Mets pondering tough calls ahead of 40-man deadline

NEW YORK — The Mets’ recent flurry of 40-man roster moves was more than procedural. Friday is the deadline for teams to add certain prospects to their 40-man rosters or risk losing them in next month’s Rule 5 Draft, and the Mets have several such players — including top-ranked prospect Amed Rosario — in line to make the cut.

MLB requires teams to add players who signed at age 18 or younger to 40-man rosters within five professional seasons, or those who signed at 19 or older within four seasons, or they will become eligible for other organizations to select in the Rule 5 Draft. Clubs pay $50,000 to select a player in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 Draft, which is slated for Dec. 10. If that player doesn’t stay on the drafting team’s 25-man roster for the full season, he must be offered back to his former organization for $25,000.

• Mayo: Top prospects who face 40-man/Rule 5 decision

Though the Mets currently have six open 40-man spots, they’ll eventually need to use several of them on incoming free agents — meaning they cannot protect all of the players below. With that in mind, here’s a look at who deadline day might affect:

Amed Rosario, SS The Mets’ top overall prospect, Rosario is the only one on this list assured of a roster spot. He hit .324 over two levels this past season, reached Double-A Binghamton, appeared in the Futures Game and spent most of the summer looking exactly like the Mets’ shortstop of the future. There’s not much to discuss here. When the dust settles Friday, Rosario will be on the 40-man …

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