Shervyen Newton, Ed Delany/MMO
The Major League Baseball Winter Meetings come to a conclusion on Thursday with the Rule 5 Draft at noon eastern time. There will be a live audio stream on MLB.com.
The Mets 40-man roster is currently full, meaning they can’t draft a player. While the Mets do have some vulnerable players on the back end of their 40, they will need those potential spots for if/when they acquire players this offseason.
If the Mets did clear a 40-man spot, they would have the 19th pick in the draft.
Left-handed pitchers Blake Taylor and Thomas Szapucki, catcher Ali Sanchez, right-handed pitcher Jordan Humphreys, and infielder Andres Gimenez were added to the 40-man roster last month to protect them from the Rule 5. Taylor was later traded to the Astros for outfielder Jake Marisnick.
A player who signed his first professional contract at the age of 18 or younger is protected from the first four Rule 5 drafts during which he is a member of an organization. First-time eligibles in 2019 that fall under this category were, for the most part, international signings or high school draft picks in 2015.
If a player signed at 19 or older, he is only protected from his first three Rule 5 drafts. College draftees from 2016, for example, are eligible for the first time this winter.
If a team makes a pick, they must pay the player’s original team $100,000. That player must stick on the 26-man Major League roster for the duration of the 2020 season or be offered back to his previous organization for $50,000.
A player can be on the injured list, but must be active for 90 days in order to meet the requirements to stick with his new team. These requirements can carry over to the following season if injuries prevent a player from meeting them with his new club in 2020.
Once the player is carried on the 40-man roster for a season, the next season they can be optioned to the minors.
Ed Delany/MMO
While the Mets are unlikely to make a pick, there’s a chance that they do lose a prospect. According to sources, there’s the possibility of a rebuilding team taking Mets young infield prospect Shervyen Newton. Both Baseball America and MiLB.com have listed Newton as a potential pick, though note it’s a long shot given his age (20) and rawness (hasn’t reached Advanced-A yet).
Newton, 20, is currently listed as the Mets No. 8 prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The switch-hitter slashed .209/.283/.330 while playing second base, third base, and shortstop in 109 games for Low-A Columbia Fireflies.
One of the factors that could play into a younger, extremely inexperienced player getting taken is the rule change to 26 man rosters which makes it easier to shield a player like Newton from overexposure at the big league level. Any team taking a Newton-type player is simply looking to add a prospect at a low cost.
BA also noted Mets minor league catcher Patrick Mazeika as a player that could get drafted on December 12. The left-handed hitter slashed .245/.312/.426 with 25 doubles, 16 home runs, and 69 RBI in 116 games for Double-A Binghamton in 2019.
Mazeika improved defensively behind the plate as receiver and thrower. He also has significant experience at first base, playing there 53 times this past season.
Right-handed pitchers Ryder Ryan, Matt Blackham, and Harol Gonzalez, and infielder Luis Carpio are the other top names the Mets left unprotected.
Right-hander Sterling Sharp has been reported as one of the more likely players taken in the draft. Right-handed pitchers Griffin Jax, Trevor Megill, Jordan Sheffield, Alec Hansen, and Zack Brown are a few other names to watch.
On the position player side, INF Cristian Santana, OF Buddy Reed, SS Alfredo Rodriguez, SS Wander Javier, OF Moises Gomez, and UT Eli White are interesting players to keep an eye on.
I did hear, that much like last year, the Mets are likely to take at least one player in the minor league portion of the draft. There’s no roster stipulations for those picks.
