Mets lose pitching prospects Mike Vasil, Nate Lavender in Rule 5 Draft

The Mets did not make any selections in Wednesday afternoon’s Rule 5 draft, but they did lose a pair of prospects to other teams.

RHP Mike Vasil, once considered one of the Mets’ top pitching prospects, was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies, while LHP Nate Lavender, who was looked at as a potential big league bullpen option during 2024 spring training before getting hurt, was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Phillies then flipped Vasil to the Rays for cash considerations.

The Mets had a chance to protect both Vasil and Lavender from this draft, but elected to use their available 40-man roster spots on other players.

Here’s a refresher on Rule 5 Draft procedures, from MLB.com:

Rule 5 Draft picks are assigned directly to the drafting club’s 26-man roster and must be placed on outright waivers in order to be removed from the 26-man roster in the subsequent season. Should the player clear waivers, he must be offered back to his previous team for $50,000 and can be outrighted to the Minors only if his original club does not wish to reacquire him. A Rule 5 Draft pick can be placed on the Major League injured list, but he must be active for a minimum of 90 days to avoid being subject to the aforementioned roster restrictions in the next campaign.

“You never want to lose pitchers or any player in a Rule 5 draft,” said Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns. “There’s a long way to go between having a player selected and actually losing the player. That’s the reality of this, but look, those are two good pitchers. We knew certainly because of the unique circumstance with Nate and because of Vasil’s pedigree that these were possibilities. That’s all part of the roster management puzzle that we try to fit through.”

“We simultaneously wish them well and also hope to get them back.”

Vasil, who was the Mets’ No. 21 prospect according to SNY’s Joe DeMayo, struggled mightily in 2024 with Triple-A Syracuse, pitching to a 6.04 ERA with a 1.54 WHIP in 29 appearances (27 starts). Originally an eighth-round pick of the Mets in 2021, Vasil, 24, has seen his numbers get progressively worse as he’s made his way up the farm system ranks.

Lavender, 24, was a 14th-round pick of the Mets in 2021, and he put up solid numbers as he worked his way up to Triple-A Syracuse in 2023. The lefty had an outside shot of making the Mets’ Opening Day roster in 2024, but he ended up needing the internal brace version of Tommy John surgery, causing him to miss the entire season after undergoing the procedure in May.

MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo notes that the Rays could elect to keep Lavender on the 60-day IL all season long, effectively stashing him for the 2026 season.