This Massive Detroit Tigers' Right-Hander Could an A's Target in Rule 5 Draft
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Every MLB team had to submit its 40-man roster prior to Tuesday's deadline and had to add Rule 5 eligible players to it, or else they'd be at risk of being selected by another organization. The A's elected to add Braden Nett, Junior Perez, and Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang to their roster, which means they will be protected from the draft.
However, the team controversially decided to leave their former first-round catcher Daniel Susac unprotected and now vulnerable.
Because there are only so many people you can add to your 40-man roster (funnily enough, it's 40), many teams had to leave valuable prospects at risk of being taken by another club. Among the many options the A's will have to consider in the draft, Detroit Tigers right-hander RJ Petit might be a good fit for the club.
DET MiLB RP RJ Petit has been great in '25.
— Joe Rampe (@joe_rampe) September 19, 2025
670 MiLB pitchers have at least 20 IP at AAA in '25. Petit ranks:
58th in FIP (91st percentile)
19th in K% (97th%)
23rd in K-BB% (97th%)
He's throwing more sliders now to great success (.151 xwOBA, 42.7 Whiff%).
Prospect Savant page pic.twitter.com/suFIlQBchd
Although the 26-year-old is older than some of the possible options for the A's, his impressive season in both Double-A and Triple-A will make him an attractive player to consider. He posted a combined 2.44 ERA in 66 1/3 innings in both levels this year, with a 1.26 WHIP.
His numbers aren't the only thing that makes him a good option for the team to select. Petit stands at a lengthy 6-foot-8, and weighs 300 pounds. This makes him one of the biggest pitchers in MLB history, and he comes equipped with some good velocity, as he sits 94-96 miles per hour, and can even get up to 98. Petit also has a 60-grade slider, which in today's MLB can make him a very effective arm.
Because of his length, it's turned him into an elite groundball and strikeout pitcher, which would be a perfect fit in Sutter Health Park, the current A's home venue. In both levels, he did a great job at limiting hard contact, while getting lots of whiffs and perhaps got a little bit unlucky with a .200 average against compared to a .170 expected batting average against.
Even though it seems like he got a little unlucky, he was still super dominant at both levels, and would be a scary arm in Mark Kotsay's bullpen. His good size and stuff also says he could continue to develop his already impressive arsenal.
Most of the good options the team will have in the Rule 5 Draft are on guys who haven't had Triple-A experience yet. This is problematic because once you select a player in the Rule 5 Draft, you must keep them on your active 26-man roster for the entirety of the regular season, or else they will be offered back to their old organization.
This is likely the reason the A's decided not to protect Daniel Susac. Even if a team selects him, he'd have to remain with the big-league team for the entire season, and hiding a backup catcher on your roster is a lot tougher than hiding a pitcher. This is also why the team has selected arms in the Rule 5 Draft the last two years. They took Noah Murdock last offseason, and Mitch Spence the year before.
The A's have had some success in the draft in recent years. Although Noah Murdock never panned out with the team this past season, Mitch Spence has racked up a lot of big league innings for the team. Mark Canha has also had a very solid career coming off his Rule 5 selection from the A's, and the team has even gotten a successful year from Ryan Noda back in 2023.
Sure, the A's could skip their selection and miss out on adding a prospect to save themselves a roster spot. But with their recent success in the draft, expect them to add a player that will start the 2026 season on the team's active roster, and look to make a difference on the improving A's squad.
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I grew up playing baseball, and also enjoyed watching and writing about my favorite team, the A’s. Being a diehard A’s fan from New Jersey is certainly not common, but I love the team and all of the current and former players so much. I currently attend school at Penn State Scranton where I get the opportunity to play college baseball.
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