Tigers’ Rule 5 decisions extend beyond Josue Briceño and Max Anderson

The Detroit Tigers have decisions to make about their own prospects before the offseason brings additions from outside the organization. With Rule 5 protection approaching, the question is how many eligible players deserve a place on the 40-man roster and which current players Detroit is willing to move to create those openings.

Josue Briceño and Max Anderson headline that discussion. FanGraphs’ RosterResource lists both as eligible for the 2026 Rule 5 draft, along with Peyton Graham and several pitchers who warrant consideration. Protecting the two prominent hitters looks straightforward, but the decisions beyond them could reveal how Detroit evaluates its organizational depth.

Briceño should be among the easiest additions. Injuries limited him to 42 games this season, but he still hit nine home runs with a .250/.349/.479 line across three levels. His power potential makes protecting him a sensible investment even if he needs additional time in Toledo before becoming a major league option.

Anderson presents a different roster question because his performance has already created a case for an opportunity. He hit .302/.386/.477 with 15 home runs in 108 games for Toledo, according to Just Baseball. Whether Detroit sees him as a future contributor or a possible trade piece, leaving him exposed would be difficult to justify. Adding him would preserve those choices without requiring the Tigers to settle his major league role immediately.

Graham makes the discussion more interesting. His .290/.397/.429 season at Double-A Erie included 66 stolen bases, giving the Tigers more to consider than his status as a former second-round pick. I would lean toward protecting him because that combination of on-base production and speed deserves an opportunity to be evaluated against more advanced competition.

That recommendation still leaves room for questions about how his offense will translate. Detroit must weigh the value of keeping him against the other players competing for roster space, rather than treating one productive season as a guarantee of major league success.

The pitching decisions deserve attention as well. RosterResource identifies Joe Miller, Jaden Hamm, Joseph Montalvo and Zane Barnhart among the eligible arms. Their eligibility puts them in the conversation, although it does not make each one an automatic protection candidate.

For those pitchers, my evaluation would center on whether another organization could find a usable major league role for them soon. A potential bullpen contribution could make an arm worth protecting even if his long-term future as a starter remains uncertain.

My starting point would be protecting Briceño, Anderson and Graham, then evaluating the pitchers individually. The Tigers need room to improve the major league roster, but they also need to consider what replacing that internal depth would require. These decisions will help establish which prospects remain part of Detroit’s plans and where the organization is comfortable accepting the risk of a departure.

Over the next few days, I’ll take a closer look at these players individually and make the case for whether the Tigers should protect each one. That will include how they could fit in Detroit, what still needs to develop and the risk of leaving them available to another organization.