The 3 players the White Sox are most likely to lose in the Rule 5 draft

The Winter Meetings are underway from Orlando, Florida, and the White Sox are looking ahead to important events Tuesday and Wednesday. The team will find out Tuesday where they’ll be picking in the 2026 MLB draft, and they hold the highest odds to land the top pick. Wednesday marks the Rule 5 draft, which will likely land the White Sox another young player to throw in the mix. Sox fans know the importance of the Rule 5 draft after watching the team land all-star Shane Smith last season. With the 40-man roster at 35 once the reported signing of Anthony Kay becomes official, the White Sox made the decision to leave a few prospects unprotected and at risk of being lost in Rule 5. Here are the three players they’re most likely to lose.

3. LHP Shane Murphy

Despite being drafted in the 14th round out of community college, Murphy put himself on the map in a big way in 2025. The left-hander set a career-high with 135.1 innings and posted a spectacular 1.66 ERA between three levels. He finished the year with Triple-A Charlotte, putting him on the doorstep of the Major Leagues. Murphy hasn’t been on any Top 30 lists due to his age – he’ll be 25 in January – and the less-than-overpowering nature of his stuff. He thrives on exceptional control and inducing soft contact instead of blowing away hitters. Soft-tossing lefties with good command have certainly been successful at the big league level before, so there’s no reason to think Murphy can’t be. The only reason I feel he’s less at risk of being taken than two other players is the generally difficult nature of taking starters in Rule 5. Most teams prefer to take relievers due to the requirement of keeping them on the major league roster for the full season. Murphy doesn’t have the typical stuff of a reliever, so whichever team took him would be committing to keeping him as a starter. It’s certainly possible someone makes that gamble, but it’s not a guarantee. 

2. RHP Ben Peoples 

The White Sox acquired Peoples along with Duncan Davitt and Curtis Mead in the deadline trade that sent RHP Adrian Houser to the Rays. Peoples began his career as a starting pitcher but moved fully to the bullpen in 2025. He features a mid-90s fastball with a slider as a solid secondary pitch, but never developed a third pitch strong enough to make him a starter. In 35 outings with Triple-A Durham, Peoples posted a 2.65 ERA, but struggled to a 5.56 mark after the trade. At 24 years old with a full-season in Triple-A under his belt, Peoples seems ready to crack a big league bullpen in 2026. He seems like a strong candidate to be chosen, but if not, expect him to make some big league outings in Chicago next season. 

1. RHP Peyton Pallette

The player at the most risk on Wednesday seems to be right-hander Peyton Pallette. The White Sox selected Pallette in the second round of the 2022 draft and immediately envisioned his future as a starter. Pallette was viewed by many as a first-round talent but fell to round two after undergoing Tommy John surgery during his final year at Arkansas. Pallette made his White Sox organizational debut in 2023, posting a 4.13 ERA in 22 starts with Low-A Kannapolis. A rocky start to the 2024 season led to his move to the bullpen, and Pallette put himself on the big league radar for 2025 with a 1.80 ERA in eight relief appearances in Birmingham. Despite 86 strikeouts in 64.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025, Pallette never made his big league debut and was left off the 40-man roster. He’ll turn 25 in May and features three strong pitches that will likely entice a team to throw him in their bullpen. I’d be surprised if someone doesn’t take Pallette, but if he somehow slips through the cracks, he’s a lock to be in Chicago at some point in 2026.

Other White Sox prospects that could be taken, but are more of a longshot include Mason Adams, Aldrin Batista, Tyler Schweitzer, and Samuel Zavala. We’ll be covering the Rule 5 draft Wednesday and any other news from the Winter Meetings in Orlando this week, so be sure to check back in!