Each year, teams are forced to add players to their 40-man rosters ahead of the annual Rule 5 Draft. That draft should have taken place today, but the major league portion has been postponed indefinitely because of the lockout.
Just hours after meeting the media for the first time as the general manager of the Mets, Billy Eppler needed to make a few decisions about his prospects before the deadline.
Eppler and the Mets decided to protect four players this year: infielders Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos and right-handers José Butto and Adam Oller were added to the 40-man roster.