In the Major League Baseball version of the Rule 5 draft the Cincinnati Reds selected no one and had one player – reliever Roddery Munoz – taken from them by the Houston Astros. The cost, as well as the roster restrictions make the big league Rule 5 draft a limited one. The cost is much lower in the minor league phase and Cincinnati used it to select two players – Nate Peterson and Zavier Warren – while they also lost a player as the Nationals picked up Jack Rogers from them.
We’re going to start with Roddery Munoz because he was taken in the big league version of the Rule 5 draft. That means that the Astros paid the Reds $100,000 and that Munoz will have to stick to the Houston big league roster all season or be offered back to Cincinnati for $50,000.
Munoz pitched in the big leagues in each of the past two seasons, but neither of those came with the Reds. In 2024 he threw 82.2 innings for the Miami Marlins with an ERA of 6.53. After the season they put him on waivers and he was claimed by the Cardinals. In 2025 he pitches 11.0 innings for St. Louis and posted an ERA of 8.18. Between his two seasons he’s given up 30 home runs in just 93.2 innings. Designated for assignment in early November, the Reds picked up the right-handed reliever but then two weeks later non-tendered him. He re-signed with Cincinnati on a minor league deal on December 2nd.
Munoz has found more success in the minor leagues. During the 2025 campaign in Triple-A Memphis he pitched in 38 games and posted an ERA of 3.28. He only allowed four home runs in 57.2 innings at the level, too. His fastball sits in the mid-90’s and he can reach the upper 90’s with his fastball. His slider was dominant in the minors this year with hitters hitting just .148 against it. You can squint and see the right pieces there for an effective reliever and it seems Houston’s going to see what they can do in spring training to get him to take that next step.
The minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft is a little bit different. Each pick costs $24,000. Unlike the big league version, a player can be assigned to any level in the minor leagues and once drafted there is no rules that need to be followed that would negate the pick and have the player sent back. This is essentially just a “we can buy the players contract from you” situation without calling it that.
Cincinnati selected two players in this portion of the draft and both players were from the Milwaukee Brewers organization. In the 1st round they took left-handed pitcher Nate Peterson. He will be 26 next season and spent most of his 2025 season in Double-A with three appearances in Triple-A. He was also sent to the Arizona Fall League after the season.
In the regular season, Peterson threw 68.2 innings for Biloxi and had an ERA of 4.33 while walking 32 batters and striking out 54. In Triple-A he threw 5.2 shutout innings with two walks and five strikeouts. He struggled in the AFL, walking seven batters with just six strikeouts in 8.1 innings where he allowed six runs.
We only have pitch data for his time in Triple-A and the AFL, but in the seven games there is pitch tracking data for he showed six different pitches. Peterson was throwing a 4-seam fastball, 2-seam fastball, cutter, curve, slider, and a change up. He’s not a hard thrower, averaging just over 91 MPH with his 4-seamer, but he will give you a lot of different looks.
With the 2nd round pick in the minor league phase the club picked up utility-man Zavier Warren. He will be 27-years-old when the season begins and he’s played exclusively in Double-A in each of the last three seasons, and also saw some action there four years ago, too. This year with Biloxi he played 20+ games in left field, at first base, second base, and third base.
At the plate he’s struggled to hit for much of his career. His OPS in 2023 was .725, but it has been below .700 in 2022, 2024, and 2025. This past year he hit .228/.314/.371 with 14 doubles, six triples, 11 home runs, 53 walks, and 113 strikeouts in 117 games played.
Jack Rogers was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 4th round of the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft. The 26-year-old was a 9th round draft pick in 2021 by the Reds out of Sam Houston State. In the 2025 season he split time between Double-A and Triple-A, playing in 93 total games. He would hit .253/.330/.357 on the year with 16 doubles, two triples, and four home runs.