Griff McGarry was the major prize for the Washington Nationals in the Rule 5 Draft, but the team took six other players in the Minor League phase of the draft, most of whom were pitchers. After missing badly with their selection of Evan Reifert in last year's Rule 5 Draft, hopefully McGarry will be a key piece moving forward.
First, the team took right-handed multi-inning reliever Sandy Gaston from the Angels. Gaston, the soon-to-be 24-year-old signed out of Cuba by the Rays in 2018, was the 18th-ranked international prospect by MLB Pipeline that year. His story is similar to Griff McGarry's: a big 70-grade fastball that made him the Rays' 13th-ranked prospect in 2022, but extremely spotty command that caused him to fall off top prospect charts. In Gaston's case, he's been plagued by injuries, and he made just 11 appearances at Advanced-A Bowling Green in 2024 before being released. He spent 2025 in the Angels organization with Advanced-A Tri-City, making two unsuccessful appearances at Triple-A Salt Lake at the end of the year before electing free agency, then re-signing with the team. Gaston will earn a chance to finally progress past A+ ball in the Nationals system.
Selected from Colorado was 25-year-old right-handed pitcher Brady Hill, drafted out of San Jose State in the 15th round in 2022. Hill, 6'0" and 180 lbs, made 41 appearances at Class-A Fresno in 2025, posting a 6.11 ERA but striking out over 30% of batters faced.
The team also took RHP Dylan Tebrake from the Mets, who drafted him out of Creighton in the eighth round in 2022. Tebrake had a fantastic college career with D1 Creighton, culminating in 17 starts with a 2.71 ERA and an 11.1 K/9 his senior year as the team earned the 2nd seed in the Big East tournament but fell to first-ranked UConn in the semifinal and dropped a 27-8 contest to 3rd-ranked Xavier in the lower bracket. Tebrake has since been little more than a phantasm since; a run of continuous injuries have limited him to less than 40 professional innings, only 4 of which have come since 2023. The Nationals will try to capture some upside from the righty provided he can stay healthy.
The only hitter taken by the Nationals in the minor league phase was Cincinnati outfielder Jack Rogers. The Huntsville, TX native selected in the 9th round in 2021 out of Sam Houston was ferried back and forth between Double-A and Triple-A in the Reds system in 2025, ultimately slashing .253/.330/.357 with 4 home runs in 350 plate appearances between the two levels. A left-handed hitter entering his age-27 season, Rogers posted fantastic numbers all throughout his D1 baseball career, hitting 16 home runs in 2021. Much of his 2023-24 seasons were lost to injury, so even playing 93 games in 2025 was a victory. Rogers ultimately provides lower-end corner outfield depth for the Nats.
The team took RHP Eiker Huizi from the Padres as the only selection in the 5th round of the Minor League phase. Standing six feet even and a lean 155 lbs (at least, the last time he was measured; Minor Leaguers often don't have new measurements taken for several years), the 25-year-old has bounced around the Minors and joins his fifth organization since being signed out of Venezuela by the Mets in 2018. Huizi made 28 appearances with Advanced-A Fort Wayne in 2025, posting a 6.27 ERA while striking out 22% of the batters he faced. He's currently pitching in Venezuela's LVBP for los Tigres de Aragua.
The final selection in the draft, also made by the Nats, was Tampa Bay right-hander Cesar Rojas. Rojas, 23, was signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Astros in 2021 before being released two and a half years later and catching on with the Rays. Between summer league, complex league, and A-ball play in 2025, Rojas threw 20.2 innings to a 3.48 ERA, posting a nearly 30% strikeout rate and 15.5% walk rate without allowing a home run. Rojas, like most of the other arms in this portion of the draft, factors in as organizational depth, with a lottery ticket's shot at potentially contributing to the big league club someday.
So that's seven total players added to the organization. McGarry is the only one who figures to factor into the team's 2026 MLB-level plans, but adding depth to a weak farm system that lost a large number of players at the higher levels to minor league free agency last month is critical. The player archetype targeted by the new front office also sends a message: the Nationals, like most other teams, are prioritizing stuff and strikeout rate with their adds to the system. It gives the team the best odds of finding guys who just might provide an impact with the club in years to come. What are your thoughts on the players added in this phase of the draft? As ever, let us know your thoughts on Twitter @TheOttSpot and @DistrictOnDeck.