Mets among one of the most active teams in this year’s Rule 5 Draft

During Thursday’s Major League and Minor League Rule 5 Drafts, the New York Mets were among one of the busiest teams of the day.

The New York Mets were active participants during Thursday’s Major League Baseball Rule 5 Draft that saw them select a player with the tenth overall pick in the first round, trade that same player after his selection, and lost a player of their own in the first round. If I lost you, don’t worry I will explain.

With the Mets sitting at 34 players on their active roster before the onset of the draft, I was widely expecting the organization to select a pitcher that could potentially come in and compete for a spot in the bullpen this spring. The Mets accomplished that with their tenth overall pick in the first round by selecting 21-year old right-handed pitcher Luis Oviedo from the Cleveland Indians Triple-A affiliate. Oviedo is a high-upside arm that was ranked as the 25th best prospect in Cleveland’s farm system by MLB.com prior to the draft.

Surprisingly within the hour, Oviedo was dealt by the Mets to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations. It’s a move that makes sense on the surface for the Pirates who need all the young talent they can get, and I would not be surprised to see Oviedo compete for a spot in the rebuilding Pirates starting rotation this spring.

More from Rising Apple

• NY Mets Rumors: 1 big threat to steal 2 Flushing free agents
• NY Mets need to call the Athletics about a Matt Chapman trade
• NY Mets dream starting lineup for the 2022 season
• NY Mets offseason makeover might be a simple “She’s All That” situation
• NY Mets: 8 Ex-Amazins who killed it with other teams in 2021

While the Mets ultimately came away with only cash considerations, they did end up losing a member of their own organization in the Major League Rule 5 Draft as well. Right-handed pitcher Dedniel Nunez ended up being selected in the first round by the San Francisco Giants with the 14th overall pick in the draft.

The 24-year old Nunez was ranked as the Mets’ 18th best prospect according to MLB.com before the draft and he had split time in A-ball between Columbia and St. Lucie in 2019. Nunez ultimately posted a 4.39 combined ERA between both clubs over 16 appearances, with 15 of those being starts.

It’s also worth noting that Nunez’s fastball was highly regarded in the organization as his four-seam fastball velocity had hit 96 MPH and regularly sat in the low to mid-’90s, while also striking out almost 28% of the batters he had faced.

Nunez will be required to spend the entirety of the 2021 season on the Giants Major League roster, or the Giants will be required to offer Nunez back to the Mets when he is removed from the big league roster. It certainly will be a situation worth monitoring this upcoming spring.

The Mets had a handful of top-30 prospects according to MLB.com eligible for this year’s Major League Rule 5 draft including Dedniel Nunez. Infielder Shervyen Newton (#14), right-handed pitcher Michel Otanez (#22), right-handed pitcher Tony Dibrell (#28), and right-handed pitcher Daison Acosta (#30), were not selected by any clubs in this year’s draft.

There is also a Triple-A phase of the Rule 5 Draft that follows the Major League version, and the Mets were very active in selecting players as they added five players to to their Minor League system. Those players the organization had selected include centerfielder Drew Ferguson from the Houston Astros, right-handed pitcher Justin Dillon from the Toronto Blue Jays, infielder Drew Jackson from the Los Angeles Dodgers, right-handed pitcher Jesus Reyes from the Cinncinatti Reds, and left-handed pitcher Jose Zorrilla from the Reds as well.

While the Minor League portion of the Rule 5 Draft is more about building Minor League depth, one particular name that stands out is 28-year old Drew Ferguson who swiped 27 bags last season at Triple-A to go along with a .281 batting average and a very good .395 OBP. Ferguson could potentially play himself into a fourth outfielder type of role for the Mets down the line.

Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!

Write for us!

The Mets also lost four players during the Minor League Rule 5 Draft including catcher Wilfred Astudillo, second baseman Mitchell Tolman, infielder Sebastian Espino and right-hander Ezequiel Zabaleta. To say the Mets had an active day on Thursday in regards to the minor league front is an understatement.