Many Atlanta Braves (and baseball fans in general really) are unaware of exactly how the Rule 5 draft works. Essentially, players who have been in the minor leagues for a number of years are eligible to be selected by other teams IF they are not on the 40-man roster. The Rule 5 was put in place to prevent teams from hoarding prospects and never letting them get an opportunity.
However, there is a catch. Picking a player in the Rule 5 is cheap, but to keep said player, they must remain on their new team's big league roster. If they are not keep on the roster, they must be offered back to their old team at a discount. If said old team declines, only then can they keep them in their minor league system.
The Braves selected Anderson Pilar in this year's Rule 5 draft in the hope that he could provide their bullpen a boost in 2025. Unfortunately, that plan does not appear to have worked out as currently reporting suggests Atlanta will return Pilar back to the Marlins.
Braves To Return Rule 5 Pick Anderson Pilar To Marlins https://t.co/htV14JmjbL pic.twitter.com/BxK5CNeIa5
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) March 19, 2025
Braves to return Rule 5 Draft pick Anderson Pilar to the Marlins
This is a bit of a bummer as Pilar certainly has some intriguing raw stuff. However, it became abundantly clear that he wasn't quite ready for the big leagues this spring as he only managed a pretty dreadful 14.29 ERA in six appearances as he battled both command issues and issues giving up hard contact. He did strike out 12 batters in 5.2 innings of work, but the cons definitely outweighed the pros in camp.
With the Braves recently adding Hector Neris as well as old friend Craig Kimbrel to their bullpen ranks, there was far less pressure to keep Pilar around. There is no guarantee whatsoever that both veterans will work out this season, but they are certainly safer bets to contribute than Pilar who has no big league experience and who struggled mightily in his audition during spring training.
This is great news for Atlanta's remaining bullpen options in camp. If you are Enyel De Los Santos and Daysbel Hernandez, you have to really be liking your chances to be in the bullpen on Opening Day between this move and the Braves recent cuts that have trimmed the bullpen competition significantly.