Updated Post, 11/14/23

Surprisingly, the Mets protected only Alex Ramírez from the Rule 5 draft by placing him on the 40-man roster. That leaves Justin Jarvis, Coleman Crow, Joander Suarez and others listed below to get picked to an MLB roster in the December 6 draft.

The team’s 40-man roster sits at 33 after adding Ramírez and placing Penn Murfee on waivers. He was claimed by the Braves. (Their 40-man roster is full, so it’s likely Murfee, who had Tommy John surgery recently, will be on waivers again.

Original Post, 11/14/23

The deadline for teams to protect prospects from the December Rule 5 Draft is Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET. The current 40-man roster is at 33.

Players signed at age 18 or younger need to be added to their club’s 40-man roster within five seasons or they become eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at age 19 or older need to be protected within four seasons.

If the Mets don’t choose to add any of the mentioned players to the 40-man roster, they will be available to be selected On Dec. 6 in the Rule 5 Draft.

Let’s take a look at some of the notable players from the Mets farm system that are Rule 5 draft eligible.

Alex Ramírez. Photo by Frank Becerra of Journal News

Rule 5-Eligible Pitchers

  • RHP Justin Jarvis – The Mets acquired the 23-year-old from the Brewers for Mark Canha at the trade deadline, and while he struggled following the trade in Triple-A (8.04 ERA in 9 starts), I would expect the Mets to add him to the 40-man roster. The former fifth round pick had a 3.33 ERA and 10.8 K/9 in 14 starts at the Double-A level this season before the trade.
  • RHP Coleman Crow – Another arm that the Mets got via trade this year, this time in the deal for Eduardo Escobar. The 22-year-old had a 1.88 ERA in four Double-A starts in the Angels farm system before the trade. Unfortunately, Crow had Tommy John surgery in late July/early August this year and has yet to pitch in the Mets system.
  • RHP Joander Suarez – The 23-year-old had an incredible run to finish out his season with 24 scoreless innings between High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton, including a 7-inning no-hitter that followed a 6-inning no-hit start.
  • RHP Brendan Hardy – The 23-year-old is known for his high-spin pitches and getting great extension on his delivery to the plate. The former 31st round pick had a 2.16 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 35 innings across three levels this year, finishing with allowing two runs in 8 2/3 Double-A innings. Hardy did struggle in limited time in the AFL this fall, with a four runs allowed in 5 2/3 innings.
  • RHP Eric Orze – A bullpen arm that the Mets certainly had hoped would be in the big leagues already, but Orze has struggled with command and the long ball since getting selected in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. Orze struggled overall to the tune of a 5.31 ERA this year in Triple-A, though he did strike out 81 batters in 61 innings and tossed 11 scoreless innings with only two hits allowed and 22 strikeouts to finish out the season.
  • LHP Daniel Juarez – The small lefty with a interesting fastball has a 2.50 career ERA with 5.5 H/9 and 11.9 K/9. He posted a 2.37 ERA between High-A and Double-A this season.
  • RHP Wilkin Ramos – The Mets actually scooped up Ramos in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 Draft last year. The 23-year-old had a 2.50 ERA and a groundball rate over 60% in 57 2/3 relief innings between Brooklyn and Binghamton this year.

Rule 5-Eligible Position Players

  • OF Alex Ramírez – The 20-year-old struggled mightily this season (.627 OPS) in 120 games for Brooklyn, but his potential is enough to likely warrant him still getting added to the 40-man roster.
  • UT Jeremiah Jackson – Certainly one of the more interesting cases after coming to the Mets from the Angels in exchange for right-handed reliever Dominic Leone. The 23-year-old had a .802 OPS with 11 extra-base hits and six stolen bases in 37 Double-A games following the trade. The former second round pick has played all three outfield spots and everywhere in the infield besides first base. His most career games (159) come at shortstop.
  • OF Brandon McIlwain – The former D-I quarterback is strong defensive outfielder that posted a .748 OPS between Double-A and Triple-A this season. The Mets depth in the outfield at the major league level is pretty weak.
  • INF Luke Ritter – The Mets 2023 minor league home run leader with 27 might’ve been a late-season call up if not for an oblique injury that shut his year down early. The 26-year-old has played all four infield spots and left field.
  • OF Stanley Consuegra – The 23-year-old has some of the best raw power in the Mets system as he set the Brooklyn Cyclones single-season home run record with 23 this year. However, he posted a .294 OBP and has yet to reach Double-A.

Other Eligible Players

Teams that draft a player must pay $100,000 to the club from which said player was selected.

Rule 5 Draft picks are assigned directly to the drafting club’s 26-man roster and must be placed on outright waivers in order to be removed from the 26-man roster in the subsequent season. Should the player clear waivers, he must be offered back to his previous team for $50,000 and can be outrighted to the Minors only if his original club does not wish to reacquire him. A Rule 5 Draft pick can be placed on the Major League injured list, but he must be active for a minimum of 90 days to avoid being subject to the aforementioned roster restrictions in the next campaign.

Who Will The Mets Add to the 40-Man Roster?

Ramírez and Jarvis are the two most likely players protected to me.

I believe there’s a chance the Mets keep adding pitching with Crow and/or Suarez as the next arms up.

Jackson is on the fence because of his high strikeout totals, but he could be a good utility type player to have in Triple-A this year for the Mets.

And as for Matt Allan, he’s still recovering from surgery, but before his injuries, he was viewed as the Mets’ top pitching prospect. He might not be protected now, but he could be added to the 40-man roster by next offseason.