Phillies make an eyebrow-raising omission from 40-man roster ahead of Rule 5 Draft

Major League Baseball teams had a busy day on Tuesday. The 6 p.m. ET roster protection deadline came and went, and now we know who the Philadelphia Phillies protected from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft next month at the MLB Winter Meetings.

The Phillies added right-handers Mick Abel, Moisés Chace and Jean Cabrera to the 40-man roster to keep from exposing them in the Rule 5 Draft. Unfortunately, the Phillies only had three open spots on the 40-man roaster heading into Tuesday, so they had some tough decisions to make with a number of notable minor leaguers eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this offseason.

While leaving prospects exposed to other teams seems risky, it's not as perilous as it sounds for most players. If selected in the Rule 5 Draft, the player must remain on his new team's 26-man roster all season, or he must be offered back to his original team. So young players who aren't ready for MLB duty are usually safe bets to leave unprotected.

Surprisingly, they still have a 40-man roster spot open after outrighting right-hander John McMillon to Triple-A but opted not to use it on well-known pitching prospect Griff McGarry.

Phillies leave Griff McGarry and Eiberson Castellano off 40-man roster and unprotected for Rule 5 Draft

Right-handers Griff McGarry and Eiberson Castellano join other notable names who were left off the 40-man roster by the Phillies, including Christian McGowan, Matt Kroon, Marcus Lee Sang, Tristan Garnett and Carson Taylor.

McGarry, 25, is the most high-profile name of the bunch. His struggles with command since being drafted in the fifth round in 2021 are well-known. In 2023, he was ranked No. 3 in the Phillies Top 30 prospect list by MLB Pipeline but has since seen his stock drop to a current ranking of No. 21.

After posting a 5.18 BB/9 in 2021, a 5.46 BB/9 in 2022 and a 7.50 BB/9 in 2023, McGarry's walk rate exploded in 2024 up to 10.23 BB/9. Despite an impressive 13.10 K/9 in his four minor league seasons, the walks are holding him back, even as the Phillies have tried to convert him to a reliever.

This past season, McGarry posted a 4.70 ERA and 1.92 WHIP in 30 2/3 relief innings in Triple-A. His problems followed him to the Arizona Fall League despite being named to the Fall Stars Game. He struck out 15 batters in 12 innings but also walked 11.

Despite his struggles with command, McGarry is a candidate to be picked in the Rule 5 Draft as another team might take a chance on his strikeout upside as a 13th man in the bullpen. There's also the possibility that the Phillies trade McGarry before the Rule 5 Draft.

Eiberson Castellano is exciting but young

Castellano, 23, was the Phillies' Paul Owens Award recipient this season as the team's best minor league pitcher. In 22 games, including 20 starts, he posted a 6-5 record, a 3.99 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP, spending time between between High-A and Double-A. He recorded 136 strikeouts and just 29 walks in 103 2/3 innings.

While his overall numbers look good, he was better in Double-A than he was in High-A. After his mid-July promotion to the Reading Fightin Phils, Castellano pitched to a 3.79 ERA and 0.99 WHIP over 40 1/3 innings. He racked up 50 strikeouts against Double-A competition while lowering his walk rate and issuing just nine free passes.

Seemingly not ready for MLB service, it would be surprising if Castellano is picked off by another organization in the Rule 5 Draft.

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