1. Rule 5 Concept today:
Baseball’s annual Rule 5 Draft will take place this afternoon at 1:00 PM CT. International players and high school draft picks signed in 2020 and college draft picks signed in 2021 who have not yet been added to their club’s 40-man roster are vulnerable in today’s draft, where any club can select them for a fee of $100,000. If the player does not stick with his new club’s 26-man roster for the entire season, he must be returned to his original club for $50,000. Teams must have free space on their 40-man roster to select a player in the draft, meaning the Twins, Orioles, Braves, Rays and Diamondbacks each must clear space on their 40-man roster before the draft begins to participate.
Players selected in the Rule 5 draft occasionally impact their team in the future, as a free agent outfielder Anthony Santander famously did after being selected in the 2016 Rule 5 Draft. In the 2025 draft, White Sox were right-handed Shane Smith and Marlin Catcher Liam Hicks stick with the clubs that put them on the 26-man roster all year long while they are right-handed Mike Vasil was claimed off waivers by the White Sox and also remained in Chicago all year. Smith in particular is notable for earning an All-Star appearance and down-ballot consideration in the AL Rookie of the Year voting thanks to his 3.81 ERA in 29 starts for Chicago. Will a similarly valuable rough diamond be unearthed today?
2. Can the Pirates pivot to Polanco?
The Pirates were among the teams most aggressive in pursuing slugger Kyle Schwarberbut after turning down the club’s four-year, $120 million offer, they could still look to reallocate at least some of those resources to other pursuits in their efforts to improve the offense. Pittsburgh has been linked to infielder Jorge Polanco in the past, and Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reported yesterday that the Pirates were expected to make an offer for the switch hitter’s services soon. Will Polanco be the big free agent that Ben Cherington’s front office has been working to land, or will they ultimately look elsewhere for offensive talent to back up Paul Skenes and the rest of their excellent rotation?
3. Ancillary market is buzzing:
The reliever market has been the busiest part of free agency so far this winter, and yesterday was no exception Edwin Diaz landed with the Dodgers on a three-year deal. Diaz wasn’t the only important name off the market yesterday either, as the Pirates signed left-handed Gregory Soto to a one-year contract and the Tigers went at it again Kyle Finnegan on a two-year pact. That takes three more late-inning weapons off the market and still leaves teams looking for top relievers who are running out of options. Robert Suarez is now the best option on the market and is attracting interest from a few new candidates, but it is by no means the only interesting option available. Brad Keller, Lucas Weaver, Tyler Rogers, Seranthony DominguezAnd Pete Fairbanks are all also still available after landing on MLBTR’s Top 50 MLB Free Agents list. Who will be the next to sign?
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