Twins add top pitching prospect Marco Raya to 40-man roster ahead of Rule 5 Draft

Raya could make an impact at the big-league level as soon as this year.

Marco Raya is arguably the top pitching prospect in the Minnesota Twins organization. / MiLB.com / Fort Myers Mighty Mussels

The Minnesota Twins have added pitching prospect Marco Raya to their 40-man roster, according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel. Tuesday afternoon is the deadline for eligible prospects to be added to 40-man rosters in order to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft, which will take place on December 11.

The Rule 5 Draft, which is designed to prevent teams from stashing too many talented prospects in the minors, is how the Twins landed Johan Santana 25 years ago.

Raya is arguably the top pitching prospect in the Twins' organization. The 22-year-old was a fourth-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft out of high school in Laredo, TX, and after dealing with an injury, he made his professional debut two years later with an excellent season at Low-A Fort Myers.

Raya reached Double-A Wichita in 2023 and spent most of this season there, pitching to a 4.27 ERA with 99 strikeouts and 44 walks in 92.2 innings. He closed the season strong in AA and then made one start with Triple-A St. Paul to end the year, throwing five scoreless innings.

Marco Raya's Triple-A ERA at the start of the night: 0.00
Marco Raya's @StPaulSaints ERA at the end of the night: 0.00!

The @Twins' second-ranked pitching prospect racks up four strikeouts over five scoreless in his debut at the level. pic.twitter.com/d3Z8uN0Hjw

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 21, 2024

Raya pairs a mid-90s fastball with an excellent slider, among other offspeed pitches. He needs to improve his command, but he's young and full of upside. MLB.com lists him as the team's No. 5 overall prospect and top pitching prospect. Raya and Andrew Morris might be the two pitching prospects most likely to make an impact on the Twins in 2025.

Because of his prospect status, adding Raya to the 40-man roster to protect him from being poached away in the Rule 5 Draft was a no-brainer for the Twins.

The Twins also added RHP Travis Adams, a sixth-round pick in 2021, to their 40-man roster. That means they did not protect other Rule-5 eligible prospects like Ricardo Olivar and Kala'i Rosario.

The #MNTwins additions to their 40-man roster as protection from the Rule 5 Draft:

RHP Marco Raya
RHP Travis Adams

The 40-man roster is at 37.

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) November 19, 2024