12/12 Update:

The Mets have signed draft-eligible infielder Dilson Herrera and outfielder Dario Pizzano to minor league contracts and assigned them to the Syracuse reserve list, which now stands at 32 of the maximum 38 spots.

Original Post:

While the Mets did not make any changes to their 40-man roster before Tuesday’s deadline to submit major league reserve lists, the organization did have to make adjustments to their minor league rosters, all in preparation for the Rule 5 Draft.

Minor league reserve lists are important because they are used to determine eligibility for selection in each phase of the Draft. Rule 5 eligible players placed on the Triple-A roster can only be taken in the major league phase, while players placed on the Double-A roster or below can be taken in the major or minor league phase.

Of the 42 players in the organization with Rule 5 eligibility status, 30 were placed on the Triple-A Syracuse roster, including recently outrighted P.J. Conlon and recently signed Ryan O’Rourke, and the remaining 12 eligibles were placed on the Double-A Binghamton roster.

In 2017, the Mets were unaffected in the major league phase of the Draft, but selected and lost one player in the minor league phase. Andrew Ely, selected from the Cubs, hit .162 in 60 games in Binghamton before being released after the season. Jose Carlos Medina was selected by the Padres and ultimately never played for them; he was loaned to the Mexican League in March and ultimately released last week.

Syracuse Reserve List

RHP Matt Blackham

2B Luis Carpio

RHP Yeudy Colon

LHP P.J. Conlon (Article XX-D player)

OF Anthony Dirocie

SS Edgardo Fermin

RHP Harol Gonzalez

RHP Carlos Hernandez

RHP Chase Ingram

RHP Mickey Jannis (Second contract player signed for 2019)

OF Kevin Kaczmarski (Article XX-D player)

RHP Gabriel Llanes

C Patrick Mazeika

RHP Thomas McIlraith

OF Jose Miguel Medina

SS Hansel Moreno

RHP Jose Moreno

LHP Ryan O’Rourke (Signed 2019 minor league contract on 11/15)

C Colton Plaia

OF Walter Rasquin

OF Yoel Romero

LHP David Roseboom

C Ali Sanchez

RHP Joseph Shaw

LHP Blake Taylor

RHP Corey Taylor

3B David Thompson

RHP Joshua Torres (Second contract player signed for 2019)

RHP Adonis Uceta

C Juan Uriarte

That leaves eight open slots on the Triple-A roster for potential free agent signings, outrights off the major league roster, and eventually selections in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft. In 2017, the Mets went into the Draft with only three roster slots open and still made a pick (Ely), so it’s very possible that the organization is looking to bolster its depth by making multiple minor league selections. (Players selected in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft must immediately be placed on the selecting team’s Triple-A reserve list, which is why teams will typically not fill that roster to its maximum capacity prior to the Draft)

Binghamton Reserve List 

NOTE: Only draft-eligible players on the Double-A reserve list are included below.

OF Patrick Biondi

2B J.J. Franco (Second contract player signed for 2019)

RHP Michael Gibbons

LHP Joel Huertas

RHP Jurgen Jimenez

RHP Nelson Leon

2B Oliver Pascual

RHP Darwin Ramos

RHP Luc Rennie (Second contract player signed for 2019)

C Carlos Sanchez

RHP Luis Silva

2B Dylan Tice (Second contract player signed for 2019)

Again, those 12 players are the only ones eligible to be taken in the minor league phase of the Draft. The selecting fee is $24,000 and there are no restrictions in terms of keeping a player on a specific roster for the entire upcoming season.