4 Pitchers Minnesota Twins Could Select in Rule 5 Draft

[Cody Schoenmann]

Image courtesy of © Lauren Roberts/Salisbury Daily Times / USA TODAY NETWORK

Late Tuesday afternoon, MLB organizations had to set their 40-man rosters, forcing club decision-makers to decide which prospects to protect from Rule 5 Draft eligibility. The Minnesota Twins elected to protect six players: pitchers Connor Prielipp, Kendry Rojas, Andrew Morris, John Klein, and position players Gabriel Gonzalez and Hendry Mendez.

All six could impact the major-league club in some capacity next season. Yet, Minnesota could add more reinforcements to its 40-man roster during the Rule 5 Draft on December 10, with hopes of them becoming immediate contributors at the major-league level. Here are four pitchers whose names are worth filing away.

Peter Heubeck
Selected in the third round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Heubeck has spent his first five seasons in affiliated ball in the Los Angeles Dodgers system, progressing from the Arizona Complex League to Double A. The 23-year-old has yet to break out; he doesn't throw enough strikes. He walked or plunked 13.7% of opposing batters in 2025. Yet, his fastball, slider, and curve all profile as above-average, making the career starter an attractive candidate to transition into a relief role at the major-league level.

The position group most likely to be targeted by Minnesota (and everyone else) in the Rule 5 Draft is relievers. That's just the nature of the draft. Heubeck is one of the more intriguing arms left unprotected, and given that his two primary pitches are a fastball and slider (a combination the front office seeks out in its relievers), the hard-throwing righty is an the Twins could select on Dec. 10. If picked by Minnesota, Heubeck would join Prielipp, Morris, Klein, and other young arms in competing for a spot in the club's Opening Day bullpen.

Peyton Pallette
Last December, the Chicago White Sox benefited from the Rule 5 Draft more than any other club, selecting Shane Smith with the first overall pick. The young right-handed starting pitcher earned an All-Star nod in his first season with the Southsiders, solidifying himself as a mid-rotation arm. This December, the Twins could give the White Sox a taste of their own medicine by plucking Pallette.

Sporting one of the most effective curves in the minors, the 24-year-old excelled at missing bats last season, generating a 32.5% strikeout rate over 64 1/3 innings pitched. The young righty complemented his curve with a serviceable four-seam fastball that hovers around 95 MPH and a plus changeup. He also has a slider with unusually good depth. A little refinement (adding a cutter, perhaps, or fixing the shape on his four-seamer) could turn him into a high-leverage weapon right away.

Jedixson Paez
Last offseason, the Twins selected Eiberson Castellano with the ninth pick of the Rule 5 Draft. It was a bet on his plus stuff carving out a role for him in the club's Opening Day bullpen. Unfortunately, Castellano's command was inconsistent, forcing the Twins to return him to the Philadelphia Phillies. Paez is the complete opposite of Castellano, making him an intriguing option if the club pursues a different type of reliever this December.

Landing in the 10th spot of Eric Longenhagen's updated Boston Red Sox prospect rankings, the 21-year-old Paez is described as a "command artist". Longenhagen hung a 70 future command grade (on the 20-80 prospect ranking scale) on Paez. The young right-hander has near-elite control over his secondary pitches, highlighted by a plus slider, changeup, and cutter. His primary pitch is a velocity-deficient four-seam fastball that hovers around 90-91 MPH. Still, if he transitioned to a full-time reliever, his fastball would likely see a velocity bump. Despite not pitching above High A, Paez is a fascinating arm who could blossom on the strength of his control.

Brendan Beck
The New York Yankees suffered a raid of their high-minors right-handed pitching talent in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft, with right-handed arms Mitch Spence, Matt Sauer, and Carson Coleman all being poached by other organizations. They got a reprieve last offseason, with no arms being taken by other organizations. Yet, they could be due for another mass exodus next month, after failing to protect high-upside arms in Henry Lalane, Brock Selvidge, and Hueston Morrill.

All three of these pitchers could be selected. Yet, the arm that stands out the most is right-handed pitching prospect Brendan Beck. Drafted in the second round in 2021, Beck has flourished in the Yankees' farm system, posting an ERA under 2.00 in his young professional career.

Sporting a plus four-seam fastball and slider and near-elite command, the 27-year-old mustered a respectable 3.36 ERA, 3.79 FIP, and a 23.6% strikeout rate over 131 1/3 innings as a starter between Double A and Triple A last season. The righty has operated exclusively as a starter. He would transition into a full-time reliever in Minnesota, with hopes that the club's pitching development staff would unlock more velocity from his fastball, which hovers around 92 MPH.

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[rdehring]

Timely piece with the draft a few weeks away.  Have a question and comment.

I assume the Twins will be drafting high.  Do we know what their first pick is?

You indicated that they "still have room on their 40-man roster."  Just checked to confirm, but their 40 man roster has 40 players on it.  So it is full.  Like most of us, I can see several outfielders who could be moved to open a spot.  Is there any specific date they need to do that to be eligible to make a pick in the draft?  Or can it be done the night before the draft?

 

[Dman]

I don't see the Twins making a Rule V pick this year.  They have a lot of young talent as is and Rule V players are hard to carry and take up a 40 man spot.  I would think any of the players they plan on dropping would be for free agent vets or possibly a waiver claim.

[FlyingFinn]

I think the Twins will draft a Rule 5 pitcher. We aren't planning on making the playoffs and that's exactly the time a team can add and hold that pitcher all year. He may only pitch in blowout games but it appears there will be enough of those to pitch in. It's not like our bullpen is overloaded right now.

[thelanges5]

21 minutes ago, rdehring said:

Timely piece with the draft a few weeks away.  Have a question and comment.

I assume the Twins will be drafting high.  Do we know what their first pick is?

You indicated that they "still have room on their 40-man roster."  Just checked to confirm, but their 40 man roster has 40 players on it.  So it is full.  Like most of us, I can see several outfielders who could be moved to open a spot.  Is there any specific date they need to do that to be eligible to make a pick in the draft?  Or can it be done the night before the draft?

 

Pretty sure it is just based on record in reverse order. Twins should have the fourth pick.

[DJL44]

The Twins should absolutely make a Rule 5 pick. Worst case scenario, they have to return the player like they did with Castellano. There are at least 8 players on the 40-man roster they should cut. They have an opportunity in the bullpen to add a reliever.

They should also be scouring the market for minor league free agents to add to the Saints roster.

[sweetmusicviola16]

Yes we should make a selection in the rule5. It will cost $50,000 to get a close look at a prospect. It would be dumb not to. And if we lose one of a dozen players currently on the 40 man who cares? Which the loss of that player isn't a given either. I'm wondering about C and 1B also of who might be available. 

[Cody Schoenmann]

10 minutes ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

Yes we should make a selection in the rule5. It will cost $50,000 to get a close look at a prospect. It would be dumb not to. And if we lose one of a dozen players currently on the 40 man who cares? Which the loss of that player isn't a given either. I'm wondering about C and 1B also of who might be available. 

I have a piece on three position players they could select in the Rule 5 Draft coming out later this week!

[Trov]

I think the biggest question for the FO is are they looking for a possible pen arm to help this year, or a stash guy to help in the future.  The 21 year old would need to be hidden in pen most likely all year, or work out a trade to keep him if they like him.  The others appear to most likely pen guys long term anyways, but could be more helpful during the season.

[DJL44]

I like CJ Culpepper better than a couple of these guys

[Cody Schoenmann]

4 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I like CJ Culpepper better than a couple of these guys

I don't anticipate Culpepper getting poached in the draft. Also, I think he's still worth developing as a starting pitcher. Pallette, Heubeck, and Beck (maybe not Paez) are better-suited to transition into relievers. 

[sweetmusicviola16]

36 minutes ago, Cody Schoenmann said:

I don't anticipate Culpepper getting poached in the draft. Also, I think he's still worth developing as a starting pitcher. Pallette, Heubeck, and Beck (maybe not Paez) are better-suited to transition into relievers. 

I like Culpepper too and I hope they don't lose him. But I'm guessing that they are gambling that the teams that would draft a rule 5 are viewing CJ's question marks and will select guys like you pointed out instead. I would have preferred a non gamble and cut chase with a Gasper or Kreidler or Kiersey instead. Which we'll end up doing if we do select someone anyway. I like Pallette the most of these prospects. 

[spanman2]

1 hour ago, sweetmusicviola16 said:

Yes we should make a selection in the rule5. It will cost $50,000 to get a close look at a prospect. It would be dumb not to. And if we lose one of a dozen players currently on the 40 man who cares? Which the loss of that player isn't a given either. I'm wondering about C and 1B also of who might be available. 

Does Joe have to approve that $50k expenditure or does Derek have the ok to approve it on the expense report...

[High heat]

They should take a pitcher for sure to convert into a bullpen piece.

 

I want them to take Creed Willems tho a LH hitting catcher from Baltimore who was left unprotected.

[old nurse]

The 3 Yankees poached 2 years ago have been real difference makers. One was returned, hence not poached.  One has seen 24 games in two years. One did pitch better, but did not hold onto his SP role  and ended up spending time in the minors in 25 

Shane Smith did pitch very well. There are mistakes made every once in a while .like once a decade 

[TopGunn#22]

From the list, I think I like the potential of Beck the most.  I like that his command is near elite and the plus fastball/plus slider combo is the stuff of bullpen stalwarts.  I also agree that we have at least FIVE spots on our current 40-man roster that could easily be upgraded.  

There is a lot of talent in minor league baseball that gets overlooked or wasted.  I'm anxious to see the "position player" Rule 5 candidates, because if there is a talented Catcher or 1B, (maybe even a SS even though Culpepper is close) I'd be open to selecting TWO Rule 5 players...Beck and a hitter.  We are clearly deficient in 1B talent at the major league level and minor leagues as well.  We have a potentially decent Catcher in Noah Cardenas but I'd like to learn more about Creed Willems as well.