics, shipping infielder Justin Riemer to them in return for Watson according to MassLive’s Chris Cotillo.

Watson was originally drafted in the 39th round of the 2016 draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but instead went to college where he pitched four years for Auburn and went undrafted in the shortened 2020 draft. He would go on to sign as a non-drafted free agent with the Baltimore Orioles and would make his way up to Triple-A with them before being traded to the San Francisco Giants in August of 2024. This isn’t the first time Craig Breslow showed interest in him, as Breslow attempted to acquire him during the 2025 season.

Watson stands at 6-foot-5 and has a fastball that can touch 97 mph. To round out his repertoire are four more pitches in the form of a slider, curveball, sinker and splitter. As you may have guessed, his extension off the mound stands out, being close to seven feet. His main three pitches are the fastball, slider and curveball making up 93.2% of his pitches thrown in 2025, though against right-handed batters he was mainly a fastball-slider pitcher.

Watson spent the entire 2025 season with Triple-A Sacramento where he appeared in 46 games, finishing 33 of them and earning nine saves. He tossed 50 2/3 innings, striking out 64 batters and walking just 16. He also managed to keep the ball in the park, allowing just five home runs. Perhaps mostly importantly, he had a 28.3% strikeout rate for the season and got batters to chase on 30.6% of his pitches thrown out of the zone. Add to it a 28.5% whiff rate, and he begins to look like an intriguing option for one of the last spots in the Opening Day bullpen.

For those wondering, Reimer was drafted by the Red Sox in the fourth round of the 2023 draft and can play second base, third base and shortstop, though he is a light hitter. In 120 career games between the Rookie Complex League, High-A, and Double-A, Reimer hit a combined .239/.418/.287 with 12 doubles, one triple, one home run and 25 RBIs. He also struck out 89 times compared to 98 walks.

In the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 Draft, the Red Sox saw three pitchers — Eybersson Polanco, Alvaro Mejias, and Jonathna Brand — taken by the Los Angeles Angels, Tampa Bay Rays, and Texas Rangers, respectively. The Red Sox selected left-handed pitcher Caden Vire from Milwaukee, first baseman/outfielder Matt Lloyd from St. Louis, and catcher Raudelis Martinez from the Tampa Bay Rays.

With the Winter Meetings wrapping up, the Red Sox may not have made the moves people wanted, but they still got potentially better than they were prior to arrival. Watson should be an intriguing option out of Alex Cora’s bullpen should he win a spot in it. The Red Sox’s 40-man roster is now full.