The 2023 Rule 5 draft: The pitchers

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty ImagesThe Winter Meetings this week will conclude with the Rule 5 draft on Wednesday. The Royals currently have a 40-man roster, but could still drop someone before the draft to make a selection. The team is starved so pitching, so there could be some good opportunities to add talent to the organization.

The polished products

Tanner Burns, Guardians

The Guardians are always a great organization to poach pitching from, and Kevin Kelly was one of the better picks from last year’s draft. Burns is ranked #19 in their system according to MLB Pipeline after putting up a 3.01 ERA in 86 2/3 innings in a repeat of Double-A. He’s a former first round pick…