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The MLB Winter Meetings are less than two weeks away meaning the already warm offseason Hot Stove could very well find itself coming to a boil.<\/p>\n
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It’s the pinnacle event of the winter calendar,<\/a> and to cap things off as it does every year is the Rule 5 Draft, which will occur on Dec. 10 this time around.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Rule 5 Draft gives teams a creative avenue to add names to their active roster<\/a> in a cost-effective manner, the catch obviously being that the names available have never been on a 40-man roster before.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This is usually a chance for small market teams who aren’t in a place of contention to help immediately fill out their big league roster with a potential piece for the future.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals might be in a place of contention, but they haven’t always been – traditionally speaking they’ve haven’t had an abundance of success. And they’ve always been considered one of the smaller market organizations in MLB.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, in recent history the Royals have not utilized the Rule 5 Draft much at all<\/a>. Since acquiring both Brad Keller and Burch Smith via draft day trades in 2017, the Royals have made or acquired just four prospects since then keeping only one of them – in 2019, Stephen Woods Jr. was returned to Rays but then traded back to the Royals. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n So, this time around are there any prospects that could be interesting enough for the Royals to get involved in this year’s proceedings?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Before we get into who might intrigue the Royals, we should first determine what the Royals might be looking for.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n As a team with their eyes set on the postseason in 2026, it’s hard to think that if Kansas City makes a selection that they’d opt for a high-risk flier, as all 26 spots on the active roster will play a pivotal role.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With that in mind, the top candidates should be ones who at least have some successful experience within the upper minors (Double-A or Triple-A), but must also fill a pressing need.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n While Kansas City’s bullpen needs might skew more towards left-handed arms<\/a>, the recent non-tendering of Taylor Clarke has opened up opportunities in the middle of the ‘pen<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So, despite being a righty, an arm like RJ Petit – the Tigers’ No. 30 prospect according to MLB Pipeline<\/a> – and his wealth of experience in the upper minors of Detroit’s system over the past three seasons could potentially be of use for the Royals.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The 26-year-old turned in mid-3.00 ERAs in both 2023 and 2024, before crafting his best season as a professional pitcher in 2025.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In 66.1 innings across 47 outings, Petit threw to a 2.44 ERA, 2.94 FIP, 1.06 WHIP and .198 BAA. He also managed to post 10.72 K\/9 and 2.98 BB\/9, showing strong potential to overwhelm hitters while remaining controlled enough to limit free passes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He pitches like a mature arm, and after older farmhands like Clarke and Steven Cruz broke out last year for the Royals, perhaps Petit can be KC’s 2026 breakout arm.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n While he may not be as old an option with a wealth of experience like Petit, Heubeck – Pipeline’s No. 23 Dodgers prospect<\/a> – showed some strong abilities in Double-A Tulsa this season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While his 4.34 ERA was serviceable but not anything spectacular, he showed a knack for being able to induce strikeouts (10.54 K\/9), limit hits against him (.196 BAA) and when he did give up hits they weren’t often damaging ones (0.81 HR\/9).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So nice he did it TWICE! \ud83d\udd25<\/p>\n Peter Heubeck was named the Texas League Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season!<\/p>\n Details here – https:\/\/t.co\/jX2v9IfsT5<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7cRonEbHcI<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Tulsa Drillers (@TulsaDrillers) June 9, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n <\/p>\n He could stand to have a bit more control and he’s a starter by trade, but the stats speak for themselves. He has potential to overpower hitters and limit the damage when they do get to him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And as a reliever, perhaps his stuff can play up a bit more when not trying to manage his arsenal and spread his stamina out over an elongated start – similar to how Luinder Avila had success for the Royals in 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Kansas City has a need for a revitalized outfield and while they likely have their eyes set on bigger names to occupy the starting spots, they can’t overlook the fact that they could do with better bench depth than names like John Rave, Drew Waters and Dairon Blanco.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They may be able to find that in the form of the 23-year-old Top 30 prospect in the Twins organization<\/a>, Kala’i Rosario, who’s coming off a wildly impressive 2025 season in Double-A Wichita.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Since making his professional debut in 2021, Rosario has never been a below average, posting wRC+ totals above 100 at every stop.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And in his first full season as a Double-A regular, he put up an incredibly well-rounded 131 wRC+ effort. He slashed .256\/.358\/.487 while showcasing strong power potential with 25 homers and a good eye with a 12.6% walk rate. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n On top of that, his 32 stolen base speed could do wonders for a Royals team in need of better baserunning in 2026.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a1Ganamos! \u00a1Ganamos! \u00a1Ganamos! \u00a1Ganamos!<\/p>\n Kala’i Rosario blasts a walk-off grand slam into the Wind Surge bullpen. <\/p>\n Final \u2014 Wichita Wind Surge (@WindSurgeICT) August 29, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n If it’s not the corner outfield, than second base is the next biggest hole in the Royals’ lineup.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While as Rule 5 pick he wouldn’t be a threat to take over at the position, the Royals already have a committee going on between India and Massey. Considering how underwhelming it’s been, if they end up keeping the status quo<\/a>, adding a third name to the mix may not be the worst decision in the world.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Velasquez – the Giants’ No. 22 overall prospect according to Pipeline<\/a> – could be a future-forward option that has some tools that could add some flare to Kansas City’s active roster in 2026.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He’s a disciplined hitter for someone who only just turned 22, walking 12.4% of the time and striking out a just a 14.3% clip in Double-A Richmond. He’s also a 20+ stolen base threat, swiping 23 in 2023, 21 in 2024 and 19 this past year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A capable base runner with the ability to get on base? Doesn’t sound like a half-bad bench option.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Then, there’s the more mature option in Seattle’s No. 29 overall prospect<\/a>, who could be another decent fourth or fifth outfielder for Kansas City.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Labrada’s a strong hitter in the traditional sense with a .281 AVG across Double and Triple-A this season, but he’s a disciplined hitter at the same time, balancing a 14.9% walk rate with a 16.9% K-rate. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n On top of that, he’s a real threat on the basepaths, demonstrating the 60 grade speed tool from his scouting report with 44 swipes in 2025.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He’s an older prospect with who can put bat to ball, draw his walks, avoid the strikeout and fly on the basepaths – plenty of things you want to see from a big league bench tool.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n While he doesn’t address one of the three biggest Royals needs – the corner outfield, second base or the bullpen – the Royals could stand to boast better bench options in general, especially in the infield. Blaze Jordan – St. Louis’ No. 18 prospect as per Pipeline<\/a> – could be that guy.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Between Double-A and Triple-A in both the Red Sox’s and Cardinals’ system, he demonstrated a real ability to produce runs, belting 19 HR and driving in 99 RBI.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n BLAZE JORDAN CRUSHES A @HueysRestaurant<\/a> HOMER! pic.twitter.com\/cFjumA4e0y<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Memphis Redbirds (@memphisredbirds) August 31, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n <\/p>\n He also shows a strong ability to avoid striking out, with just an 11.0% K-rate this year. With the second lowest K-rate in the league this year as team, Jordan fits the hitting profile the Royals have established.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Despite looking somewhat lost after his move to St. Louis, the overall numbers across all stops in the minors this year speak for themselves, hitting .270 with a .781 OPS and 111 wRC+. This is someone who’s held his own at the upper minors and has plenty of prospect pedigree as a former third round pick.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On top of this, he offers an avenue for the Royals to deploy a more balanced offensive group, given he’d be a right-hander in a lefty heavy bunch.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n While his first taste of Triple-A ball in Buffalo didn’t go great, posting a 96 wRC+ in 84 games, Pinango played extremely well in Double-A New Hampshire, sporting a 169 wRC+ in 47 games.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This resulted in an overall very solid 2025 campaign in the upper minors for the Blue Jays’ No. 7 prospect<\/a>. He put up a .258\/.361\/.430 slash line, 15 HR, 70 RBI, a strong 13.1%, a serviceable 20.1% K-rate and a 122 wRC+.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Again, will he step in and take a hold of a starting outfield spot? No, Rule 5 picks often don’t. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, he has that rounded profile we’ve discussed for multiple outfield names already that fits the profile of a solid MLB bench option.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n7 prospects that could entice Royals to get involved in 2025 Rule 5 Draft<\/h2>\n
RHP RJ Petit – DET<\/h3>\n
RHP Peter Heubeck – LAD<\/h3>\n
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OF Kala’i Rosario – MIN<\/h3>\n
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ARK 4, WCH 7 pic.twitter.com\/U386lMGtcd<\/a><\/p>\n2B Diego Velasquez – SFG<\/h3>\n
OF Victor Labrada – SEA<\/h3>\n
1B\/3B Blaze Jordan – STL<\/h3>\n
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OF Yohendrick Pinango – TOR<\/h3>\n