In baseball's most unique off-season tradition, 15 players were drafted in the major-league portion of Wednesday's Rule 5 Draft.
Holding the seventh pick in the draft, the Toronto Blue Jays added right-handed pitcher Angel Bastardo from the Boston Red Sox farm system.
Bastardo, 22, threw 45.1 innings at double-A in 2024, posting a 5.36 ERA and a 26.6-per-cent strikeout rate in 10 starts.
The six-foot-one Venezuelan underwent Tommy John surgery midway through the 2024 season and is expected to miss much of the 2025 campaign.
Bastardo features a four-pitch mix, including a fastball that can reach 97 m.p.h., a changeup, slider and curveball, per Baseball America.
Baseball America had Bastardo ranked as the No. 27 prospect in Boston's system, saying that he could emerge as a low-rotation starter or multi-inning reliever.
For any selections, teams pay the player's former team $100,000. All players selected in the MLB portion must remain on their new MLB team's 26-man roster for the entire season — or the injured list if they get hurt — or they will placed on outright waivers and, if they clear, offered back to their original team for $50,000.
If they aren't able to reach the requisite 90 days of time on the active roster due to injury, the requirements roll over to the following season.
The Chicago White Sox kicked the draft off by selecting right-handed pitcher Shane Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers' farm system first overall.
Smith, a six-foot-four, 24-year-old, threw 94.1 innings across two levels in 2024, posting a 3.05 ERA and striking out 113 batters. He spent time as both a starter and reliever, only working out of the bullpen once he reached triple-A.
His fastball averaged 94.3 m.p.h. and topped out at 96 in triple-A, an offering he combines with a hard slider and curveball.
Canadian catcher Liam Hicks was selected second overall by the Miami Marlins. The former Detroit Tigers catcher was originally drafted by the Texas Rangers in 2021. The Toronto native was traded to Detroit in a mid-season deal for Carson Kelly.
Hicks spent the entire season at double-A, slashing .264/.379/.357 with six home runs and 20 doubles.
To be eligible for the draft, players who were signed at 18 or younger must have made the 40-man roster within five seasons and players who signed at 19 or older within four.
The Blue Jays also made a pair of selections in the minor-league phase of the draft, which doesn't have any requirements for players to stick with their new club.
Toronto picked right-handed pitcher Richard Gallardo from the Chicago Cubs' system in the first round.
Gallardo, 23, threw 16.1 innings at double-A in 2024, striking out 17 hitters with a 6.06 ERA. A six-foot-one hurler from Venezuela, Gallardo made his pro debut in 2019 and has served as a starting pitcher throughout his time in the minors.
In the second round, the Blue Jays dipped into the Cubs' minor-league system again, selecting 24-year-old outfielder Jacob Wetzel.
A five-foot-nine centre fielder, Wetzel posted an .828 OPS across two levels in 2024. The left-handed hitter smacked eight homers, 17 doubles and 12 triples, adding 19 stolen bases in 91 games between low- and high-A.
The Blue Jays also lost some talent in the minor-league portion of the draft, as the Brewers selected outfielder Garrett Spain with the 25th pick of the first round.
Spain was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 15th round of the 2021 draft.
The 24-year-old spent the majority of 2024 at double-A New Hampshire but got a taste of triple-A, joining the Buffalo Bisons for two games.
Spain slashed .167/.249/.301 in 104 games across both levels. He hit 11 home runs and stole 12 bases, but struck out 102 times in 377 plate appearances.
68 total players were ultimately selected in the minor-league phase.
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