Adam Rubin reported earlier today that the Mets will not add more than a few prospects to the 40-man roster.
There are already two prospects on the 40-man roster, including Juan Centeno and Matt den Dekker. That would ultimately leave four roster spots open on the 40-man. A few players that could be exposed to the Rule 5 Draft are Steven Matz, Cory Vaughn, Greg Peavey, Jacob deGrom, and Jeff Walters.
This is interesting as it comes on the heels of the piece I wrote earlier where I named Steven Matz as the New York Mets pitching prospect to watch in 2014, and there is a possibility he may not be with the organization.
If I had to guess which three players the Mets would protect, they would be deGrom, Walters, and Vaughn. Vaughn has spent the fall in the AFL, and the Mets still seem commited to the young outfielder. I actually had a fun back & forth with Vaughn on Twitter about a week ago:
Matz may be left unprotected, as the Mets could opt to protect the three other prospects who are closer to the major leagues. I just have a funny feeling that the Mets are underestimating that there may be some teams out there that would definitely be interested in a left-handed pitcher that throws 95 mph.
(Photo Credit: Gordon Donovan)
