Danny Abriano, SNY.tv | Twitter |

The Mets' initial 60-man player pool for the 2020 MLB season contained only 45 players (they have since added five more), giving them wiggle room to add more players soon and/or or down the road.

Per MLB rules, players on the existing 40-man roster do not need to be included in the 60-man player pool (and the Mets left some off), and pool players don't need to be added to the 40-man roster unless they are added to the active roster during the season.

If a player is added to and then removed from the 60-man player pool (for a reason other than injury, suspension, paternity leave, etc.) he cannot be added back on, with teams also running the risk of losing that player to another team.

In other words, teams need to be careful about which players they place on the roster during a season when lots of roster turnover between the majors and pool players might be likely.

For the Mets, there are some notable prospects who were on their initial 60-man player pool list, and some who were left off who could be solid bets for inclusion at some point...

Prospects already included

INF Andres Gimenez

The 21-year-old Gimenez has not yet played above Double-A Binghamton and his bat is not yet ready for the majors. But his above average glove is, and he could also give the Mets a spark on the bases (he swiped 28 bags in 117 games last season for Binghamton).

I had Gimenez listed on our Mets 30-man roster prediction that was published on June 24, and it's fair to believe he will at least be in play for a spot on the Opening Day bench. If he makes it, though, he might not remain when the rosters are sliced to 28 players two weeks after the season starts.

LHP David Peterson

The Mets' first-round pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, Peterson was likely ticketed for Triple-A Syracuse this season. But with the expectation that there won't be a minor league season at all, he could serve as an important depth piece for the Mets' big league rotation.

Viewed as a back-end of the rotation starter, the 24-year-old Peterson had a 4.19 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with 122 strikeouts in 116 innings (24 starts) last season for Binghamton in what was his first taste above A-ball.

LHP Kevin Smith

Like Peterson, Smith could profile as a back-end starter in the majors. He has only thrown 31.1 innings above A-ball, though, so Peterson will likely get the call before Smith if the Mets need rotation help.

However, in a season where teams might need more pitching help than ever, Peterson and Smith could also be big league bullpen options if the Mets want to go that route.

Other prospects to watch

RHP Ryley Gilliam

The 23-year-old Gilliam, who the Mets selected in the fifth round of the 2018 MLB Draft, rose through four levels of the minors in roughly 14 months, reaching Triple-A Syracuse last season.

While Gilliam struggled in his cup of coffee with Syracuse and needs to better harness his stuff, he has legitimate setup man potential (he struck out 13 batter per 9 across three levels last season) and could potentially be a huge help in the bigs at some point in 2020.

RHP Franklyn Kilome

Kilome underwent Tommy John surgery shortly after the Mets acquired him from the Phillies in the Asdrubal Cabrera trade in 2018.

The 25-year-old was healthy and ready to go in March, and could be a potential option for the Mets either in the rotation or bullpen this season.

MARTINO: What would it take for MLB to cancel the 2020 season? >> Read More

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