There are never any guarantees in Major League Baseball’s Rule 5 Draft, but the Philadelphia Phillies losing right-hander Griff McGarry came about as close as possible. McGarry, a 26-year-old from San Francisco and the Phillies’ fifth-round pick out of Virginia in 2021, made 21 starts across the organization this past season. His overall results weren’t elite, yet one aspect stood out clearly: his ability to miss bats. In just 83 2/3 innings, he struck out a remarkable 124 hitters.
Once the Phillies chose not to place McGarry on their 40-man roster by the Nov. 18 protection deadline, he was immediately viewed as one of the most likely names to be taken by another club in the Rule 5 Draft. That expectation proved accurate. On Wednesday, the team that snapped him up turned out to be a familiar neighbor. The Washington Nationals selected McGarry with the third pick in the major league phase, as confirmed by MLB.com’s official Rule 5 results.
Under Rule 5 guidelines, the Nationals must keep McGarry on their active MLB roster for the full season or legitimately place him on the injured list. If they fail to do either, he would be returned to Philadelphia’s system. Given Washington’s glaring need for pitching and the likelihood that they are entering another rebuilding stretch under new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni, their willingness to take a chance on McGarry’s electric arm made complete sense.
The remaining uncertainty centers on McGarry’s role. He spent 2024 working as a starter in the minors, but many Rule 5 picks transition into bullpen roles where their stuff can play up in shorter bursts. It’s possible the Nationals envision him as a rotation project, especially with their lack of depth, but it’s just as plausible that they decide to harness his strikeout-heavy arsenal in high-leverage relief spots. Either way, his selection marks a notable loss for the Phillies and an intriguing gamble for a Nationals club searching for upside wherever they can find it.