In an official press release the Mets have announced the signing of three players to minor league deals.

The Mets have agreed to a one year deal with 34 year old Japanese import Hisanori Takahashi for $1 million with incentives to raise it an additional $500,000. Takahashi, a left handed pitcher, was 10-6 last season with a sub 3 ERA for the Yomiuri Giants last season

The Mets have also agreed to a one year deasl with former Met, Mike Jacobs, and a catcher, Shawn Riggans.

Takahashi will most likely compete for the 5th spot in the rotation or a spot as the second lefty in the bullpen with Pedro Feliciano.

Mike Jacobs will most likely compete with Daniel Murphy, Chris Carter, and Nick Evans for the starting job at first base. I like Murphy at first, but Jacobs could bring a little more power to the position. I’m not really sure where Jacobs fits in with the Mets though. If he doesn’t win the spot its hard to see him in a platoon with Murphy who is also a lefty. This would leave him down in the minors where he would essentially become our DH with Ike Davis rising through the system on his way up to the big leagues. I suppose Jacobs bat could keep him on the bench where he could see games at first or as an emergency catcher.

The Shawn Riggans signing is just about all about adding depth down in the minors.

After another disappointing season, the Mets have a lot to work on before the 2010 season begins. The 2009 season was full of injury and under achieving as the team christened their new ballpark.

The Mets went into the off season with holes in left field, catcher, bullpen, and rotation. Some may say there are also holes at first and second base, but those “holes” are not as significant as the other areas.  So far this off season we have seen the Mets address these holes and find other holes appear.

With Beltran’s latest surgery, the all-star center fielder will miss the first part of the season, and the Mets have quickly addressed this hole by trading for Gary Matthews Jr. GMJ might not have the power and defense that Beltran brings to the game, but for the time being he seems like an interesting option that we could use as a 4th outfielder.

I really like the Gary Matthews Jr. trade for a few reasons. It’s a shame we had to lose Stokes but this would allow for the Mets to pick up 2 more pitchers without having to move a starter via trade. I feel this gives the Mets the ability to sign someone like Sheets or Bedard and then a security option like a Smoltz or a Garland who can be placed in the bullpen at the start of the season. I also like how the Mets addressed this hole as quickly as they did, it appears to me they’re really trying to put something together here. It’s also great that the Mets are only on the hook for $2M of Matthew’s remaining $23.5M.

The Mets also addressed their hole in left field by signing Jason Bay for 4 years. Bay brings his powerful bat to a lineup that was in desperate need of power last season and should find himself batting cleanup behind Beltran when he returns to the lineup.

There were many Mets fans that were against the signing of Jason Bay, however, I was not one of them. I was behind Bay before the 2009 season came to an end. I think, once Beltran is healthy and returns to the lineup, Bay will bring much needed power to the lineup and give Wright some protection. I blame Wright’s numbers last season on the lack of support he had in the lineup.

The Mets also signed Japanese import, Ryota Igarashi, to fill a role in the bullpen. He is set to compete with Bobby Parnell for the job of setup man.

To me, this signing looks to be a good one. Igarashi won’t command much money and has the ability to be a huge part of the bullpen. I’ve never been real high on asian imports, but I feel Igarashi can be very effective.

At the moment the catchers job appears to be a platoon between Omir Santos and Henry Blanco. Omir Santos started the most games at the position for the Mets last season taking over for the injured Brian Schneider and the traded Ramon Castro.

Although I like Omir Santos, I don’t see him as anything more than a backup catcher. Henry Blanco is another player that should only see a handful of starts a year. The Mets wanted Molina but with Molina going back to the Giants the other available options aren’t too appealing. I suspect if Santos or Blanco can’t get the job done this season that Josh Thole will be called back up to get more work with the major league club.

The only hole the Mets have not been able to address yet is the rotation. The Mets rotation consists of John Santana, Mike Pelfrey, John Maine, and Oliver Perez. They need another pitcher to either slot in between  Santana and Pelfrey, or Pelfrey and Maine. There’s not many available options left out there, but the ones that are can really make a difference in healthy.

I would really like to see the Mets take a gamble on Sheets, and sign a cheap but decent pitcher to slot in the bullpen just in case.

Without counting Beltran’s surgery and without filling the rotation’s hole, I believe the Mets are having a positive offseason and making moves that will really improve the club in 2010.