Rays add LHP Nate Lavender in 2025 Rule 5 draft

They also lose RHP Evan Reifert.

The Rule 5 draft serves as the unofficial ending of the Winter Meetings with teams getting an opportunity to select unprotected players from each team’s roster.

Many teams choose to pass on taking a player during the Major League phase of the draft as the rules require that any player taken during that phase must stick in the big leagues for the entire duration of the following regular season. However, there have been many success stories of players being taken and thriving with new opportunity, one of those being former Devil Ray top prospect Josh Hamilton who when on to become an MVP with the Texas Rangers.

This off-season, the Rays both acquired and lost prospects, so let’s get into them.

LHP Nate Lavander (from Mets)

A southpaw on the Mets Triple-A team, Lavender recently underwent an internal brace procedure on his left elbow in May 2024. He relies heavily on a fastball in the low-90’s but that hasn’t stopped him from racking up strikeouts, thanks in part to some excellent extension from the 6’2” hurler.

Once he’s healthy, he’s an excellent up-and-down option for the Durham shuttle, but there’s an added complication that a Rule 5 prospect needs to stay on the 26-man roster all year to be kept. This can be mitigated by turning the Rule 5 selection into a traditional trade down the road, if needed, but more likely the Rays will stash Lavender to start the year on the 60-day Injured List (expected after his surgery) and let him slowly work back into form. This will help the team and player find the right time and role, instead of rushing things in Spring Training.

RHP Evan Reifert (to Nationals)

The Washington Nationals selected Evan Reifert from the Rays. Reifert caught the attention of prospect pundits everywhere with a dominating performance in the Arizona Fall League in 2022. Entering spring training in 2023, Reifert seemed primed to make a leap to the big league roster at some point but it turned into a lost year due to injury.

The 25-year old returned in 2024 and once again showcased an ability strikeout opposing hitters with ease. Command had always been the biggest issue for Reifert, but he finished the 2024 campaign with a 9.9 BB% over 41 innings at Double-A, so he’s not far from serviceable.

Minor League Phase

There was also some reshuffling in the minor league side of the Rule 5 draft, where players are not required to be returned if they cannot maintain a level.

Here the Rays added RHP Dan Hammer from the Orioles Double-A roster, and lost RHP’s Samuel Mejia (Low-A), Enmanuel Mejia (Triple-A), and Adam Leverett (Double-A). Among them, only Leverett was a starter. He was the return for prospect RHP Michael Mercado last off-season.

What didn’t happen

There was a brief moment where it sounded like the Rays had also acquired Canadian catching prospect Liam Hicks, who has been well travelled over the last six months, going from the Rangers to the Tigers at the trade deadline in the Carson Kelly trade, and then going to the Marlins with the third overall pick in this off-season Rule 5 draft.

A potential trade to send Hicks to the Rays was rumored but did not materialize. Indeed, adding a catcher would have been a mild surprise given that the Rays just signed Danny Jensen to a multi-year deal and already have Ben Rortvedt as the backup.

UPDATE

A few hours after the draft, the Rays made a trade with the Phillies to add their selection of RHP Mike Vasil, a top prospect in the Mets system. Read more about him here.

MLB Pipeline interviewed Rays assistant GM Kevin Ibach on the two selections:

On LHP Nate Lavender:

“We’ve always liked him [...] I say this a lot when we execute trades, but we start history with a player coming out of the Draft, coming into professional baseball. With Nate, it was a left-handed arm that we liked a lot. Multiple pitches to get guys out, like the fastball, like the deception that he provides from the left-hand side.

“Obviously would like a healthy version of the player, but this was an opportunity to get someone that we can take over the throwing program, get him into Spring Training and develop under our hood until he’s ready to take the mound again.”

On RHP Mike Vasil:

If Vasil sticks, it will be because he could potentially fill different roles. He’s largely started in his career, but don’t be surprised if the Rays employ him in different ways.

“The versatility he provides with that profile is probably what’s most appealing for him,” Ibach said. “There are a lot of different ways he can impact a 26-man roster, more so than just a traditional reliever.”