Unlike the rest of the Winter Meetings, the Mets actually were active in the Rule 5 Draft. They selected a pitcher from the Rangers only to turn around and send him to the Red Sox. In return, the Mets received LHP Ryan Ammons, a 2023 draft pick from Clemson, who has yet to pitch professionally. Ammons had great strikeout numbers in college but the rest of numbers were unimpressive. But they get a flier on a good arm for essentially free. Plus, Ammons is not subject to the same conditions as a Rule 5 pick, so they can have him pitch in the minors with no worries about losing him this season. And what no doubt will cause the average fan to break out a sigh of relief, the Mets also got cash in the deal. Steve Cohen will now have enough cash to make payroll next month!
The Mets were even busier in the minor league portion of today’s draft. They added Donovan Antonia from the Reds and Alan Perdomo from the Rockies. Antonia, a LF/2B from Curacao, has spent parts of three seasons in complex-league ball, making the jump to Lo-A this year. Antonia hasn’t had much success at the plate yet but he won’t turn 20 until next August. He’s also more patient than a lot of young players, having drawn 40 BB in 321 PA.
Perdomo played four seasons in the Dominican Summer League before making his U.S. debut this year in complex ball. The 6’4 RHP had 35 Ks in 34.2 IP this past season, with an impressive 4.38 K/BB rate. He’s older than you’d prefer at age 22 but a tall pitcher who can throw strikes isn’t a bad low-risk gamble for the club to take.
Other clubs liked the Mets’ system, as five farmhands were lost in the minor league portion. The losses were: RHPs Brendan Hardy , Daison Acosta and Benito Garcia; OF Yeral Martinez and LHP Tyler Thomas. None of these players were among MLB.com’s top 30 prospects for the club. Only Martinez played at an age-appropriate level in 2023 and he had a .239/.328/.399 line in 341 PA at Lo-A.
Acosta looked promising back in 2019 but hasn’t really distinguished himself since. The Mets got Thomas from Independent ball last year and he pitched well in 15 games at Double-A. But he’ll turn 28 three days before Christmas.
Yawn.
Oh, excuse me. I’m sorry.
I think it’s only fair that Boston pays the hundred grand for the pick.
….trust the process, guys, go Mets!
It is the eternal optimist in me that believes that Stearns knows more about putting a baseball together than I do. He’s certainly fortifying the farm system with transactions of not ready for prime time players. Let’s hope their trip to Japan gets them more than a lot of air miles. Kudos to the Yankees for landing Juan Soto and the $500 million it will likely take to sigh him. TJ- yawn is so appropriate for all of MLB waiting for Ohtani to sign.
Yes, my yawn was not directed at Stearns’, the Met plan, the author of the article…it’s that the hot stove is mostly a yawner based on the two big fish taking their time and with little details available.
Yeah, it is what it is. But there’s going to be a tipping point. As soon as the two big fish sign, the sharks will swoop in and consume the other fish very quickly. There’s going to be a fast and furious flurry of activity. It just will come later than usual.
“Scouts around the league liked Ammons’ changeup and fastball characteristics though they’d like to see him develop a better curveball to pair with the fastball and elicit more chase. In the big picture, it’s another interesting pitcher to monitor regarding how well the Mets merge their process for player acquisition with player development, especially with a new pitching lab up and running.”
https://theathletic.com/5121897/2023/12/08/mets-draft-lottery-pete-alonso/