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MMN Notebook: Sewald and Zamora Optioned, MLB Changes Draft

By Sam Lebowitz

March 27, 2020 No comments

Baseball has been put on pause for the foreseeable future, but there are still plenty of minor league news and notes to catch up on.

According to the Mets’ minor league transactions page, the Mets signed Travis Taijeron to a minor league deal on March 13th. He was assigned to Triple-A Syracuse on March 25th. Taijeron slashed .229/.364/.496 with 24 home runs in 123 games for Syracuse last year, splitting his time between first base and right field. Taijeron had 52 at bats for the Mets at the major league level in 2017.

Also, the Mets optioned RHP Paul Sewald and LHP Daniel Zamora to Syracuse yesterday. Both pitchers pitched well this spring. Sewald allowed just one run over 5 1/3 innings while striking out five. Zamora likewise allowed just a run over five innings and notably held right-handed batters to just 3-for-15 with six strikeouts.

Mets’ top prospect Ronny Mauricio was one of five Dominican-born Mets prospects to receive his high school diploma this offseason. Mauricio discussed why it was so important to him earlier this week.

Francisco Alvarez/Photo by Allen Greene Photography

MiLB.com writer Sam Dykstra put together a dream team of the top teenage talent across the minor leagues. Mets’ catching prospect Francisco Alvarez was Dykstra’s catcher and would bat seventh in the team’s lineup. Dykstra said that Mauricio was a top selection behind Rays’ stud Wander Franco at the shortstop position. He also said that right-hander Matthew Allan was considered on the mound, although that selection ultimately went to former Mets’ farmhand Simeon Woods-Richardson.

Minor League Baseball announced today that is making the archives on MiLB.TV available for free, meaning that fans can stream over 6,500 games from the 2019 season. Fans will have access to this free preview while the season remains delayed. All fnas need to do to access the replays is register for an account.

And the biggest news in baseball right now is Major League Baseball’s agreement with the MLB Players Association on how a shortened or cancelled season would work. The deal gives insight into how player salaries and service time will operate in 2020 given the circumstances surrounding the current coronavirus pandemic. As part of the deal, MLB holds the right to shorten this year’s amateur draft down to just five rounds, from the normal 40. The draft’s fate is not set in stone yet, but MLB will have to make the decision on how to hold the draft by July. The deal also allows the 2021 draft to be shortened to 20 rounds if necessary.

Players that go undrafted in the five rounds of this year’s shortened draft and sign as undrafted free agents would have their signing bonus capped at a maximum of $20,000. For perspective, the assigned slot values in the sixth round of the 2019 draft fell between about $237,000 and $301,000. It’s been reported that the $20K bonus could also be heavily deferred over as many as three years.

The deal also includes provisions for the upcoming international signing period. The start of the signing period could be pushed back from its usual July 2nd date until January for both this year and 2021.