Nationals Loaded Up on Minor League Pitchers During Rest of Rule 5 Draft
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While everyone was focused on what Paul Toboni would do when it came to the Washington Nationals' major league roster, he was also facing a huge challenge down on the farm.
This offseason, the Nationals had the most minor league players elect to become free agents across Major League Baseball. While some of those players might have never starred in The Show, it's still imperative for a franchise to have depth throughout their organization.
And during the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday, Toboni had a clear plan in place when it came to getting back some organizational depth, especially when it came to the pitching side of things.
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Of course, the headliner of the draft was Washington's selection of Philadelphia Phillies' right-handed pitcher Griff McGarry during the major league phase. The high-ceiling 26-year-old could play an immediate role for the Nationals in 2026, especially if he's converted into a bullpen arm full-time.
However, the rest of the Rule 5 Draft should not be overlooked when it comes to what Toboni did. He decided to take an MLB-high six players in the minor league phase of this event: outfielder Jack Rogers from the Cincinnati Reds and right-handed pitchers Sandy Gaston from the Los Angeles Angels, Brady Hill from the Colorado Rockies, Dylan Tebrake from the New York Mets, Eiker Huizi from the San Diego Padres and Cesar Rojas from the Tampa Bay Rays.
There was a clear plan in place to reload on pitchers this offseason, and he used the Rule 5 Draft as a cheap way to get that done.
"You only have so many opportunities every year to upgrade a minor league player pool," he said, per Andrew Golden of The Washington Post (subscription required. "While we went into it with an aggressive mindset, it all comes down to individual players and the intrigue that each of them provides."
How These Six Minor League Players Factor in With the Nationals
The first thing that stands out when looking at the profiles of those five pitchers is that they are strictly relievers. They also seem to be years away from being close to reaching the majors, as Gaston is the only one who has reached the Triple-A level during his career.
Upon first glance, these are long-term additions for Washington. Hill spent this past season pitching in Single-A. Tebrake pitched three games in Single-A as part of his injury recovery before being shut down for the year. Huizi struggled at High-A this season. And Rojas reached Single-A for the first time in 2025 after pitching in the Dominican Summer League the previous three years.
There will be more to unpack when it comes to these new Nationals arms during the upcoming months once they have settled into the organization and there is a plan in place regarding how they are going to be used to start the 2026 season.
But with the Rule 5 Draft now in the past, it's clear Toboni accomplished his goal of restocking on pitchers after so many of their minor league players departed in free agency this offseason.
