The Mets announced they have added RHP Zack Wheeler, RHP Hansel Robles, RHP Gonzalez Germen, RHP Greg Burke, LHP Darin Gorski and SS Wilfredo Tovar to the 40-man roster.
The moves protect each player from being selected in the upcoming Rule 5 draft and today was the deadline for locking players in. The 40-man roster now stands at 39.
In a surprising move, the Mets opted to protect Greg Burke who they only signed to a minor league deal a few days ago, and leave their number one power prospect Aderlin Rodriguez exposed.
The third baseman hit 24 home runs and smacked 26 doubles in 125 games between Savannah and St. Lucie last season. He batted just .263, but had a .797 OPS and is just 21 years old.
Rodriguez was signed in 2008 out of the Dominican Republic and made his professional debut in the GCL in 2009, hitting .290/.389/.387 in 17 games. In 2010, he moved up to the Appalachian League batting .312/.352/.556 with 22 doubles and 13 home runs as an 18-year old. He has been tabbed as the organization’s best power hitting prospect for the last two years.
I was somewhat surprised by the move, but they must be really high on the 30-year old Burke.
