Mets Links

Mets in the Dominican:

Reyes, training and at rest in the Dominican. And a photo gallery. Reyes will also be on the cover of Major League Baseball 2K8. Which will be available on the Wii!

2 Rule 5 picks: Steve Register (taken in the major league portion) from the Rockies organization and Garry Bakker (taken in the Triple A portion) taken from the White Sox organizaiotn. The Rule 5 explained by Baseball America:

The Rule V Draft is held annually during baseball's Winter Meetings. Teams must file a 40 man roster with the league office by November 20. Any player who fits all of the below criteria is eligible for the Rule V Draft:

* Player is not on the 40 man roster
* Player has been in the minor leagues for at least 4 years if he was signed after age 19 (was 3 years before the 2006 CBA).
* Player has been in the minor leagues for at least 5 years if he was signed before age 19 (was 4 years before the 2006 CBA).

Any player drafted must stay in the major leagues all season. Before he is sent to the minors, he must be offered back to the club who had his rights for a $25,000 waiver fee. Often, teams will send a player in lieu of the fee.

Minor league teams can also participate in the draft. AAA teams can draft any player eligible from AA for $12,000, and AA teams can draft any players that are eligible from A for $4,000. Players chosen in the minor league part of the draft do not need to return to the original teams for any reason.