3 Pirates prospects most likely to be poached in Rule 5 Draft

The Pittsburgh Pirates basically detonated their own 40-man roster to protect six Rule 5-eligible prospects — Esmerlyn Valdez, Wilber Dotel, Brandan Bidois, Jack Brannigan, Tyler Samaniego and Antwone Kelly — just to avoid bleeding out on draft day.

And yet? With the Rule 5 Draft now just a few days away, the Pirates still look like prime targets for other teams licking their chops.

If you want to know which names might sting the most for the Pirates when the Rule 5 card gets slapped down on Dec. 10, start here.

3 Pirates prospects most likely to be poached in Rule 5 Draft

Omar Alfonzo (C)

The Pirates didn’t lose Omar Alfonzo when he was eligible for the Rule 5 Draft last year. That just means the odds feel worse this year.

Alfonzo, the Pirates' No. 19 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, wasn’t selected last year. Now he’s older, more seasoned and more appealing as a depth catcher or utility piece who can plausibly survive a year on someone else’s bench.

Alfonzo may have hit .218 with three homers and 22 RBI at Double-A Altoona this year, but catching depth is always a mess across this league. Every team can talk itself into a Rule 5 catcher who “just needs reps” and “plays good defense” and “might hit enough to survive.” Alfonzo checks just enough boxes to make a rebuilding club think: Yeah, we can stash that for a year.

Anthony Solometo (LHP)

Anthony Solometo coming off injury could be what keeps him safe from getting poached by another team, but it could also be exactly what makes him Rule 5 bait.

Pitching-needy teams love the idea of injured upside arms. You don’t have to rush them. You don’t have to overload them. And you don’t have to justify the roster gymnastics if you can sell your fan base on “former breakout lefty with deception and upside.”

Solometo still has the arm, the weird angles, and the type of profile that makes a pitching department dream on late-inning relief or a sneaky backend starter. A team that’s not contending can stash him, baby him, and treat a Rule 5 selection like a free lottery ticket.

The Pirates know what Solometo could be. That doesn’t mean someone else won’t decide it’s worth finding out first.

Mike Walsh (RHP)

Mike Walsh may not be a name that most Pirates fans know because he's not flashy. But he's functional –– and for a reliever, that's everything.

Walsh is a 24-year-old right-hander who throws hard. He competes. He profiles like exactly the type of low-cost bullpen arm a team keeps around because they work.

Nobody is picking Walsh to be a future All-Star. They’re picking him because he looks enough like a big-league reliever that some manager will tolerate the growing pains. If you’re a bad team, you can absorb them. If you’re a bullpen-needy team, you convince yourself you’re one tweak away from a breakout. That’s Rule 5 gold.

The Pirates already went nuclear to protect six prospects. Six. That alone tells you how thin their margin is. But they couldn't protect everyone.

And when you’re forced to choose between upside arms, position-player depth, and defensive versatility… somebody inevitably gets left behind. This is what every rebuilding team eventually runs into: too many prospects, not enough roster space. It’s a filtering process no one enjoys.

The Pirates did their job by protecting the biggest assets, but Rule 5 Drafts don’t steal stars. Alfonzo can survive, Solometo can be hidden, and Walsh can pitch now. And in this league? That's more than enough for someone to make the call.