On Thursday to conclude the Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, all 30 teams had the opportunity to participate in the Rule 5 draft.
In the major league phase, the Mets selected right-handed pitcher Kyle Dowdy. He will have to remain on the Mets roster for the entirety of the season, or be offered back to the team New York claimed him from, the Cleveland Indians.
However, the Mets also took a few players in the minor league portion. These players are now the Mets property no matter what. Among them is outfielder Braxton Lee, who was selected from the Miami Marlins.
Lee, 25, had a cup of coffee with Miami this past season, getting into eight games and logging 18 at-bats. He spent a majority of the season in the minors, though, where he played 84 games and registered a triple slash of .233/.316/.294.
He was acquired by Miami in 2017 for infielder Adeiny Hechavarria.
Lee is not the type of player who will set the world on fire, but can help the Mets outfield depth. He doesn’t hit for much power, but in 2017 when he was fully healthy, he nabbed 20 bases and had a .395 on-base percentage through 561 plate appearances.
He could be a guy who the Mets could use as a fifth outfielder, or who they could stash in Triple-A and shuttle him from Syracuse in a pinch if they need an outfielder.
Prior to last season, Lee was ranked by Baseball America as the Marlins 27th best prospect.
