The White Sox took two more Rule 5 fliers on Wednesday, plucking Jedixson Paez from the Boston Red Sox and Alexander Alberto from the Tampa Bay Rays for the cost of a couple of stadium hot dogs. It’s the classic scratch-off ticket move: you might hit big, but could end up with nothing but mustard on your thumb.
Last year, the South Siders lucked into Shane Smith with the first pick in the Rule 5, then scooped up Mike Vasil after he pinballed to Philadelphia from Tampa via the Rule 5. But don’t go buying yourself a Paez or Alberto City Connect jersey just yet: Rule 5s are usually more lottery ticket than golden ticket, and most wind up right back where they started.
The 21-year-old Paez was Boston’s No. 19 prospect, whom they signed out of Venezuela in 2021. The righthander was 0-3 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.09 WHIP for the High-A Greenville Drive over just seven starts as he missed a significant part of the 2025 season due to a calf injury. Paez’s greatest strength appears to be his control, which MLB Pipeline grades at 70.
Alberto, meanwhile, saw significantly more action. Working exclusively out of the bullpen across Single-A and High-A, he posted a 2–2 record with a 2.59 ERA and 1.17 WHIP over 48 2/3 innings in 42 appearances.
Per the Rule 5 draft, Paez and Alberto have to loiter on the 26-player roster all season or else the Sox have to sell them back to their original teams at half-price. There’s no stashing them in Charlotte. With the additions, Chicago’s 40-player roster now stands at 37.
Unfortunately, the Good Guys lost their own No. 14 prospect in pitcher Peyton Pallette. Chicago selected Pallette in Round 2 of the 2022 draft out of the University of Arkansas. The former Razorback went 2-3 with a 4.06 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 2025, splitting the season between Birmingham and Charlotte.
Finally, the White Sox also added to their affiliate depth in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 draft, using their pick to select righthander Jackson Kelley from the Rangers’ Double-A Frisco roster. Texas drafted the 25-year-old in Round 12 of the 2022 draft (No. 349). He was 2-1 with a 2.40 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 30 innings for the RoughRiders. No White Sox player was drafted out of the organization in the minor league phase.
Stay tuned for the inevitable flurry of front office quotes and maybe even a trade rumor or two!