These 2 Astros prospects are at-risk for being stolen in the 2024 Rule 5 Draft

For many casual baseball fans, the Rule 5 Draft is a bit difficult to understand, both in terms of how it works and its actual purpose. The goal of the Rule 5 is to keep teams from hoarding prospects in the minors while not giving them an opportunity at the big-league level, but the result usually ends up being a pitcher-swap extravaganza. However, that doesn't mean the Houston Astros haven't prepared for everything this offseason.

The deadline to add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 was Tuesday, and the Astros ultimately decided on protecting pitcher Colton Gordon and leaving the rest of their eligible prospects unprotected. This certainly makes some sense, as most other further-away prospects are not likely to be picked and 40-man space is precious.

However, there are a couple of Houston minor-leaguers that could attract some attention in the Rule 5 and end up being stolen away.

Astros leaving Alimber Santa and Alex Santos exposed to the Rule 5 Draft is pretty risky

The Astros have a number of players of some note that are Rule 5 eligible (eligibility is based on how long they have been in the minors and how old they were when they signed), but a number of them are hitters. Offensive players aren't typically aren't selected in the Rule 5 unless they are big league-ready starters, as picks must be on the big league roster all year long. Bats who their initial teams don't believe in, but who can hack it for a full 162 on someone else's active roster, are few and far between.

Pitchers are a different matter entirely, as teams love having backup starter and bullpen arms for cheap, and two Houston prospects that fit the mold are Alimber Santa and Alex Santos. Santa is the Astros' No. 16 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, thanks to his arm speed and (at least) plus fastball. He struggled a lot in the minors in 2024, though, and teams may be wary of taking a risk on him with an actual roster spot.

Santos was a prominent pitching prospect for the Astros early on in his career before his stuff backed up the last couple of seasons and he dealt with arm troubles. However, he got back on folks' radars recently, as Santos' performance in the AFL this year was widely lauded. It is likely that other teams noticed his improved portfolio this fall, and for a team that could use a long reliever or wants to see what Santos can do in shorter stints in the bullpen, he could be ripe for the picking.

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