Phillies Lose McGarry to Nationals in Rule 5 Draft, Acquire Curet

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski faced a significant setback on Wednesday when the organization lost promising right-hander Griff McGarry to divisional rival Washington Nationals in the Major League phase of the MLB Rule 5 Draft. The selection occurred during the final day of baseball's Winter Meetings in Orlando, Florida, as teams selected unprotected minor leaguers from other organizations.

McGarry, a 26-year-old native of the San Francisco Bay Area, was the Phillies' fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft out of the University of Virginia. He earned the 2025 Paul Owens Award as the club's top minor league pitcher, leading the organization with 120 strikeouts and ranking fourth in all minor leagues with a 13.34 strikeouts-per-nine-innings rate. Over his five-year minor league career, McGarry has recorded 420 strikeouts in 287 innings, showcasing elite velocity with a four-seam fastball that peaks at 100 mph and averages above 95 mph. His arsenal includes a mid-80s slider, an upper-70s curve, a changeup, and a recently added hard cutter, earning him a third-place ranking in minor league "Stuff" metrics at 121, well above the league average of 100.