The Rule 5 Draft has been kind to the White Sox of late. Shane Smith, the team’s first overall pick in 2024, ended up having one of the better rookie seasons by a Rule 5 pick in recent memory. Mike Vasil also had a strong rookie season after being acquired as a Rule 5 player last March. Jedixson Paez, this year’s top pick, will likely make the Opening Day roster and have an opportunity to show what he can do as well.
For all these success stories, it appears the White Sox front office also made a notable mistake in the Rule 5 sphere. Peyton Pallette, a right-handed reliever who they left unprotected in the 2025 Rule 5 Draft, has now made the Cleveland Guardians Opening Day roster, per Tim Stebbins of MLB.com.
Pallette, 24, was a second-round pick by the White Sox in 2022. He underwent Tommy John surgery that same season and then spent a couple of years as a starting pitcher in the White Sox farm system before getting moved to the bullpen in 2024. It was at this point that his performance started to improve. Across 52 relief appearances between the Double-A and Triple-A levels in 2025, Pallette recorded 86 strikeouts in 64.1 innings along with a 4.06 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 11 saves. Even with these impressive strikeout totals, he did not appear in an MLB game with the White Sox organization.
Questionable Thought Process
There are a couple of puzzling aspects in this scenario from the White Sox side. The first is that Pallette never got an opportunity at the big-league level last season, even as the White Sox bullpen struggled all year. The South Siders used 29 different relievers last season, yet a young, high-strikeout arm in Pallette was not one of them. The second is that they left him unprotected in the Rule 5 Draft, despite having plenty of 40-man roster spots available. The Guardians took notice and quickly nabbed him.
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Pallette has taken his opportunity with Cleveland and run with it. In five appearances this spring, he has yet to allow a run while striking out 11 in six innings. His fastball has reportedly reached 98 MPH as well. He showed enough to make the Guardians roster and will now pitch in their bullpen to start the season. While he likely won’t see high leverage opportunities right away with other relievers like Cade Smith and Hunter Gaddis in the fold, he could quickly work his way up their bullpen hierarchy.
Miscalculation By White Sox
The decision not to protect Peyton Pallette in the Rule 5 Draft compounded by the fact that he made the Guardians Opening Day roster is an unfortunate development for the White Sox. If he sticks in Cleveland, they will likely see him a lot since he is now in the division. If he doesn’t, he could eventually end up back in Chicago, as the Guardians must offer him back if they decide to part ways with him at some point during the 2026 season. Either way, what once looked like a minor roster decision now carries more weight than Chris Getz and the White Sox front office were hoping for.
