3 mistakes the NY Mets must avoid at all costs at this year's MLB Winter Meetings

The MLB Winter Meetings are just around the corner. They start on December 8th and last through the 12th. The New York Mets should be active this Winter Meeting, resolving some of the holes on their roster. While they should be aggressive, they shouldn’t be so overzealous that they make a move they’ll regret. So here are some things the Mets and general manager David Stearns need to avoid during this year’s Winter Meetings.

1) Not taking a chance on someone in the Rule 5 draft

The Rule 5 draft is scheduled to take place on December 11th. The Mets only have 31 players on their 40-man roster, which gives them the opportunity to select a prospect with the requisite service time to be eligible for the Rule 5 draft, as well as not on any 40-man roster. However, not taking someone would potentially be a huge missed opportunity for the Mets.

For starters, there is zero risk in selecting a player. It only costs $100K to select a player. Steve Cohen could probably find that in his couch cushions. The only downside is if the Mets do select a player, they can’t send them to the minor leagues. They must remain on the Mets’ active roster for the entire year (barring injury). The Mets’ other option is they must offer the player back to their original team for $50K. 

Last year, the Mets learned there’s some hidden gold in the Rule 5 draft, even if they didn’t benefit from it. They selected right-hander Justin Slaten from the Texas Rangers during last year’s Rule 5 draft but traded him to the Boston Red Sox, where he would put up a 2.93 ERA, 2.61 FIP, and 1.01 WHIP in 55.1 innings pitched. Ryan Fernandez was taken one pick earlier by the St. Louis Cardinals and posted a 3.51 ERA, 3.35 FIP, and 1.35 WHIP out of the Red Birds’ bullpen.

I won’t lie and say there’s a strong possibility that the Mets will land a long-term player in the Rule 5 draft. Last year, four of the ten players selected in the Major League phase were eventually sent back to their original teams. Slaten and Fernandez were the only pitchers taken with an ERA+ above 100. But given that this is a zero-risk proposition with nothing to lose and everything to gain, the Mets would be passing up a big opportunity by not taking someone.