Pirates trade their only MLB Rule 5 choice to Rangers, lose single prospect

The Pittsburgh Pirates were quite active during this year’s Rule 5 draft. They took a player in the major league phase, and have already traded him to an American League West team. However, they also took a handful of players in the minor league phase - four, to be exact. While they lost one player (andthankfully not a notable one), the Pirates seemed to make the best of this year’s Rule 5 draft.

The Pirates had the fifth overall pick in the Rule 5 draft and used it on Carter Baumler from the Baltimore Orioles. The right-hander was a former fifth-round pick by the O’s in 2020. Baumler pitched solely out of the bullpen in 2025, working to a 2.04 ERA, 2.50 FIP, and 1.08 WHIP over 39.2 innings of work split between the Orioles’ Florida Complex League affiliate, High-A (where he spent most of his season), and Double-A. Baumler struck out just under 30% of batters with a 29.1% K%, and had an 11.4% walk rate. He didn't allow a single home run at any level.

Baumler throws in the low-90s with a curveball, slider, and changeup. He has suffered multiple injuries throughout his pro career with a history of shoulder issues, and his 2025 season marked the most playing time he has ever had in a single season. While he has less than 100 career minor league innings, Baumler has been solid when healthy. However, Baumler won’t appear in any games for the Pirates this season, as he was almost immediately traded to the Texas Rangers for Jaiker Garcia. 

Garcia pitched 19.1 innings for the Rangers’ Arizona Fall League affiliate. A former infielder-turned-pitcher who was signed out of Venezuela before the 2022 season, Garcia had a healthy 29.5% K%, but a mediocre 15.9% BB%. This has primarily been the story for Garcia since moving to the mound. Over 67.1 career innings, the right-hander has punched out 23.6% of batters, but has also dished out a walk 12.3% of the time.

Pirates add several players in minor-league portion of Rule 5 Draft

After the Pirates took Baumler in the major league phase, the Bucs kicked off the minor league phase of the draft by taking Junior Flores from the San Francisco Giants. Flores only pitched 10 innings between A-Ball and High-A this season. Flores has pitched 130.1 innings in the Giants’ system since making his pro debut in 2021. In that time, he has posted a 4.07 ERA, a 22.7% strikeout rate, and a 0.41 HR/9 ratio. However, he has been very prone to walks, with a BB% clocking in at 16.1%.

The Pirates’ next pick was left-handed pitcher Brandon Neeck from the LA Dodgers. Neeck was a ninth-round pick in 2022 by the Dodgers, and he spent his entire 2025 season at Double-A. Unfortunately, the results weren’t very pretty, with a 5.40 ERA, a 16.1% walk rate, and a 20.7% strikeout rate. But Neeck isn’t far removed from a solid 2024 season at High-A, where he owned a 2.85 ERA, 27.8% K%, and a much more manageable 9.5% walk rate.

The Pirates ended up getting two minor leaguers from the Rangers, as they took Kyle Larsen with their third MiLB phase selection. Larsen had a 4.09 ERA and 29.7% K% over 33 innings for the Rangers’ Arizona Complex League and A-Ball affiliates. However, he did have an unimpressive 11.5% walk rate. Larsen was a former 18th-round pick in 2022.

The Pirates’ final selection was from the Colorado Rockies: right-handed pitcher Bryan Mena. All 107.1 innings of Mena’s season came at A-Ball. He had a 5.62 ERA while striking out only 19.5% of opponents and walking 11.5% of them. Mena has 282.1 career innings dating back to 2021, with a 4.78 ERA, 10% walk rate, and a 21.7% strikeout rate.

The Pirates did lose one player in the proceedings: right-handed minor league reliever Jack Carey. Carey was the Bucs’ 11th-round pick in 2021 and has bounced between High-A and Double-A each of the last three years. He put up solid numbers in 2025, with a 3.63 ERA and a 3.35 FIP, while striking out 27.6% of batters and putting up a 9.6% walk rate. However, given he isn't a top prospect for the Pirates, and has struggled in the past, the Pirates opted to leave him off their 40-man roster. The Cleveland Guardians took him with the 18th overall selection of the minor league phase of the draft.

Although the Pirates didn’t add a significant prospect in the Rule 5 draft (as we expected), they did add a decent amount of organizational depth. The likes of Garcia and Mena are young enough that they have an outside shot of being diamond-in-the-rough finds.