White Sox select Shane Smith first in MLB portion of Rule 5 Draft, 15 players taken in all

DALLAS — The Chicago White Sox selected right-hander Shane Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers pinch the apical prime successful Wednesday’s Rule 5 Draft.

Overall, 15 players were selected successful the major-league information of the Rule 5 Draft, including 14 successful the first round. The players selected successful the draught must stay connected their caller team’s 26-man roster (including the major-league injured list) for the full 2025 play aliases beryllium offered backmost to their original squad for a fee. Rule 5 picks tin besides beryllium traded, but the aforesaid rules use to the acquiring team.

The Rule 5 Draft, designed to support teams from stockpiling talent successful the minors, is typically the last charismatic arena of baseball’s Winter Meetings. Teams must person abstraction connected their 40-man roster to prime a subordinate successful the draught and tin take not to prime anyone. The draught ends erstwhile nary squad wants to make different pick.

With the first prime of the Rule 5 Draft, the @WhiteSox prime Brewers RHP Shane Smith.

Watch LIVE: https://t.co/fH2c1R6GEy pic.twitter.com/iPEa2VzuSw

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) December 11, 2024

Full major-league Rule 5 draught results

1. White Sox: RHP Shane Smith (Brewers)
2. Rockies: pass
3. Marlins: C Liam Hicks (Tigers)
4. Angels: LHP Garrett McDaniels (Dodgers)
5. Athletics: RHP Noah Murdock (Royals)
6. Nationals: RHP Evan Reifert (Rays)
7. Blue Jays: RHP Angel Bastardo (Red Sox)
8. Pirates: pass
9. Reds: IF/OF Cooper Bowman (Athletics)
10. Rangers: pass
11. Rays: LHP Nathan Lavender (Mets)
12. Twins: RHP Elberson Castellano (Phillies)
13. Cardinals: pass
14. Cubs: 3B Gage Workman (Tigers)
15. Mariners: pass
16. Royals: pass
17. Astros: pass
18. Mets: pass
19. Diamondbacks: pass
20. Braves: RHP Anderson Pilar (Marlins)
21. Orioles: pass
22. Guardians: pass
23. Padres: RHP Juan Nuñez (Orioles)
24. Brewers: RHP Connor Thomas (Cardinals)
25. Yankees: pass
26. Phillies: RHP Mike Vasil (Mets)
27. Dodgers: pass

The Braves took Guardians infielder Christian Cairo, boy of erstwhile large leaguer Miguel Cairo, pinch the only prime of the 2nd round.

To beryllium eligible, players must not beryllium connected a big-league team’s 40-man roster and if they signed their first master statement astatine property 18 aliases younger successful 2020 aliases earlier aliases if the subordinate signed astatine 19 aliases older successful 2021 aliases earlier.

Smith, 24, went 6-3 pinch a 3.05 ERA successful 32 appearances and 16 starts betwixt Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville past season. The Brewers signed Smith arsenic an undrafted free supplier pursuing 2021. Smith missed his freshman twelvemonth astatine Wake Forest pinch an injury, had his sophomore twelvemonth trim short by COVID-19 and had Tommy John room successful 2021. Smith went from Low A to Double A successful 2023 and sounded successful the Arizona Fall League earlier starting 2024 astatine Double A, yet rising to Triple A.

After putting up a 1.96 ERA arsenic a reliever successful 2023, Smith was a swingman astatine Double A, but each 5 of his appearances astatine Triple A were retired of the bullpen. Over 94 1/3 innings successful 2024, Smith struck retired 113 batters and walked 29. His fastball tin deed 98 mph, but sits 92-94.

In 2023, 10 players were selected successful the major-league position of the Rule 5 Draft, pinch six sticking pinch their statement for the full season, including past year’s apical pick, right-hander Mitch Spence who spent the full play pinch the A’s aft being selected from the Yankees. The different 5 players were Anthony Molina of the Rockies (from the Rays), Nationals shortstop Nasim Nuñez (Marlins), Cardinals right-hander Ryan Fernandez (Red Sox), Red Sox right-hander Justin Slaten (Marlins) and Padres right-hander Stephen Kolek (Mariners). Slaten was selected by the Mets and traded to the Red Sox, wherever he spent the 2024 season.

Spence, 26, was 8-10 pinch a 4.58 ERA successful 35 appearances, including 24 starts for the Athletics.

The minor-league Rule 5 Draft followed the major-league portion. Players selected successful the minor-league information tin beryllium assigned to immoderate minor-league roster successful their caller statement for the 2025 season.

(Photo: Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)

C. Trent Rosecrans is simply a elder writer for The Athletic covering the Cincinnati Reds and Major League Baseball. He antecedently covered the Reds for the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Cincinnati Post and has besides covered Major League Baseball for CBSSports.com. Follow C. Trent connected Twitter @ctrent