Blue Jays division rivals take huge hits to their farm systems in Rule 5 Draft

The Toronto Blue Jays sure came out as a double-winner following the Rule 5 Draft that took place on Wednesday (Dec. 10). Not only did they pick up a promising arm in right-hander Spencer Miles from the San Francisco Giants, the Blue Jays somehow managed to come out of it unscathed, as none of their own top prospects were taken in the draft.

On the other hand, all of their division rivals from the American League East took some huge hits to their farm systems as the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays all saw their players frequently plucked during the Rule 5 Draft.

The Yankees lost three players from the Triple-A phase of the draft, the Orioles were the luckiest with only two players selected (one from the MLB portion and one from Triple-A portion), while both the Red Sox and Rays gave up the most assets with a whopping four players lost (one from the MLB and three from the Triple-A for each).

Blue Jays division rivals take huge hits to their farm systems in the aftermath of the Rule 5 Draft

Notably, among the players being selected from the Blue Jays’ arch rivals, Boston would surrender right-handed pitcher Jedixson Paez to the Chicago White Sox. Paez was the Red Sox No. 18 prospect on their top MLB prospects list according to MLB Pipeline and actually had a solid 2025 campaign that was cut short by injuries. In the end, he posted a tidy 2.79 ERA, 1.09 WHIP with 23 strikeouts in j19.1 innings pitched over seven starts.

In addition, the White Sox would then double the damage by nabbing right-handed pitcher Alexander Alberto from the Rays, who are renowned for developing elite pitching in their system. Despite having not pitched higher than High-A for his professional baseball career, Alberto has shown potential of a high ceiling with a fastball that could touch triple digits. Last season, he compiled a stellar 2.59 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, together with 64 strikeouts in just 48.2 innings pitched over 42 relief appearances.

Seeing their division rivals have their farm systems weakened in the process while having their own preserved at the same time is just what the Blue Jays needed to maintain sustainable success in the highly-competitive and suddenly loaded AL East Division.

By having a pipeline of prospects continue their growth and development in the system to potentially become valuable contributors going forward is what helps keep a well-structured MLB team balanced and competitive for a long time. In doing so, that is exactly what should keep the Jays as perennial contenders for the foreseeable future.