Rule 5 Eligible 2025

[BrewersRice]

As we think about minor league depth and trade deadlines I often find myself curious about who is Rule 5 eligible next year. It would be great to have this easily accessible and maybe get early thoughts on who they add to the 40 man. Since these are still minor leaguers I figured it would be best here. 

[BrewersRice]

According to FanGraphs Data:

AAA-R5

Nick Kahle

Ernesto Martinez

Anthony Seigler

Raynel Delgado

Freddy Zamora

Jimmy Herron

Coleman Crow

Ryan Middendorf

Garrett Stallings

Blake Holub

AAA-FA

Bobby Dalbec

Bruce Zimmermann

Thomas Pannone

Joel Payamps

Vinny Nittoli

Tyler Jay

Jesus Liranzo

Josh Maciejewski

J.B. Bukauskas

 

 

 

[BrewersRice]

AA-R5 Some are probably FA as well

Matthew Wood

Darrien Miller

Ramon Rodriguez

Ethan Murray

Eric Brown Jr.

Zavier Warren

Garret Spain

Bladimir Restituyo

Jeremy Vargas

Alexander Cornielle

Tyler Woessner

Brian Fitzpatrick

Zack Peek

Nate Peterson

Abdiel Mendoza 

Justin Yeager

Nick Merkel

Stiven Cruz

Russel Smith

[BrewersRice]

Notable A+ R5

Jadher Areinamo

Eduardo Garcia

Patricio Aquino

[Jim Goulart]

My official article on the Brewers minor league free agents-to-be will be out this weekend, with the official Rule 5 eligible article by early next week.

We understand everyone's interest!

Wish me luck, I've also got 12 Link Report games over the next 48 hours!

Just a bit more patience, thanks...

[ClosetBrewerFan]

I'll post a few key players that I think will be in consideration for 40 man roster adds this offseason:

Minor league free agents: Coleman Crow, Ernesto Martinez, Alexander Cornielle, Garrett Stallings, Justin Yeager, Eduardo Garcia, Anthony Seigler

This is the the largest group of minor league free agents that I can recall that have a reasonable chance of being protected.  Crow is probably a lock and Ernesto also very close. Keep your eye on the others as possible trade candidates if the Brewers are going to be Buyers at the trade deadline.  All are having good seasons and have value.

Rule 5:  Jadher Areinamo, Hedbert Perez, Freddy Zamora, Zavier Warren,  Matthew Wood,  Will Childers,  Brian Fitzpatrick.

Jadher is likely a lock. We shall see how the second half ends up on the remaining.  The Brewers will have 4-5 open spots to protect players so they can protect quite a few these players but wont be able to protect them all.  Will they learn from the Shane Smith situation or will they role the dice again?

[ghostdrew]

Not sure how Matt wood is even on this list 

[Joseph Zarr]

Yeah, just a heads up to any and all, as Jim alludes to above he writes an annual Rule 5 article. He lists all the confirmed Rule 5 eligibles (sometimes vetted by the org contacts themselves). It's great to see people are thinking about this! Don't fret if this thread gets locked and the conversation gets migrated there. It's an annual tradition. Last season we may have had some spirited dialogue about a certain White Sox starter.

[RedStickBrew]

11 hours ago, Jim Goulart said:

My official article on the Brewers minor league free agents-to-be will be out this weekend, with the official Rule 5 eligible article by early next week.

We understand everyone's interest!

Wish me luck, I've also got 12 Link Report games over the next 48 hours!

Just a bit more patience, thanks...

[BrewerFan]

On 6/20/2025 at 4:14 AM, Jim Goulart said:

My official article on the Brewers minor league free agents-to-be will be out this weekend, with the official Rule 5 eligible article by early next week.

We understand everyone's interest!

Wish me luck, I've also got 12 Link Report games over the next 48 hours!

Just a bit more patience, thanks...

Should be a fun one. As you'll go into far greater detail, I'll it a go. 

This seems as though it's going to be tougher than normal. I see 15 players who COULD be removed or will be via Free Agency. Those underlined are FAs. 

I have Quintana, Rob Zastryzny(depending on the year, trade perhaps, but 0 options), Hoskins, Cortes, Woodruff, E. Rodgriguez, Haase(guessing they go with Quero, but with Hoskins leaving, I MIGHT keep him), Tyler Alexander, Daz Cameron, Easton McGee, Connor Thomas, Monasterio or Dunn, Avans, Grant Anderson?

-POSSIBLE re-signings
Woodruff...there are a dozen variables. Does he pitch well enough to earn another deal, does he limp along and the Brewers take another Jimmy Nelson flier hoping he will. Does he only start to return 

-Hasse
Good catchers are not easy to find, Dinges is coming along great, but can Siegler really catch at the MLB level? Might be good to have a 3rd option with Quero and Contreras. 
-Quintana?
I don't think so, but... you'd be crazy to not want him back at ~2.5M. But I suspect after a year with this Brewers defense, ~160IP and a ~3.90 ERA, he'll get 10-12 elsewhere. 

I might be jumping the gun on Zastyzny. He's been p

Zastryzny - He's been pretty effective, I'm just looking at Ashby, Hall, Koenig...and perhaps Manfredi?

 

Anthony Seigler-I have no idea what's up with him. I read his scouting reports from the day with the Yankees and he has pop times of 1.87 to 1.97, he's smooth as a receiver, I have watched less MiLB this year than ever before(I watched a ton before last year).

Coleman Crow, Seems like he's finally healthy and throwing well. 
Etnesto Martinez both seem like locks (never thought I'd say that about Martinez). Martinez has become a selective hitter with power. I feel like he could put up a ~.225/.335/450 line and play great defense at 1st.

Freddy Zamora? I don't know if he's more than a defensive SS who'll put up a .600 OPS, but he's playing well.
Ethan Murray? Is he a prospect still or if he just putting up numbers this year.

Russell Smith-6'7 lefty that throws mid 90s out of the pen (Though I've seen very little of him, so I'm going off the scouting report. I thought he was low 90s as a starter (more like 88-92) but I guess in short outings.

Justin Yeager? Blake Holub? Both guys throw hard, but Yeager at least seems stuck. 

 

I'll go with Martinez, Crow, Seigler, Russell Smith I guess. 

We'll likely add 4-5 guys from other teams. And we're probably going to keep some guys on the 40 that I took off because...we always do... such as Jay over Shane Smith last year.... not going to sit here...thinking about what this team would look like with 6.5 years of Shane Smith, and Freddy Peralta with Mis coming up now and no need to give up the 33rd pick and Yophery Rodriguez(and a nice arm)....nope! Not....gonna do that!

 

 

But I look forward to hearing from someone who knows more than just the box scores. 

[BrewerFan]

On 6/20/2025 at 12:17 PM, ghostdrew said:

Not sure how Matt wood is even on this list 

This will be his 4th year in the organization. 

4 years...signed after he was 19. 

And if you're questioning him being worthy...given it's just a comprehensive list, that'd explain that. But also; .280/.377/.520 line in AA. 

Seems like the type of catcher the Brewers should try and keep around. And that's with a .244 BABIP. 

[ghostdrew]

49 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

This will be his 4th year in the organization. 

4 years...signed after he was 19. 

And if you're questioning him being worthy...given it's just a comprehensive list, that'd explain that. But also; .280/.377/.520 line in AA. 

Seems like the type of catcher the Brewers should try and keep around. And that's with a .244 BABIP. 

Drafted at 21 not 19 easy enough to just check his baseball reference page

[BrewerFan]

2 minutes ago, ghostdrew said:

Drafted at 21 not 19 easy enough to just check his baseball reference page

.

Right...and notice I didn't say he was drafted and signed WHEN he was 19. I said AFTER he was 19. 

59 minutes ago, BrewerFan said:

4 years...signed after he was 19. 

 If you're 18 or younger when you sign(as of June that year) you have 5 years before you're rule 5 Eligible.

If you're 19 or older when you signed, you have 4 years. 

 

It's easy enough to look up Rule5 Eligibility. 

[ghostdrew]

1 hour ago, BrewerFan said:

.

Right...and notice I didn't say he was drafted and signed WHEN he was 19. I said AFTER he was 19. 

 If you're 18 or younger when you sign(as of June that year) you have 5 years before you're rule 5 Eligible.

If you're 19 or older when you signed, you have 4 years. 

 

It's easy enough to look up Rule5 Eligibility. 

So your saying that all class of 22 drafted players are all rule 5 eligible ok then 

[CheeseheadInQC]

2 hours ago, ghostdrew said:

So your saying that all class of 22 drafted players are all rule 5 eligible ok then 

Not Adams or O’Rae, but I think they were the only prep picks that signed that year.

[ClosetBrewerFan]

2 minutes ago, CheeseheadInQC said:

Not Adams or O’Rae, but I think they were the only prep picks that signed that year.

Adams, O'Rae, and Reece Walling all signed when they were younger than 19 so they are not eligible.  All other 2022 drafted or UDFA players are rule 5 eligible.

[CheeseheadInQC]

Just now, ClosetBrewerFan said:

Adams, O'Rae, and Reece Walling all signed when they were younger than 19 so they are not eligible.  All other 2022 drafted or UDFA players are rule 5 eligible.

Thanks, forgot that was the year Walling signed.

[BrewerFan]

12 hours ago, ghostdrew said:

So your saying that all class of 22 drafted players are all rule 5 eligible ok then 

No, that's not what I'm saying.

I'm saying what I said;

 

 If you're 18 or younger when you sign(as of June that year) you have 5 years before you're rule 5 Eligible.

If you're 19 or older when you signed, you have 4 years. 

 

So being as Wood, a player drafted out of COLLEGE was older than 19, he is rule 5 eligible.

HS players...are usually going to have 5 years(Bitonti for example or Payne from last year). 

 

I'll just cut and paste this here so as to clear up any confusion.

 

Quote

 

Minor league baseball players become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft based on their age at signing and the number of seasons they've spent in professional baseball:

• Players signed at age 18 or younger: Eligible after five seasons.

• Players signed at age 19 or older: Eligible after four seasons.

Eligibility applies to players not on their team's 40-man roster. The Rule 5 Draft is held annually in December during MLB's Winter Meetings. Teams must finalize their 40-man rosters by mid-November to protect eligible players from selection. mlb.comsoxprospects.com+15mlb.com+15blogs.fangraphs.com+15dodgerblue.com+4soxprospects.com+4brewcrewball.com+4en.wikipedia.org+11en.wikipedia.org+11thesportscast.net+11en.wikipedia.org+6baseball-reference.com+6milb.com+6minorleagueball.com+1nypost.com+1

For example, a player signed at age 19 in 2021 would become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft in December 2025 if not added to the 40-man roster.

Players selected in the Rule 5 Draft must remain on the selecting team's 26-man active roster for the entire following season. If the player is removed from the roster, they must be offered back to their original team.

 

So College player-19 or older.

HS players-18 or younger.

[Lathund]

Crow, Martinez, Seigler are the clear ones to me. 

Beyond that it depends a lot on what else they do with the roster, and how they internally rate some of the players. Let's look at the bats first. I have no idea whether someone like Murray is legit better, or if his BABIP and HR/FB% surge is just a fluke; Brewers probably have a better idea, which will affect that. Same with someone like Zamora. Doesn't look like a candidate to protect, but strong SS defense doesn't need much offensive upside for someone to take a shot (See someone like Workman this year). So probably no on both, unless they really see something. 

Wood is an intriguing one. Someone I'd definitely want to keep in the org, assuming they think he'll stick at catcher. I think the catching part is the argument the other way too though; Not many teams will want to have a Rule 5 catcher on the roster for a whole year. So unlikely to get picked.  

Areinamo is a different kind of dilemma. A better prospect, with some real upside. And a 2B/3B/SS is the kind of player a rebuilding team could afford to have on their roster without needing too much offensively from them. I think he's probably still too far away to be picked, but depending on the rest of the season and an eventual AA promotion that could change. 

As for pitching beyond Crow I don't see many clear candidates. But I also don't have the data, or abiilty to analyze it, to find the breakout candidates from pitch data. Like do any of Stallings, Yeager, Cornielle, Holub, Smith etc have the signs of guys who with even small tweaks can get MLB hitters out? 

If they do, and the Brewers are looking at freeing up a lot of pitching space, then adding someone they think could contribute in 2026 on the taxi squad makes sense. But I'm not overly bothered with the clear relief-only guys without overwhelming stuff; Brewers keep finding servicable relievers for nothing, so it should really only be guys they can use straight away. The other side is if they genuinely believe in someone as a long-term truly impactful player (i.e starter or elite reliever). Probably someone in that group they'll protect,

I'll also make the general point I always make: Not many players get taken in the Rule 5 draft. Like you can make a list of 5-10 players who make some sense, and you would find at least a few in every org, but in the end there might be 15 players taken across the whole league as it's hard to find the right fits. Like even Martinez is in some ways not the kind of player that would normally be taken, but I'd protect him just to be sure. An absolute lock if he is also a minor league FA though; I recall something about a 2-year minor league contract so he might not be, but can't find it. 

So to sum it up; Crow will be a clear rule 5 protectee. Martinez and Seigler have a not-insignificant chance of being added during the season, but probably will be regardless. I don't see a clear candidate beyond that, but it's not unlikely that some pitcher will emerge looking like a MLB-ready reliever and be added. 

[Lathund]

I will say this though; with as deep as the Brewers farm is, the minor league phase of the rule 5 draft could see a fair few Brewers picked. 

[BrewerFan]

On 6/23/2025 at 2:25 AM, BrewerFan said:

No, that's not what I'm saying.

I'm saying what I said;

 

 If you're 18 or younger when you sign(as of June that year) you have 5 years before you're rule 5 Eligible.

If you're 19 or older when you signed, you have 4 years. 

 

So being as Wood, a player drafted out of COLLEGE was older than 19, he is rule 5 eligible.

HS players...are usually going to have 5 years(Bitonti for example or Payne from last year). 

 

I'll just cut and paste this here so as to clear up any confusion.

 

So College player-19 or older.

HS players-18 or younger.

So... @ghostdrewwhat exactly is it that you're disagreeing with? I see the notification where you disagreed. 

What exactly do you disagree about? There are MANY who are far better with the basic MiLB rules and whatnot, but this one is pretty simple, yet you misquoted me a couple times and you don't agree with this?

[harrydalton]

The rule 5 draft posts above relate to the 2025 December draft, not the 2026 as the topic headline states.

[Jim Goulart]

12 hours ago, harrydalton said:

The rule 5 draft posts above relate to the 2025 December draft, not the 2026 as the topic headline states.

Noted and adjusted.

[Jim Goulart]

As for the formal articles, this is your week!