Phillies add prospects Mick Abel, Jean Cabrera, and Moisés Chace to roster ahead of Rule 5 draft
Right-handed pitchers Griff McGarry, Christian McGowan, and Eiberson Castellano were among the Phillies prospects left unprotected for the Dec. 11 draft at the Winter Meetings in Dallas.
The Phillies added right-handed pitchers Mick Abel, Jean Cabrera, and Moisés Chace to the 40-man roster on Tuesday to protect them from the Rule 5 draft.
The draft, which will take place on Dec. 11 at the Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas, allows teams without a full 40-man roster to select players from other organizations. Players signed at age 18 or younger become eligible for the draft in five seasons if not added to their club’s 40-man roster, while players signed at age 19 or older are eligible in four seasons. Tuesday marked the 2024 deadline for teams to protect players.
Abel, 23, is ranked the Phillies’ No. 6 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline. He struggled this season in triple A, posting a 6.46 ERA and a career-high 15.1% walk rate. He was a first-round pick in 2020.
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Cabrera, also 23, spent most of the 2024 season in high-A Jersey Shore before earning a promotion to double-A Reading in July. Cabrera posted a 3.80 ERA in 106⅔ innings this year, and ranked fifth among Phillies minor leaguers in strikeout rate (24.7%). He is the Phillies’ No. 13-ranked prospect.
The Phillies acquired Chace at the trade deadline in July, as part of the return package from the Baltimore Orioles for Gregory Soto. In 80⅓ innings across high A and double A in 2024, the 21-year-old put up a 3.59 ERA, with 124 strikeouts and 40 walks. He is ranked No. 26 in the Phillies’ system.
The Phillies did not protect two prospects currently ranked in the top 30 by MLB Pipeline: right-handers Griff McGarry (No. 21 overall) and Christian McGowan (No. 22). McGarry is 25, McGowan 24. Fellow righty Eiberson Castellano, a 23-year-old who won the 2024 Paul Owens Award as the Phillies’ minor league pitcher of the year, was also left unprotected.
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In an additional move on Tuesday, John McMillon, whom the Phillies claimed from the Marlins on Nov. 4, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Lehigh Valley. McMillon had finished the season on the injured reserve list with elbow tightness.
The Phillies’ 40-man roster currently stands at 39.