The Phillies had to figure they would lose at least one player and maybe more in the Major League Phase of the Rule 5 Draft on Wednesday. On the bright side though they knew they would be able to steal one or more players from other organizations in the same draft.

The giving part of the equation came early when the Washington Nationals grabbed former top prospect Griff McGarry with the third pick. At one point, McGarry was mentioned in the same breath as guys like Andrew Painter and Mick Abel among Phillies prospects. Unfortunately, he went wild; literally. McGarry simply lost command of his pitches and as his stats headed south, so did McGarry as he was first moved from the rotation to the bullpen and then from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to Double-A Reading. This past season saw McGarry re-emerge as a starter and he put together a solid inning for Reading and was rewarded with a start back at Triple-A where he had constantly struggled in the past. In that one outing, McGarry threw five innings of one-hit ball, allowing one earned run while striking out eight members of the Syracuse Mets.

The Nationals is a good place for McGarry, 26, to land. He doesn’t come with the baggage of being a “former” top prospect and is with a club that can give him an opportunity to pitch and not be overly concerned with results. It will not be surprising if he sticks with the Nats throughout the season and goes on to have at least a decent MLB career.

A number of teams passed in the MLB phase and only 11 players were off the board when the Phillies picked. They went to division rival Miami and selected a 26-year-old righty by the name of Zach McCambley. Like McGarry, McCambley has had some struggles with control, but 2025 was a rebound season for him. Starting the season at Double-A Pensacola, McCambley made it to Triple-A Jacksonville and threw a combined 62 innings with a 2-3, 2.90 record. In 2024, McCambley’s BB/9 had ballooned to 7.1, but this past season he had it down to 3.2, still a little on the high side, but much better. He also added two strikeouts per nine innings to his 2024 total of 11.1, moving up to 13.1 in 2025.

THE READ-IN: Rule 5 Scouting Report: Zach McCambley

Both McGarry and McCambley must stay on their new team’s 26-man roster for the entire 2026 season or be placed on waivers and if they clear, be offered back to their former team. If they are claimed, that team then must keep them on their active roster – or the IL – for the rest of the season. If they go unclaimed and their original team does not take them back then their new team can outright them to Triple-A.

THE READ-IN: Rule 5 Draft: Possible Additions and Losses for the Phils

The Triple-A Phase of the Rule 5 Draft works differently. Teams can select from any player not on another team’s 40-man or Triple-A roster. The players selected in this phase are not limited to being kept at any particular level and are considered just as any other minor league player in that organization would be.

Just as they did in the Major League Phase, the Phillies lost a player, but this time around, added two to their minor league system.

First baseman Carson Taylor, who is a converted catcher, was taken by the Seattle Mariners in the Triple-A Phase of the Rule 5 Draft. Taylor opened the 2025 season with Lehigh Valley and was hitting .714 (5-for-7) with a home run and two RBI for the IronPigs when he landed on the IL with a right labrum tear and missed the rest of the season. Taylor has solid power, hitting 16 home runs between Reading and Lehigh Valley in 2024 with a .279/.396/.458/.854 slash line.

The Phillies found two prospects to their liking, drafting first baseman/outfielder Austin Murr from Double-A Erie (Detroit) and in the next round doubling back to take San Francisco right-hander Evan Gates.

Murr, who turns 27 next month, reached Double-A in 2024, but opened 2025 at High-A Western Michigan, where he played 72 games and hit 7-43-.280/.386/.451/.837 before being bumped all the way up to Triple-A Toledo. In 11 games there he hit just .208/.259/.375/.634 with the Mud Hens. Murr has played at first base and at both corner outfield spots in his career.

Gates turns 28 in a month and played at Double-A Richmond (San Francisco) in 2025. In 41 games, Gates posted a 3-2, 3.23 record and a K/9 rate of 10.33 to go with a BB/9 rate of 4.00. The Giants had Gates at Triple-A Sacramento in 2024 for 20 relief outings, but he struggled and had a 7.20 ERA.

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