Phillies select five players in minor league Rule 5 draft

NASHVILLE — An uneventful winter meetings was capped by an uneventful major league Rule 5 draft for the Phillies on Wednesday. They didn’t lose or acquire any major league players, but they did select five players on the minor league side.

The Phillies acquired minor league catchers William Simoneit from Oakland, Luis Caicuto from Arizona, and Carson Taylor from the Dodgers, shortstop Trevor Schwecke from Toronto, and first baseman Bryce Ball from Cleveland.

» READ MORE: Scott Boras: Bryce Harper wants an extension to keep him with the Phillies for the rest of his career

They lost high-A pitcher Rafael Marcano to Minnesota, double-A pitcher Keylan Killgore to Kansas City, high-A pitcher Carlos Betancourt to Houston, and center fielder Moises Gallardo to Washington.

The Phillies selected seven players in last year’s minor league Rule 5 draft and one player in the major league draft, and saw some value come out of it. Not all of their picks could be deemed a success — pitcher Noah Song, who was taken in the major league Rule 5 draft, was ultimately returned to the Red Sox — but the Phillies were able to send 2022 Rule 5 pick Oliver Dunn to the Brewers in mid-November for two top-30 prospects, Robert Moore and Hendry Mendez.

Because players taken in the minor league portion of the draft don’t have to be added to a team’s 40-man roster, it is a low-risk proposition. Simoneit, Caicuto, Taylor, Schwecke, and Ball will go to triple-A Lehigh Valley.