The White Sox went relatively chalk in protecting prospects from the Rule 5 draft on deadline day Tuesday, adding Colson Montgomery and Juan Carela to the 40-man roster. That leaves two open spots, or one if you're already earmarking the other for Austin Slater.
Montgomery was the no-brainer, but Carela required some brain, if only because he wouldn't seem to have the most dynamic MLB-ready relief arsenal were a team to attempt to guide him through an entire season on a 26-man roster. But leaving him unprotected could be considered too clever by half, because the White Sox might need that sinker-sweeper combination themselves over the course of the 2025 season, especially if they lean heavily on the internal options that finished the year in the White Sox rotation.
Revisiting our list from Tuesday morning, the White Sox left a handful of bullpen candidates unprotected, but given that 26-year-old relievers seldom gain any real prospect heat, it's hard to know whether guys like Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa, Trey McGough and Adisyn Coffey can be found in most other systems. We'll find out when the Rule 5 draft unfolds at the winter meetings in Dallas on Dec. 11.
The Rule 5 protection deadline creates opportunities for a team like the White Sox on a couple fronts. For one, many roster additions require roster subtractions, and Tuesday's activity resulted in the DFAs of several somewhat recent successes, like former Cubs closer Adbert Alzolay (out for TJ rehab for most of 2025), a former top-50 prospect in Cleveland's George Valera, Angels third baseman Eric Wagaman (hit .360/.407/.640 against the Sox last year), and, for my own amusement, Cleveland's Connor "Don't Call me Conor Gillaspie" Gillispie.
There's also the matter of which unprotected prospects the White Sox can select first in the Rule 5 draft. J.J. Cooper made his first run through the unprotected players at Baseball America, while I did the same by cross-checking MLB Pipeline's list of the toughest 40-man calls against BA's analysis of the players added. A handful of names tripped my radar:
Shane Smith (MIL): The 6-foot-4-inch, 235-pound righty has progressed nicely through the Brewers system after Tommy John surgery in his draft year caused him to go unselected out of Wake Forest. He struck out 106 batters over 87⅔ effective innings, most of which were in Double-A Biloxi, with a late-season cameo in Nashville. He has a mid-90s fastball and a couple of different breaking balls.
Dom Hamel (NYM): Hamel's steady progression as a starter hit a wall in Triple-A Syracuse, as his home run and walk rates exploded while his strikeout rate took a hit over a nearly identical amount of innings from his Double-A Binghamton experience the year before (124⅔ versus 124). Now might be the time for the shift to relief that some evaluators have foretold, and he's shown some characteristics of a Brian Bannister project, like using a low attack angle for fastballs up in the zone, and constant adjustments to his breaking pitches.
Miguel Ullola (HOU): Speaking of low fastball angles, Ullola racked up 166 strikeouts over 127⅓ innings. He also walked 73 batters, but it's worked for him to date because he's been exceptional at limiting hits the last two years, as the Texas League hit just .162 off him. At 22, he's one of the younger pitchers in the field.
Alex Santos (HOU): He'd been the the Astros' equivalent of Jared Kelley -- a prep arm taken in the second round of the 2020 draft, although 25 spots later and at less than half the signing bonus. The Astros pushed him up the chain despite lackluster results and control problems, and elbow problems limited him to six appearances and 23 innings during the regular season, but the Astros sent him to the Arizona Fall League, and Santos responded with one of the season's most impressive pitching performances: 17.2 IP, 12 H, 1 HR, 7 BB, 26 K.
Jerming Rosario (LAD): The White Sox have shown an affinity for live arms in the Dodgers system, and while he walked 73 guys over 108⅔ innings, most of them coming with Double-A Tulsa, he struck out 24 batters against eight walks in the AFL, hinting at some possible bullpen potential. That avenue has not yet been explored.
Sammy Siani (PIT): A left-handed outfielder who can play all three positions, Sinai made huge strides in his bat-to-ball ability for Double-A Altoona, although he hit just .254/.325/.368 there. Glass half full, the strikeout rate is now playable due to bat path changes, and he made excellent use of the AFL, hitting .375/.457/.550 with six steals in six attempts. His immediate utility comes down to his defense. Eric Longenhagen said Siani "is still not a great defensive outfielder," while Baseball America called him the best defensive outfielder in Pittsburgh's system. Then again, maybe the Pirates just don't have much in the way of gloves out there.
Alexander Alberto (TBR): His 6⅔ walk-addled innings in the Arizona Fall League was the most advanced environment he's faced, as he hasn't pitched above Low-A yet. I mention him because he's listed at 6'8" and 190 pounds, throws a cutter in the 90s, and the White Sox already traded for Alexander Albertus, which reminds me of the time the White Sox employed both Jose Valentin and Joe Valentine. This is the entertainment value I want from the last roster spots.
Speaking of familiar names:
Jason Ruffcorn (SEA): Scott's kid struck out 55 batters against 17 walks over three levels in the Mariners system, although the vast majority of them came in High-A as a 25-year-old. I'd mainly be invested in seeing the Sox carry him on the 26-man roster in order to pitch in an MLB victory, something his father never did in his 30 big league games.
Cooper also mentioned a handful of position players. Besides Siani, he included other Double-A outfielders A.J. Vukovich (ARI), Damon Keith (LAD) and Kala'i Rosario (MIN). More intriguing might be the pool of first base/DH candidates -- Blaine Crim (TEX), Ryan Ward (LAD) and Bob Seymour (TBR) -- if only because they're direct replacements for Gavin Sheets in a world where the White Sox non-tender him.
Crim and Ward seem the most MLB-ready, but Seymour is the sentimental favorite here. I've seen him a few times in Bowling Green, where he stood out as a beefy local product (Harvey native, Mount Carmel alum) who hits the ball rather hard, not to mention that he's the best hope at ending baseball's Bob Famine. Were he able to stick in any meaningful fashion, he'd be in the Section 108 Hall of Fame.
