Royals' Biggest Win of Rule 5 Draft Was Who They Didn’t Lose
This year's edition of Major League Baseball's winter meetings has come and gone, with several teams getting in on the opportunity to discuss trades or iron out their respective free agent signings. For the Kansas City Royals, however, it was a very quiet week and the team remains without any marquee roster moves this offseason.
To cap off winter meetings, the Rule 5 Draft was held on Wednesday and presented teams with multiple draft-eligible prospects to choose from. Because Kansas City had a full 40-man roster and didn't make any moves to open up any spots, though, the team was unable to make any selections during the big-league portion. The Royals did add infielder Shervyen Newton during the minor league section, but their most notable news could stem from elsewhere.
The Royals' best outcome on Wednesday wasn't in relation to who they added, but rather who they didn't lose.
Kansas City played a risky game by opting against protecting three particular prospects from the Rule 5 Draft: Pitchers T.J. Sikkema and Anthony Veneziano, as well as infielder Logan Porter. All three players seemed to have real chances of being poached for one reason or another, yet all three are back in the Royals' minor league system for the 2023 campaign. It remains to be seen what will amount of them in the long run, but Kansas City being in control of their development for another year is a plus.
Sikkema, who came over in the Andrew Benintendi trade during the 2022 campaign, was drawing both local and national attention as a high-profile potential Rule 5 pickup. The 24-year-old isn't young for a prospect anymore and struggled in his first taste of Double-A action, but his upside as a quirky lefty either in the starting rotation or out of the bullpen is still mostly intact. By holding on to him, the Royals will now have a full year with Sikkema in their farm system to see if he's cut for a role on the big-league squad soon.
Speaking of interesting lefties, Veneziano is a 25-year-old who can rack up strikeouts and run the velocity on his fastball up from the left side. His 122.2 innings of work with Double-A Northwest Arkansas were nothing to write home about this past season (5.72 ERA) and he also has question marks, but that fastball works with his changeup to form a solid duo. Veneziano has something to build on, and he's worth investing one more season in.
Another older prospect, Porter turned 27 in July. The first baseman/catcher offers a bit of positional versatility in the infield, which could be a possible saving grace for his chances of getting promoted in due time. In 112 combined games between Double-A and Triple-A this year, the Arizona native slashed an impressive .301/.442/.476 with 26 doubles, 13 home runs and 62 RBIs. Porter can flat-out hit the baseball, and that's more than even some members of the team's 40-man roster can't stake claim to as the 2023 campaign is on the horizon.
In Newton, Kansas City is landing a player who hit .199 with a 35.4% strikeout rate in 96 High-A games for the New York Mets organization this year. He has yet to play any Double-A ball, and his raw power grade may be the only thing that keeps his prospect profile in rotation. He's a massive wild card whose (current) future projection isn't as bright as any of the players the team could've lost.
Not making a 40-man roster addition via the Rule 5 Draft might turn out to be a mistake in retrospect, and that decision-making process deserves to be questioned. With that said, the story of Wednesday is also about how other clubs didn't take anything away from the Royals. The aforementioned group could completely bottom out in 2023, and it would still be worth it for Kansas City to find that out. By retaining them, the organization will be granted the opportunity to see what they have. That's their win, for better or worse.
