All of the New York action in the Major-League phase of the 2022 Rule 5 Draft came in the span of three picks, as the Yankees lost two pitchers – including one to the Mets.
The Cardinals selected RHP Wilking Rodriguez with the No. 25 pick of the first (and this year only) round of the Rule 5 Draft, and after the Yankees passed at No. 26, the Mets selected RHP Zach Greene at No. 27.
Rodriguez, 32, signed a minor-league deal with the Yankees late last season but never pitched, instead spending time on the restricted list after joining the team from the Mexican League. He hadn’t been in affiliated ball since 2015, when he threw 10 2/3 Triple-A innings for the Yankees, but he had a 2.01 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings for the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos in Mexico.
Originally an international free agent signing of the Rays way back in 2007, Rodriguez has just two games of MLB experience with Kansas City in 2014, but he has a career 3.71 ERA in 346 2/3 innings in the Minors for the Rays, Royals, and Yankees.
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Greene, 26, was an eighth-round pick out of South Alabama in 2019, and he had a 3.42 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season. The righty is an analytics darling whose fastball plays up because of his spin and angle, and he had a 14/6 percent swinging strike rate in Triple-A.
The Cardinals and Mets paid $100,000 to select Rodriguez and Greene and must keep them on their MLB roster all year; if they choose not to, they must first offer the player back to the Yankees for $50K before exposing him to waivers.
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