Mets Put Protected Pick At Risk

Last night the Mets completed a three game sweep of the hated Philadelphia Phillies and in the process tied the team from the City of Brotherly Love for third Place in the NL East. The Mets have finished in fourth place in the division each of the previous four seasons, so if they can squeak out third that would have to be a moral victory at a minimum. We should be excited, right? Wrong.

The sweep of the Phillies now places the Mets on the bubble for a protected draft pick next year. They currently sit tied with the Phillies there as well, with the tenth worst record in baseball. If they rise even one position higher in the overall MLB standings, they will have to forfeit their first overall pick in next summer's amateur draft. 

As we've discussed here on Effing Mets several times, an unprotected pick was reason enough for the Mets to shy away from Michael Bourne last winter. It would be a shame to see them do the same again this year, when so many replacement parts look as if they'll be available. Such a scenario would put the acquisition of players like Shin-Soo Choo, Hunter Pence and/or Jacoby Ellsbury in question. 

With Just seven games to go this will all work itself out soon, but their recent stretch of good play may actually be bad for the franchise in the long run. And that my friends... Is sooo Mets!