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.

The Mets have signed 30-year old righty reliever Fernando Cabrera to a minor league deal. He pitched in 53 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball for the A’s last year and he was 4-3 with 9 saves, a 2.71 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. Cabrera last pitched in the majors back in 2010 with the Red Sox. He has now pitched in 132 games (0 starts) in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 8-7 with 1 save, a 5.24 ERA and a 1.53 WHIP. Cabrera has whiffed 193 batters while only walking 98 of them in his 175 1/3 innings in the show. If he can tame the flame and throw strikes in 2012, he could help the Mets at some point of the season.

The Mets have signed 27-year old righty swinging SS/2B Sean Kazmar to a minor league deal. Kazmar played in 127 games in AAA-ball for the Mariners last year and he was 117 of 462 (.253 avg, .660 OPS) with 50 runs scored, 3 homers, 45 RBIs and 7 stolen bases. He last played in the majors back in 2008 for the Padres. He played in 19 games for the Padres in 2008 and he was 8 for 39 (.205 avg, .520 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. The Mets are likely going to stash Kazmar in AAA ball in 2012.

The Mets have signed 28-year old righty swinging SS Ronny Cedeno to a 1-year deal. Cedeno played in 128 games for the Pirates last year and he was 103 of 413 (.249 avg, .636 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 2 homers, 32 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He has now played in 701 games in his first 7 years in the majors and he is 522 of 2,126 (.246 avg, .639 OPS) with 223 runs scored, 33 homers, 196 RBIs and 34 stolen bases. Cedeno will act as the Mets’ top utility man in the infield in 2012.

The Mets have re-signed 31-year old righty swinging outfielder Scott Hairston to a 1-year deal. Hairston played in 79 games for the Mets last year and he was 31 for 132 (.235 avg, .773 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 7 homers, 24 RBIs and 1 stolen base. He has now played in 643 games in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 444 of 1,820 (.244 avg, .740 OPS) with 224 runs scored, 75 homers, 222 RBIs and 26 stolen bases. This was a good move for the Mets as Hairston provided some nice pop off the bench for them last year.

The Mets have signed 28-year old, switch-hitting IF/OF Corey Wimberly to a minor league deal. Wimberly played in 57 games in AAA-ball last year for the Pirates and he was 41 of 172 (.238 avg, .590 OPS) with 17 runs scored, 0 homers, 11 RBIs and 15 stolen bases. Wimberly has now played in 620 games in his first 7 years in the minors and he is 709 of 2,387 (.297 avg, .726 OPS) with 429 runs scored, 10 homers, 202 RBIs and 274 stolen bases.