Mack’s Morning Report – 9-4 – Rule 5, 2018 Free Agents

Good morning.

My good Mets friend Chris Walendin of  TPGMets has once again updated the current list of Mets eligible for the Rule 5 Draft (remember when some guy gave me a rash of shit for calling it the Rule FIVE draft?).

If I'm wrong here, blame Chris  :) 

The rules –

            The following players will be eligible for the Major League phase of the Rule 5 draft on December 14, 2017. Teams can protect players from the Rule 5 draft by placing them on the 40-man roster. The deadline to add a player to the 40-man roster this year is November 20, 2017.

Note: If a player you think is eligible does not appear on this list, be sure to check the Minor FA tab. Since minor league free agency is granted a few weeks ahead of the Rule 5 addition deadline, it may be the case that a player will not be eligible for the Rule 5 draft simply because he will be eligible for minor league free agency first.

The players –

            AAA --- Las Vegas  - Jayce Boyd, Jamie Callahan, Jeff McNeil, David Roseboom, Kelly Secrest, Logan Taylor, Jhoan Urena

AA --- Binghamton  -  Tyler Bashlor, Patrick Biondi, Luis Guillorme, Ricky Knapp, L.J. Mazzilli, Tyler Moore. Matt Oberste, Corey Oswalt, Tim Peterson, Colton Plaia, Champ Stuart, Adonis Uceta

A+ --- St. Lucie -  Gerson Bautista, Andrew Church, Mike Gibbons, Johnny Magliozzi, John Mora, Alex Palsha, Josh Prevost, Scarlyn Reyes, Enmanuel Zabala

A --- Columbia  -  Matt Blackham, Brandon Brosher, Luis Carpio, Cameron Griffin, Jose Carlos Medina, Darwin Ramos, Ali Sanchez, Blake Taylor

A- --- Brooklyn  -  Cecilio Aybar, Franklin Correa, Nicolas Debora, Gregorix Estevez, Walter Rasquin, Carlos Sanchez

R --- Kingsport  -  Eucebio Arias, Yeffry De Aza, Edwin German, Ronald Guedez, Marbin Montijo, Hansel Moreno, Aneury Olivo, Rigoberto Terrazas

R --- GCL Mets - Miguel Gutierrez, Luis Lebron, Domingo Martinez, Luis Mateo, Luis Montero, Jose Moreno

Extended Spring Training / Other  -  John Johnson, Luis Silva, Tucker Tharp

I never fully understood how this worked, but the last ting I want to lose is one of my top prospects. Thus, I must add Oswalt, Guillorme, Bashlor, and Urena to my 40-man. My hopes is Medina and Hansel Moreno get through the first round.

2018 Free Agents –

           Also worthy of discussion is Chris’s list of eligible free agents following the 2017 season.

           The rules –

There are 4 different ways a player can qualify for minor league free agency. The first, and most straightforward is if he is released by the club. When a player is released, he becomes a free agent immediately. The second is if the player was signed to a minor league contract that does not extend beyond the current season. This is common when players are acquired as minor league free agents, particularly in the upper minors. The third, via Rule 55, is if a player has spent 7 whole or partial minor league seasons with the club that originally signed him. The fourth and final, via Article XX, Section D of the CBA, is if a player is outrighted and has 3 or more, but less than 5 years of Major League service and/or has been outrighted previously in his career. The player can elect to immediately become a free agent instead of accepting the outright assignment, or he can defer his free agency to the end of the season (provided he's not back on the 40-man roster).

Below is a list of players expected to be eligible for minor league free agency following the 2017 season. It contains players eligible under either ML Rule 55 or Article XX-D of the CBA. The most important difference between the two types of minor league free agents is that Article XX-D free agents can file immediately after the end of the Major League regular season, whereas Rule 55 free agents must wait until 5 days after the end of the World Series. The official list of Rule 55 minor league free agents will be circulated in late October or early November and may differ slightly from this one. Players in bold are eligible for free agency for the first time, and players marked with an asterisk (*) are eligible under Article XX-D of the CBA (as opposed to Rule 55):

The players –

            AAA - Las Vegas -  Jonathan Albaladejo, Mitch Atkins, Alberto Baldonado, Wilfredo Boscan, Xorge Carrillo, Victor Cruzado, Cody Decker, Josh Edgin, Phillip Evans, Jeff Glenn, Donovan Hand, Luis Mateo, Jio Mier, Josh Rodriguez, Ben Rowen, Travis Snider, Neil Wagner, Beck Wheeler

AA --- Binghamton - Blake Beavan, Cory Burns, Ben Griset, Mickey Jannis, Gustavo Nunez, Kevin Taylor

A+ --- St. Lucie - Daniel Bard, Kevin Canelon, Nabil Crismatt, Jeff Diehl, Jose Garcia, Tom Gorzelanny, Craig Missigman, J.C. Rodriguez, Joshua Torres

A --- Columbia - J.J. Franco, Justin Brantley, Matt Pobereyko, Natanael Ramos

A- --- Brooklyn - Leon Byrd, Jose Geraldo, Gunnar Kines, Jose Maria

R --- Kingsport - Victor Moscote. Pedro Perez, Ronald Sanchez

R --- GCL Mets - Matthew Foley

Extended Spring Training / Other - Audry German

I would still have to fill my rosters, so I would like to resign some of these guys. Names that stand out to me are Carillo, Cruzado (may need AAA outfield depth), Evans, Griset, Jannis, and Crismatt.