Astros snag hard-throwing righty from the Reds in Rule 5 Draft

Jared Bloom

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Astros snag hard-throwing righty from the Reds in Rule 5 Draft image

Many clubs were lucky enough to add to their organizations on Wednesday with the Rule 5 Draft. Teams with an open spot on their 40-man were allowed to pick players not on another club's 40-man roster, but at a price. 

Teams adding a player would have to pay the team they are stealing the player away from $100,000. So, front offices had to think wisely about which players they wanted to take a flier on. 

Not only will the player selected cost a good chunk, but they will also have to be on the 26-man MLB roster for the entire season. If they get sent back down to the minors, they must offer that player back to the original team for $50,000. 

Astros snag hard-throwing righty from the Reds in Rule 5 Draft

The Houston Astros came into the Rule 5 Draft with the eighth overall pick. After the St. Louis Cardinals selected RHP Matthew Pushard from the Miami Marlins, Houston selected RHP Roddery Munoz from the Cincinnati Reds, via MLB Pipeline. 

Munoz started his career with the Atlanta Braves back in 2018 when he signed as an international free agent. He would spend the next few years in Atlanta's system until he was DFA'd in 2023. 

After that, Munoz caught on with the Washington Nationals. He struggled during his time in Triple-A with the Nationals and was later claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Pirates in December 2023 and later traded to the Miami Marlins, where he would make his MLB debut. 

Munoz would spend the season with the Marlins before being claimed off waivers by the St. Louis Cardinals ahead of the 2025 season, and then was claimed and non-tendered by the Cincinnati Reds. 

Now he will look to make a name for himself and spend more than a year in Houston. While he has bounced around quite a bit, he still has a high ceiling that he has not reached yet.

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