Nationals acquire Rays reliever Reifert in Rule 5 Draft

Success in the Rule 5 Draft is never assured. It’s actually quite rare. The Nationals, though, were willing to take a shot on an unprotected prospect for the third straight year, hoping Evan Reifert bucks the trend and proves himself a valuable member of their pitching staff for years to come.

The Nats selected Reifert today in the final official event of the Winter Meetings in Dallas, using the No. 6 pick in the draft to snag the right-hander reliever away from the Rays.

Reifert, 25, has never pitched above Double-A, but he’s coming off a dominant 2024 season for Tampa Bay’s affiliate in Montgomery. In 34 appearances, he posted a sparkling 1.96 ERA and 0.919 WHIP, striking out 65 batters in only 41 1/3 innings.

Originally a 30th-round pick of the Rangers in 2018 from North Iowa Area Community College, Reifert chose not to sign with Texas and instead transferred to Central Missouri. He wasn’t selected in the pandemic-condensed 2020 draft, but signed with the Brewers and began his professional career.

After a strong 2021 season in Single-A ball, Reifert was traded to the Rays in a deal for big leaguer Mike Brosseau, then spent the last three seasons in Tampa Bay’s farm system. A shoulder injury derailed most of his 2023 campaign, but he returned strong this year at the Double-A level.

The 6-foot-4 reliever has battled command issues at times but is touted for a wipeout slider that has allowed him to strike out nearly 15 batters per nine innings across 112 total professional appearances.

The Nationals, who paid $100,000 to acquire Reifert, will now see if they can keep him on their major league roster (or injured list) the entire 2025 season. If they can’t, they must offer him back to the Rays.

They managed to successfully keep their last two Rule 5 draftees (right-hander Thaddeus Ward, infielder Nasim Nuñez), but neither saw significant playing time. Ward, who spent all of this season at Triple-A Rochester, was placed on waivers this fall and claimed by the Orioles, who recently dropped him from their 40-man roster. Nuñez could compete for a utility infielder’s job next spring but may be sent to Rochester so he has a chance for much-needed playing time he wouldn’t get in D.C.

The Nats didn’t lose any players in the major league portion of today’s Rule 5 Draft. They did lose left-hander Matt Cronin (who had been dropped from the 40-man roster last winter) to the Mariners in the minor league phase of the draft.

They also selected right-hander Hyun-il Choi from the Dodgers in the minor league phase. The 24-year-old was 5-11 with a 4.92 ERA in 24 games (21 starts) between Double-A Tulsa and Triple-A Oklahoma City this season.