Minaya lays the ground work for trades.........

In the Daily News, Minaya talks how he has laid the ground work for future deals...

"There's no doubt things were accomplished," Minaya said. "Where we are today compared to where we were on Monday is, I think, we were able to at least identify clubs that have needs that you have a match with the needs. You'll see follow-up conversations from here that will build up all the way to the winter meetings."

Of course the ground work of deals can mean trading Heilman, Schoeneweis, and Luis Castillo..It has been speculated by me and many others that the Mets can turn and trade Castillo for Javier Vazquez. There also has been talk of the Mets flipping Heilman to the Rays for one of their young starters...

It looks like the Mets will pursue a free agent closer than trading for one by Minaya's responses , "You'd rather do a free agent than a trade, if possible, because a free agent you don't have to give up prospects, Now, the way it is, everybody is trying to keep their prospects as much as they can. And if you do trades, guys are looking for not only one, but two or three or even four prospects."

Minaya went so far as to suggest an internal closer option for the Mets exists, though using rookie Bobby Parnell in that role clearly is a last resort.

"We'll see," Minaya said. "That's not Plan 1. I'm not afraid to give kids a chance, but that's not your No.1 plan today."