Five Royals Who Could Get Selected in the Rule 5 Draft

[Kevin O'Brien]

Image courtesy of © Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

One of the highlights of the MLB Winter Meetings is the Rule 5 Draft, which typically concludes the annual event. The Rule 5 Draft is a way for teams not only to get better inexpensively, but also for prospects blocked or overlooked in their system to get an opportunity with another organization. 

Here is a full definition of the Rule 5 Draft, according to the MLB.com website:

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Held each December, the Rule 5 Draft allows clubs without a full 40-man roster to select certain non-40-man roster players from other clubs. Clubs draft in reverse order of the standings from the previous season. Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club's 40-man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons.

Not every club will make a selection, but those that do pick a player must pay $100,000 to the club from which said player was selected. Rule 5 Draft picks are assigned directly to the drafting club's 26-man roster and must be placed on outright waivers in order to be removed from the 26-man roster in the subsequent season. Should the player clear waivers, he must be offered back to his previous team for $50,000 and can be outrighted to the Minors only if his original club does not wish to reacquire him. A Rule 5 Draft pick can be placed on the Major League injured list, but he must be active for a minimum of 90 days to avoid being subject to the aforementioned roster restrictions in the next campaign.

Some famous Rule 5 selections include pitcher Johan Santana, infielder Dan Uggla, and outfielders Josh Hamilton and Shane Victorino. Brad Keller is an example of a selection who recently found success with the Royals, as the Royals selected him in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft. 

The Royals have two spots open on the 40-man roster. Thus, it's possible that they could add someone in the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday. However, in this post, we are going to look at players in the Royals system who are eligible and could get selected by other teams in the Rule 5 Draft. Typically, rebuilding teams use the Rule 5 Draft to add talent. 

Let's look at five Royals candidates who may be selected, including three pitchers and two position players.

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Felix Arronde, RHP (Highest Level Played: High-A)

Arronde may be the Royals' most high-profile prospect available in the Rule 5 Draft. He's rated as our No. 12 prospect in the Royals system and is ranked No. 13 by MLB Pipeline. Arronde pitched primarily in High-A Quad Cities last year, posting a 2.80 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 26 appearances (24 starts) and 128.2 IP. 

The 22-year-old righty has moved slowly in the Royals' system, but provides an intriguing profile that could have some upside as an end-of-the-rotation arm or middle-innings reliever. Arronde didn't strike out a ton of batters in 2025, as he only sported a 19.5% K rate. However, he demonstrates solid control and command. Last season, he posted a 2.40 BB/K ratio, an 11.4 K-BB%, and a 26.5% CSW (highlighted by a 12.1% swinging-strike rate), according to Fangraphs.

Furthermore, the Dominican native has an intriguing three-pitch mix with a changeup that rates as a plus pitch, according to MLB Pipeline. When the changeup is clicking, he can pile up strikeouts in bunches, as illustrated at times last season with the River Bandits. 

Arronde has the size (6'3) and the pitching ability to be a fringe MLB reliever right now, which a rebuilding club may need. The only question with Arronde is that he hasn't faced much high-level competition, which could dampen his outlook in Wednesday's draft. Still, for a team willing to be patient, Arronde is an arm who could offer significant long-term upside, as long as that club is willing to allow some growing pains throughout the 2026 season. 

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Javi Vaz, 2B/OF (Highest Level Played: Double-A)

A former Vanderbilt product and 15th-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Vaz was getting some dark-horse prospect buzz going into 2025, especially after getting an invite to Spring Training last March. In 2024, in 523 plate appearances with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, he slashed .263/.375/.379 with a .754 OPS and 117 wRC+. He also hit eight home runs, scored 80 runs, and stole 16 bases with the Naturals.

Vaz started the year again with Northwest Arkansas, and the expectation was that he would eventually matriculate to Triple-A Omaha at some point. However, that promotion never happened, as Vaz stagnated at the plate with the Naturals last season. 

As a 24-year-old, the utility player slashed .256/.360/.326 with a .685 OPS and 99 wRC+. The power, which wasn't plentiful to begin with, dropped dramatically last season. He hit only three home runs, and his ISO fell from .115 in 2024 to .070 in 2025. Hence, the Royals opted not to add him to the 40-man roster this offseason, making him eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 Draft. 

Even though he hasn't played Triple-A ball, Vaz is more than capable of playing in the Majors as a utility guy off the bench. Despite a lack of power, his plate discipline has long been his best tool. He's sported a BB/K ratio over one the past three seasons, including a 1.26 mark in 2025. He also has a high-contact approach, which could be valued by a team that is looking for someone to put the ball in play.

When looking at his AA metrics from TJ Stats, he had a Z-Contact% of 91.4% and an O-Swing% of 22.9%, both stellar marks. He also saw his wOBA increase dramatically at the end of the season after a slow start, as shown in his rolling wOBA chart in the TJ Stats profile below. 

There isn't a ton of long-term upside with selecting Vaz, but he could be a nice bench piece for a club that can provide immediate value in multiple areas in 2026. 

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Chandler Champlain, RHP (Highest Level Played: Triple-A)

Drafted by the Yankees initially, Champlain is a prime example of why Triple-A pitching metrics should be taken with a grain of salt. 

In 29 appearances (25 starts) and 119.1 IP, the former USC product posted a 7.84 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, and 5.46 FIP with the Storm Chasers. When looking at those numbers, it wouldn't make sense for a team to spend a Rule 5 pick on the 26-year-old righty. However, when delving deeper into his profile, one can see why a team might take a flier on Champlain, despite his awful stat line a year ago.

First off, Champlain probably isn't a starter, and the Storm Chasers began transitioning him to the bullpen at the end of last season. In his last four appearances of the year, all in relief, he posted a 19.4% K rate, 13.9% K-BB%, and a 1.50 WHIP. His ERA was high at 5.63, but his FIP was a lot more palatable at 2.50. 

Hence, in a more limited role, the 2021 ninth-round selection could thrive, even at the Major League level. He doesn't walk batters, and he also does a good job of inducing groundballs, as illustrated by his 41.5% groundball rate. 

In terms of stuff, Champlain's fastball pitches, particularly his four-seamer and sinker, are not great. However, his breaking pitches rate much better, so it's not like Champlain is working with a completely bare cupboard, arsenal-wise. 

His slider had a 101 TJ Stuff+ rating, and his sweeper had a 100 rating. His curveball and changeup also sported TJ Stuff+ marks of 99 and 98, respectively. Thus, he has four pitches that rate either slightly above or slightly below average, which gives him potential, especially in a move to the bullpen, where his stuff may play out better. He also has demonstrated solid strike-throwing ability with those pitches, as illustrated by his overall 50.8% zone rate.

A team may select Champlain in the Rule 5 and tweak his mix (maybe throw the four-seamer less) and some of the grips on his pitches to help them increase velocity and movement, which in turn could help improve the TJ Stuff+ marks on those offerings overall. He's been seen as a Top-20 prospect in the Royals system before, so that former pedigree could convince a club to take a flier on him on Wednesday, with the hope that their pitching development team can mold him quickly in Spring Training. 

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Luca Tresh, C (Highest Level Played: Triple-A)

Tresh may be the victim of a Royals system that is incredibly deep at the catching position. Not only is Salvador Perez firmly entrenched in Kansas City (and for at least two more seasons after signing an extension this offseason), but top prospect Carter Jensen had a sensational rookie debut last September, and Blake Mitchell and Ramon Ramirez remain Top-10 prospects in the Royals system as well. 

That said, the 2021 17th-round pick had a great year in Triple-A Omaha and could be seen as a potential backup for a rebuilding team in 2026.

Last season with the Storm Chasers, Tresh slashed .259/.321/.473 with a .794 OPS and 103 wRC+ in 271 plate appearances. He also hit 10 home runs and collected 37 RBI. This was despite spending time splitting catching duties with Jensen, who primarily played in Omaha in 2025. 

When looking at his Statcast profile via TJ Stats, the former NC State product demonstrated an ability to barrel and pull balls in the air, as well as to swing aggressively at pitches in the strike zone. 

The primary concerns with his Statcast profile are that he didn't hit the ball consistently hard (37th percentile hard-hit rate) despite barrels, and that he chases (21st percentile O-Swing%) while walking little (16th percentile BB%). However, for a backup catcher, where most of the value comes from behind the plate, this kind of profile is more than welcome. 

Tresh isn't as athletic as Jensen or even Mitchell, and while he calls a solid game, he doesn't possess the arm strength of other catching prospects in the Royals system. He threw out 12 runners on 96 attempts last year, a 13% rate. That's okay, but it's nothing special, which probably explains why the Royals opted not to protect Tresh in the Rule 5 Draft, especially with Jensen likely going to be the backup in 2026. 

Nonetheless, a team willing to select Tresh could get an immediate backup catcher who could grow into a starting role, much like former Royals-produced catcher Freddy Fermin, who is the primary catcher now in San Diego. 

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Beck Way, RHP (Highest Level Played: Triple-A)

Like Champlain, the stats were rough for Way in Omaha last year, his first go-around in Triple-A. 

In 23 appearances and 38 IP with the Storm Chasers, Way posted a 6.87 ERA, 1.79 WHIP, and 7.23 FIP. The former fourth-round pick struggled with control and command in Triple-A, as illustrated by his 0.92 K/BB ratio, -1.1% K-BB%, and 25.4% CSW.

However, he was much better earlier in the year in Double-A Northwest Arkansas. 

In 23 appearances and 36.1 IP with the Naturals, he posted a 4.95 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and 4.55 FIP. He also produced a 1.94 BB/K ratio, 9.2% K-BB%, and a 28.8% CSW. While those aren't great metrics, they are certainly better than what he produced in Omaha. 

What makes Way an enticing Rule 5 option for teams is that while the control was erratic, the stuff certainly wasn't. That is illustrated in his TJ Stats metrics from his time in Omaha, shown below. 

Way sported three pitches with TJ Stuff+ marks over 100 (cutter, sweeper, and changeup), and all four of his offerings sported grades of 55 or higher. His best offering was his sweeper, which not only had a 118 TJ Stuff+ and 69 grade, but also generated a 41.4% whiff rate. Thus, the strikeout ability is there, and he has some prospect buzz after pitching in the Arizona Fall League a couple of years ago.

While Way doesn't have the prospect pedigree of Arronde or even Champlain, I believe Way may be the most likely pitcher selected on Wednesday, due to the encouraging stuff numbers. The Royals acquired him because his high-velocity arm certainly can be a weapon in the bullpen at the MLB level. However, he just hasn't shown the control to be a viable option in the big leagues yet, especially on a team with playoff aspirations. 

However, on a rebuilding team? Way may receive more patience, which could help him thrive not just in 2026, but perhaps long-term as a late-innings, high-leverage reliever (he had 12 saves in Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2024). 

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