Pirates pick Orioles pitcher in Rule 5 Draft but trade him to Rangers for prospect, cash

The Pittsburgh Pirates stocked up on pitching in the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday at the Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla., then flipped their pick in the major league phase for a prospect and cash considerations.

The Pirates selected 23-year-old right-hander Carter Baumler from the Baltimore Orioles with the fifth overall pick but traded him to the Texas Rangers for 20-year-old Venezuelan righty Jaiker Garcia and the $100,000 required to select a player in the Rule 5 Draft.

Baumler spent three years ranked as a top-30 prospect in Baltimore’s system despite dealing with injuries that limited his pitching, and was ranked the Orioles’ No. 29 prospect by MLB Pipeline in 2024. Keeping Baumler would have filled the final spot on the Pirates’ 40-man roster, and he would have been required to remain on their 26-man roster for the entire season and be active for at least 90 days.

The 6-foot-4, 175-pound Garcia originally signed as a corner infielder before converting to pitcher in 2023. He was 3-3 with a 4.66 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, two saves and averaged 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings over 18 appearances for the Rangers’ rookie team at the Arizona Complex League.

The Pirates exposed a pair of top-30 prospects in the Rule 5 Draft — Omar Alfonzo (No. 20) and left-handed pitcher Anthony Solometo (No. 26) — but neither was selected. The Pirates lost 26-year-old right-hander Jack Carey, who was picked by Cleveland in the minor league phase.

The Pirates also added three relievers in the minor league phase, selecting 23-year-old Venezuelan right-hander Junior Flores from the San Francisco Giants, 26-year-old lefty Brandon Neeck from the Los Angeles Dodgers and 22-year-old righty Kyle Larsen from the Texas Rangers.