New York Mets

The annual winter meetings have come and gone, but what happened in those few days will have long-lasting implications.

Guys such as Prince Fielder and Jose Reyes, who are free agents following the upcoming season, have to be licking their chops at some of the dollars handed out, as that will bode well for them.

Long-term, what does each man have to look forward to, and who would provide the best bang for their buck?

Bernie Madoff came to town

Made off with our money

Stuck our money in his hat

And called it… pasta, some kind of pasta

That’s what these guys do.  When they stick things in their hat, proverbial or otherwise, they always call it by a pasta name.

New York Mets pitching prospect Jenrry Mejia scattered two hits while walking one and striking out four over three shutout innings for the Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League on Friday.

The 21-year-old, making his second start of the fall, fanned three Aguilas batters in the first inning, working around a one-out double followed by a walk, and he recorded three ground ball outs in the second frame to set down the side despite an error by veteran first baseman Wily Mo Pena.

As a mark to the end of the Winter Meetings, the Rule V Draft occurs each year between GMs to prevent teams from stockpiling talent in the minors that other teams could use on their major league roster.

The Mets selected Pedro Beato with their second pick in the Rule 5 Draft. He projects as a middle reliever and might be able to have an immediate impact on the roster.

Beato was actually drafted by the Mets in the 17th round in 2005 but did not sign. The following year, the Orioles selected him with the 32nd overall pick and were able to sign him.

Let me start this post off by saying that when the offseason first started, I was firmly in the camp that suggested a Beltran trade, no matter how much money the Mets had to eat of his contract.

The Mets were 48-40 at the All-Star break this year, and then Beltran returned which started the massive decline to mediocrity. I don't want to say that these two occurrences are linked, but it makes you wonder nonetheless.

The New York Mets made it abundantly clear that they were not going to be major contenders in the high-profile free agent sweepstakes this week in Florida, so the fact that they signed D.J. Carrasco shouldn't really surprise anybody.

Patience was the name of the game in Buena Vista for Sandy Alderson, and while not a spectacular move by any stretch of the imagination, the move to snag Carrasco looks to be pretty solid.

With the Winter Meetings in full swing, teams are scrambling to find pieces to add. The New York Mets held nothing back in telling fans that they wouldn't be big players in free agency, but would be bringing back players.

The New York Mets' quiet offseason is finally picking up. Other than all the movement in the front office, the Mets had not been heard from about any potential offseason moving and dealing. The past few days have been a different story and we have the latest rumblings from the Major League Baseball winter meetings.

The New York Mets are exploring their options this week. The Mets, like all the other teams in the MLB, are at the winter meetings. The winter meetings are all about rumors and making deals. In other words, fact and fiction both coexist in harmony for one week.