The Mets have signed 25-year old righty swinging 3B Matt Tuiasosopo to a minor league deal. He played in 116 games in AAA-ball last year and he was 99 for 439 (.226 avg, .735 OPS) with 73 runs scored, 14 homers, 77 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. He last played in the majors back in 2010 with the Mariners. Tuiasosopo has now played in 71 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 34 for 193 (.176 avg, .540 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 5 homers and 15 RBIs. Look for Tuiasosopo will likely start the 2012 season in AAA-ball for the Mets.

The Mets have released 34-year old lefty reliever/starter Casey Fossum. Fossum pitched in 9 games (6 starts) in AAA-ball for the Mets last year and he was 0-4 with a 6.56 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP. He has pitched in 237 games (120 starts) in his first 9 years in the majors and he was 40-53 with 2 saves, a 5.45 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. This is no loss for the Mets.

The New York Mets have spent most of their resources so far this winter improving the bullpen. But they still have some work to do if they are going to stay out of the basement in the N.L. East. Here is a look at the players the Mets have added so far this winter:

In the field: The only impact player the Mets have brought in over the winter in the field is CF Andres Torres. He will likely replace the player he was traded for (Angel Pagan) as a starter in the Mets’ outfield in 2012. Catchers Lucas May and Rob Johnson will be in the competition to be Josh Thole’s backup in 2012. Outfielder Adam Loewen and infielder Omar Quintanilla will compete for bench jobs this spring. Ronny Cedeno will be the Mets’ top backup in the middle infield in 2012.

On the mound: Frank Francisco was signed to take over as the Mets’ closer in 2012. He certainly has the arm to succeed in that role for the Mets. Righty relievers Jon Rauch (free agent) and Ramon Ramirez (deal with the Giants) will team up to set-up for Francisco in 2012. I really like this trio of relievers.

Overall: The Mets have improved the bullpen with the additions of Frank Francisco, Jon Rauch and Ramon Ramirez. But, adding Andres Torres and Ronny Cedeno is not going to give the Mets the juice they need to add to the lineup for 2012.

The Mets have lost 23-year old lefty swinging outfielder Fernando Martinez on waivers to the Astros. He came into last season as the Mets’ #8 prospect according to Baseball America. Martinez played in 11 games for the Mets last year and he was 5 for 22 (.227 avg, .715 OPS) with 3 runs scored, 1 homer and 2 RBIs. He played in 47 games in his three years with the Mets and he was 24 of 131 (.183 avg, .540 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 2 homers, 12 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. Shame on the Mets for giving up Martinez for nothing. They certainly could have gotten something for Martinez if they put him on the trading block.

The Mets have re-signed 40-year old righty reliever/starter Miguel Batista to a minor league deal. Batista pitched in 9 games (4 starts) for the Mets last year and he was 2-0 with a 2.64 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. Batista threw a complete game shutout for the Mets last year, which was pretty darn impressive. Batista pitched in 35 games (5 starts) overall last season for the Cardinals & Mets and he was 5-2 with a 3.60 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. He has now pitched in 623 games (243 starts) in his first 17 years in the majors and he is 101-112 with 41 saves, a 4.48 ERA and a 1.49 WHIP. Batista proved last year that he still has some gas left in the tank, so I think he’ll have a really good shot of making the Mets’ pitching staff this spring.