NY Mets at risk of losing first-round draft pick for nothing next month

The December Rule 5 Draft taking place during the MLB Winter Meetings is a time to take a chance on players. Last year, the New York Mets lost Mike Vasil to the Philadelphia Phillies. He was then traded to the Tampa Bay Rays and claimed off waivers by the Chicago White Sox where he’d spend the full season.

A 2.50 ERA in 101 innings coming mostly as a long man out of the bullpen, Vasil was perfect for his role on a non-contending team. It made sense for the White Sox, with nothing to lose but games, to give him every opportunity he had. When the Mets left him unprotected, no one was surprised that he ended up getting taken as he wasn’t long removed from being one of the better Mets prospects in the system.

The same fate could befall an even more once notable Mets farmhand. Kevin Parada is Rule 5 Draft eligible this year. A strong finish in Double-A prior to a promotion to Triple-A, the question with him is whether a team like the White Sox would view him as a viable backup catcher option. There’s little to lose by inviting him to spring training and getting to know him better.

Unless the Mets protect Kevin Parada on their 40-man roster in the coming days, he’ll be up for grabs

The Mets could always trade Parada before the November 18 deadline, but any team acquiring him would be in the same boat. So unless they’d immediately add him to their 40-man roster, it’s an unlikely best-case scenario. His trade value is minimal.

His .754 OPS in Double-A was promising. However, it dropped to .567 in 64 plate appearances in Triple-A. He hasn’t developed into much of a hitter at all to the point where becoming serviceable would feel like a victory.

The question for the Mets is whether or not he’s worth a 40-man roster spot. Considering they already have Hayden Senger there, things would get clogged up quickly with four catchers. It wouldn’t be logical outside of some kind of change. Senger might be someone they would dangle on the waiver wire, but for the sake of keeping Parada on the 40-man roster, it seems to go against the kinds of moves Stearns made in the past with prospects and the Rule 5 Draft. There was room to protect Vasil and Dom Hamel (who wasn’t claimed) last year.

Prior to 2024, the Mets added prospect Alex Ramirez to their 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft with the belief that maybe a team would steal him. Ramirez had another disappointing season thereafter and is no longer with the club after spending a part of the 2025 campaign with them. This is one of the ways the Parada saga could always end.

Good catching help is hard to find. A team with an opening and maybe even a plan of employing three catchers regularly in 2026 could always clear some room. Expecting him to last the full season in the majors might be a difficult task. Last year, the second pick in the Rule 5 Draft was Liam Hicks of the Miami Marlins. He hit .247 in 119 games. Anyone willing to take a chance on Parada will need to have faith he’s a capable defender which is another one of those questions the Mets aren’t so sure about either.