Teams can't protect everyone from the Rule 5 Draft.
Sometimes, a player is chosen away from an organization that's still a painful loss.
That's the case for the Boston Red Sox, who had right-handed pitcher Jedixson Paez chosen away by the Chicago White Sox with the No. 2 pick in Wednesday's Rule 5 Draft.
Paez will cost the White Sox $100,000, and if he doesn't stay on Chicago's MLB roster all season, he has to be offered back to Boston for $50,000.
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He's a 6-foot-1, 21-year old righty from Vezeuela.
Paez topped out at High-A Greeneville in 2025. He had a 2.79 ERA at that level with 23 strikeouts in 19.1 innings.
His career minor league ERA is 3.22, with 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
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Given that Paez hasn't even pitched in Double-A, this is a strategic move by the White Sox.
They'll likely try to have him operate in a low-leverage bullpen role for the whole season. If they can do that, then they've got Paez for the future.
But it'd be tough for Paez to be an MLB starting pitcher right now.
The White Sox, trying to build up a system with more talent, could afford this risk. Boston will lose one of its more intriguing developmental pitchers.
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