Our Annual Preview - Which Brewers Farmhands Qualify for the Rule 5 Draft or Minor League Free Agency?

[Jim Goulart]

You'll find the complete list of qualifying names within this article. Plus, this year, an imminent MLB lockout could impact Matt Arnold's Rule 5 roster decisions. We'll explain.

Let's kick things off with this Rule 5 primer reminder:

What is the Rule 5 Draft? (via MLB.com)

• "A draft that allows clubs that do not have a full 40-man roster to select certain non-40-man players from other organizations. Essentially, it is an avenue for teams to identify and give a Major League opportunity to players that they feel have been held back elsewhere. Players signed at age 18 or younger must be added to their club’s 40-man roster within five seasons or else become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players signed at 19 or older must be protected within four seasons."

Essentially, as it relates to this year's roster decisions, high school players from the 2022 draft would need to be protected should Matt Arnold and his fellow "Ivory Tower" collaborators so choose. That's why Jett Williams (Mets draft pick), Luke Adams and Dylan O'Rae are up for consideration for the first time, as are college selections from the 2023 draft, such as Tate Kuehner, Brock Wilken, Mike Boeve and Brett Wichrowski, among others.

The Brewers already have several players on their 40-man roster who would have been first-year eligible this fall - Luis Lara, Brandon Sproat and Craig Yoho. Then there's Cooper Pratt, who would not have been Rule 5 eligible until fall 2027.

Given all that and based on player performances across the board to be evaluated, there does not appear to be a true roster crunch facing the Crew's braintrust. Regular followers of MLB Trade Rumors might remember that every November it seemed as though an astute franchise like the Tampa Bay Rays would be forced to trade some of their Rule 5 eligible prospects for those a bit younger, simply because they faced a roster glut. That doesn't appear to be the case in 2026 for the Brewers, 

Despite middling numbers year-to-date, it'd be a surprise if Jett Williams were not added to the big-league active roster at some point this regular season. If he is not, then he's a lock for a Rule 5 add (barring any trade activity involving him, of course). So, it's several of the names listed below under the most scrutiny and consideration - Kuehner, Adams, Wilken, mix in intriguing pop-up candidates like fireballing Cameron Wagoner. 

But wait, there's a monkey wrench! When the 2021 lockout finally ended in March 2022, the owners and players agreed that no Rule 5 draft would take place. Is it likely that a similar situation occurs in the upcoming cycle? If an organization wants to hedge its bets on players who are fringe decisions - those who would be nice to protect but aren't slam-dunk choices - that would be a way to protect precious 40-man roster spots. Plus, it allows for another full season of player evaluation. The 2021 cancelled Rule 5 led to having a lot more first time-eligibles to consider for December 2022, but the Brewers navigated that potential glut just fine.

Please weigh in and interact with your fellow diehard prospect followers/huggers by commenting in this thread, which will be pinned to the top of our Minor League Forum all year. We'd love to hear from you! This initial post (the main article) will also be edited as the months pass whenever an eligible player is added to or departs from the Milwaukee organization for any reason.

Be sure to read through to the second half of this article where we list the players currently set to be eligible for minor league free agency in October.

 

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Rule 5 Eligible Players (44) -

* = First Time as Rule 5 Eligible

Nashville:

• 1B/3B Luke Adams*
• RHP Kaleb Bowman*
• RHP Will Childers
• RHP Blake Holub
• LHP Tate Kuehner*
• LHP Mark Manfredi, Sr.*
• C Eric Martinez
• INF Ethan Murray
• RHP Brett Wichrowski*
• 1B/3B Brock Wilken*
• INF/OF Jett Williams*

Biloxi:

• RHP Patricio Aquino
• RHP Ryan Birchard*
• INF/OF Mike Boeve*
• LHP Jesus Broca*
• INF/OF Eric Brown, Jr.
• OF Mark Coley II
• RHP Chase Costello*
• LHP Anthony Flores*
• RHP Yorman Galindez*
• RHP Edwin Jimenez
• OF Damon Keith
• RHP Nick Merkel
• 2B/OF Dylan O'Rae*
• C Edgardo Ordonez
• RHP Manuel Rodriguez*
• LHP Russell Smith
• RHP Cameron Wagoner
• C Matthew Wood

Wisconsin:

• INF Juan Baez*
• OF Luis Castillo
• RHP Daniel Corniel*
• INF/OF Daniel Guilarte
• 1B/OF Tayden Hall
• RHP Quinton Low
• RHP Bryan Rivera*
• RHP Will Rudy
• LHP Wande Torres*
• RHP Jason Woodward

Wilson:

• LHP Jose Meneses*
• LHP Anfernny Reyes
• RHP Josh Timmerman*

Maryvale:

• RHP Cesar Espinal*
• RHP Cole Phillips

 

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There are two aspects regarding this next list of names (minor league free agents to be). Last year, RHP Coleman Crow was on this list, and it was quite clear that the Brewers were not about to let him reach free agency, and the one way they could prevent that for sure was to add Crow to the 40-man roster in October, which they clearly did. Upon review below, there does not seem to be a glaring candidate for a similar tact. That's the first aspect.

The other aspect is that the Brewers will always be up for bringing back a player they like under a newly negotiated minor league deal, and players are often amenable to this. Just last fall, several players who you see listed below were enticed to return, among them Garrett Stallings, J.B. Bukauskas, Eduardo Garcia, Ramon Rodriguez and Darrien Miller.

One miscellaneous note - Biloxi RHP Edwin Jimenez (he'll turn 25 in December) is signed through 2027 already, as part of his own re-up last fall, since he signed a two-year deal at that time. He appears on the Rule 5 list but not the list below.

Minor League Free Agents to Be (23) -

Nashville:

• RHP J.B. Bukauskas
• RHP Junior Fernandez
• RHP Gerson Garabito
• INF/OF Eduardo Garcia
• OF Greg Jones
• RHP Reiss Knehr
• INF/OF Eddys Leonard
• OF Luis Matos
• LHP Thomas Pannone
• RHP Lyon Richardson
• C Ramon Rodriguez
• RHP Garrett Stallings
• RHP Jake Woodford
• INF Freddy Zamora

Biloxi:

• OF Dasan Brown
• RHP Stiven Cruz
• OF Jacob Hurtubise
• C Darrien Miller
• UT Jheremy Vargas

Wisconsin:

• C Blayberg Diaz
• C David Garcia
• C Andrick Nava
• RHP Yerlin Rodriguez

Thanks for following along as we document things for you in the coming months.

 

[jay87shot]

Jett and Luke Adams seem like Givens to me. Childers and Holub are probably at this point, I would rather have them over like McGee next year. Kuehner, Manfredi, and Wichrowski are maybes depending on how the season goes. I would add Cam Wagoner who has been on off the most impressive relievers of the season but he might need some AAA time. A lot will depend on how many roster spots there are. O'Rae and Wood could also play there way into a roster spots if given some AAA time this year.

[biedergb]

Adams and Jett if not traded are givens. And I agree with @jay87shot That Holub, Childers and Wagoner are possibles. O’Rae is a wild card, and I can foresee him, Wilken, Boeve in a trade package, as the team can’t add too many.

I also think after the rule V draft, there may be a long term deal with another prospect or two (like Made, Fischer possibly). So spots will need to be available then too.

But I see several players as potential trade options for teams needing prospects and give those players (Wilken for example) a fresh start elsewhere.  

[long ball]

I agree with you guys. Adams and Jett feel like locks to be added to the 40 man. And who knows, some of these pitchers may get forced into major league duty yet this season. 

[Jim French Stepstool]

Adams & Jett Williams, like many of you already mentioned.

I don't know if he'd get pilfered or not, but I'd be a little antsy about leaving Wagoner unprotected. If he continues to shine there are a few other pitchers on the 'maybe' list that I'd put him ahead of.

He's a man without a position right now but I've always liked Boeve as a hitter. However I don't think he'd be grabbed by anyone at this point so that's almost certainly one where you roll the dice (assuming he isn't part of a trade).

O'Rae's a tough call for me. Love the kid; he's sort of a poor man's Travis Bazzana. At the end of the day he's probably another one you leave open & cross your fingers, but he'd be more likely to get snatched than Boeve. I agree with @biedergb, these two & Wilken should certainly have their names brought up in the weeks to come when the phones heat up.

[wiguy94]

At this point I see trade candidates and not really anyone I feel really needs to be kept around and added to the 40

[igor67]

I suspect the Brewers will decrease the list a bit with some form of deal. Wilken and O-Rae strike me as prospects I'd like to deal as players who may have a lot more value in different organizations at this point. But Williams and Adams seem like definite adds to me.

[Fire Manfred]

Jett Williams is the only lock I see.  I would put Luke Adams at about 80%.  Matt Childers, Brock Wilken, Dylan O'Rea, and Brett Wichrowski as maybe-50% or less.

 

Stiven Cruz is the only maybe I see from the MiLB free agents to be list.  He probably should be bumped to AAA here to see if his stuff plays. 

[CheeseheadInQC]

It will be interesting to see the organization’s pecking order (if they choose to protect any) among the AAA pitchers. If they think Kuehner’s stuff plays up in relief, I could see him over Holub, Childers or Manfredi. Also, while I am not predicting this, if the control suddenly clicks into place for Birchard, he becomes an interesting dilemma as well.

[SF70]

Want so badly to see Williams & Adams in a package for a HL reliever or starting pitcher. Realistically, neither has a future with MKE, imo, but should have nice surplus trade-value.