New York Metropolitans

Losses: 1B Carlos Delgado, OF Gary Sheffield, P JJ Putz, P Tim Redding, OF Jeremy Reed, P Brian Stokes, OF Cory Sullivan, C Brian Schneider, P Lance Broadway

Gains: OF Jason Bay, OF Gary Matthews Jr, P Kelvim Escobar, P Ryota Igarashi, UT Frank Catalanotto, C Rod Barajas, C Henry Blanco

Analysis: This offseason, the Mets managed to find a middle ground between the two extremes of going all out and overpaying for several marquee free agents as opposed to sitting back and waiting to go after next year’s much improved batch of players. They made one of the bigger splashes of the winter by signing Jason Bay to a relatively reasonable contract, and this should help bring some power back to the lineup.
Bringing in Matthews gives the Mets some insurance in the outfield, which could be important given Carlos Beltran is out at least for the first month of the season. Matthews never lived up to the big contract he signed with the Angels a few years ago, however with the Angels picking up most of what is still owed to him, this is definitely a low-risk move for the Mets (similar to their decision to sign Gary Sheffield last season).
If Escobar can even come close to returning to form after missing essentially the last two seasons with injuries, then the Mets will be getting great value as he is only owed $1.25 million in guaranteed money this season. Things aren’t looking great so far, though, as it appears Escobar may start the season on the DL.
The Mets reaffirmed their commitment to providing a home for mediocre catchers by signing both Rod Barajas and Henry Blanco to one-year contracts(don't forget Chris Coste. Love those mediocre catchers!), and while both are above average defensively, their performance at the plate leaves much to be desired (both have a career OPS under.700). Obviously the Mets feel that their defensive contributions more than make up for their offensive shortcomings, and to be honest, Omir Santos wasn’t exactly the second coming of Mike Piazza (.688 OPS in 2009).
Finally, Igarashi is expected to be a major contributor to the bullpen, and could potentially become the set-up man for Francisco Rodriguez. This was a very underrated move, because there is no reason to believe that the bullpen won’t be overworked again this year, and Igarashi will definitely take the load off some of the guys that were flat out abused last season (I’m looking at you Pedro Feliciano)

More Moves: Doubtful. The one glaring hole the Mets have is in the starting rotation, and once John Lackey signed with Boston there was no need to pursue the extremely underwhelming crop of free agents that was available this offseason. They will roll one more time with the Cerberus of Unfulfilled Promises that is Mike Pelfrey, Oliver Perez and John Maine (bookended by Johan Santana and one other unforgettable guy that is TBD), and if they don’t pan out this season, then they will actively pursue some starting pitching next winter for sure.

(Mets are looking to pick-up a second left-hander for the bullpen (Pedro Felicano's tears of joy). They have an offer out to Joe Beimel. He wants more $$ but likely won't get it. If he doesn't accept, look for Ron Mahay's name to come up.)

2010 Thoughts: The Mets definitely improved this winter, and if they can stay healthy they should be a factor down the stretch. That is a big if, though, especially with Beltran already on the shelf. Jose Reyes and Santana seem to be fully recovered from their 2009 injuries, which can only help. But honestly, there is no way that the injury bug bites the Mets in 2010 as hard as it did in 2009…right?

Prediction: The Phillies are still the class of this division, and while the Mets should be able to score more runs this year, realistically in order for them to challenge the Phillies the Mets need Pelfrey, Perez and Maine to all pitch well, and I just don’t see that happening. Look for the Mets to finish in second in the NL East, on the outside looking in yet again.

APT's Prediction: Also have the Mets 2nd to the Phillies.

-The BOMB