Yankees somehow survive Rule 5 Draft without losing impressive pitcher

The New York Yankees, with too much pitching and not enough roster spots, typically get plundered in the Rule 5 Draft annually. Sure, many of the thieved names eventually get returned to them (the Rule 5 Draft is hard!), but it's become commonplace to watch an assembly line of teams either swiftly pass on picking or take a Yankee.

But not this year, even though the Yankees entered Wednesday's proceedings with one of the most obvious candidates to be swiped of any team. Zach Messinger, the 25-year-old right-hander who spent the entirety of the 2024 season at Double-A, was left unprotected when the Yankees tidied up their 40-man roster last month. Instead, New York chose to keep watch over Caleb Durbin (of course) and young catcher Jesús Rodríguez, a somewhat surprising splash.

Messinger is a lower-ceiling-but-high-floor arm who seemed likely to stick on a big-league roster as a bulk guy/fifth starter, if taken. The A's, already in possession of ex-Yankees like JP Sears, Luis Medina, and Ken Waldichuk, seemed to be a prime candidate to draft and stash him. After all, Sacramento needs bodies, bodies, bodies, and they've already comfortably taken a couple of Yankees tweeners.

And yet ... the Rule 5 Draft came and went on Wednesday afternoon, with Messinger untouched. Now, the Yankees can either use him as shuttle depth in 2025 if they trade starters like Luis Gil, Nestor Cortes, or Marcus Stroman, or they can turn him into the third or fourth piece of a blockbuster package (Kyle Tucker?).

Yankees keep Zach Messinger in 2025 Rule 5 Draft recap

The Yankees did lose a few players in the minor-league portion of the draft, which means they're more likely to actually depart the organization than if they'd been MLB selections. (Clears throat) MLB Rule 5 picks have to stay on an active roster (when healthy) all season, lest they be returned to their original team. Minor-league selections aren't held to a similar standard; they're more than likely just gone, but can occasionally be returned due to injury designations, like Carson Coleman a few months back.

Oddanier Mosqueda, a Triple-A workhorse from the Yankees who once came from Boston, headed to the Cardinals in that particular phase. The Yankees also lost lefty Joel Valdez to Cincinnati, righty Blaine Abeyta to Atlanta, outfielder Joel Méndez to Pittsburgh, and righty Gabriel Barbosa to Philadelphia, while adding Cleveland outfielder Luis Durango. Odds are the first time you've heard any of those names was ... right now.

At least, though, they kept their most significant asset after taking a larger-than-expected risk beforehand.