San Francisco Giants Risk Losing Quality Reliever Prospect in Rule 5 Draft

The San Francisco Giants left available a pitcher they acquired late last season who pitched well in the minor leagues.

Sep 15, 2023; Denver, Colorado, USA; General view of a San Francisco Giants cap and glove during the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The San Francisco Giants made a low-level trade in August that brought them a quality relief prospect. Just a few months later, they risk losing him.

Pitcher Ryan Watson, who was with the Baltimore Orioles’ organization for his entire pro career before the deal, was left unprotected by the Giants for the Rule 5 Draft, which is set for next month in Dallas.

Baseball America recently profiled him as a player that could be selected next month.

The site highlighted him because he has multiple years of experience at Triple-A, which makes him potentially Major League-ready next season. He also took to being a full-time reliever this year and the site’s evaluators note that the quality of his slider, which runs at 82-84 mph, will interest teams.

Because he was also formerly a starter, he has a solid pitch repertoire, which includes a four-seam fastball that runs as high as 94 mph, along with a two-seam fastball and a splitter.

San Francisco acquired him from Baltimore for cash. After one appearance at Class-A San Jose, he moved to Triple-A Sacramento and excelled down the stretch. He made 10 appearances and did not figure in a decision. But he recorded three holds, struck out 13 and walked five in 11.1 innings.

It wasn’t an aberration, either. For the 2024 season, he played with four different affiliates and finished with a 3-1 record with a 2.83 ERA. He struck out 36 and walked 13 in 35 innings.

Baltimore signed him out of Auburn after the 2020 MLB draft, which was shortened to five rounds due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He has been both a starter and a reliever at the minor-league level, but his ERA last season was the lowest of his pro career. In 2022 with the Orioles he went 7-5 with a 3.44 ERA in 27 games (18 starts) with 100 strikeouts and 29 walks in 107.1 innings.

For his career, the 27-year-old is 20-14 with a 4.12 ERA with 305 strikeouts and 104 walks in 294.1 innings.

It leaves open the question as to why the Giants left him unprotected, as he’s a pitcher that has the make-up to help a team at the MLB level next season. There is no guarantee he’s selected, and if he’s not he’ll be with the Giants next season.

Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club's 40-Man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons.