Astros' penny-pinching has them hoping Rule 5 draft pick turns into bullpen ace

The MLB Winter Meetings have been a rather mundane exercise for the Houston Astros this week. With top team executives mingling with opposing GMs in Orlando, Astros fans were hoping to see some free agent signings or at least a trade or two.

Instead, it looks like all the Astros will come away with this week will be a right-handed reliever they acquired during the Rule 5 Draft. Houston selected relief pitcher Roddery Muñoz off the Cincinnati Reds Triple-A roster. He didn't even pitch for the Reds last season, and instead was a waiver claim who saw time with the St. Louis Cardinals the past two seasons.

Muñoz was on the Reds' 40-man roster until recently. He was non-tendered back in November and then re-signed to a minor league deal. As such, he was eligible for Rule 5 selection, and the Astros took advantage of the Reds' complacency. Whether the move works out as well as the Astros hope it will is another matter entirely.

Astros select pitcher Roddery Muñoz from the Reds' Triple-A roster in the Rule 5 Draft

Muñoz made nine relief appearances for the Cardinals last season and was a starter in St. Louis back in 2024. In total, the 25-year-old has a 2-7 record with a 6.73 ERA and 84 strikeouts over 93⅔ innings of work. The right-hander has multiple pitches, but relies heavily on a cutter-slider combination to go along with his two-seamer.

The Rule 5 Draft offers teams the opportunity to supplement their rosters with players that other organizations have deemed expendable. If a player meets certain criteria and is not part of a team's 40-man roster, another franchise is free to select said player during the Rule 5 Draft. But there's a catch.

In order for the Astros — in this case with Muñoz — to keep him within the organization, he must remain on the 26-man active roster through the entire season. Players can go onto the IL if they're injured, but if a team hopes to send them back to the minors, they must first be offered back to their original team.

There are rare cases of Rule 5 picks making throughout an entire season, and even having a major impact. More times than not, however, that's not the case. Houston is hoping Muñoz is the exception to the rule and gives them a strong, low-cost arm in their bullpen.