New York Mets

A case can be made that the New York Mets possess the best collection of young pitching in the major leagues, with a projected 2015 starting rotation that includes right-handers Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler and National League Rookie of the Year Jacob deGrom.

Plus, it shouldn’t be long until they’re joined by a host of other young arms, too, as prospects Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz both are close to being ready for The Show.

With the 2014 winter meetings having come to an end, the New York Mets did not control the majority of the baseball headlines this week. The Mets, though, did not go into the winter meetings with a big agenda of tasks to complete. There were only a few particular areas the Mets really needed to look into, and they accomplished some, but not all, of their goals this week.

Now that December has arrived, the annual winter meetings are next up for the New York Mets and the other MLB teams. At that time, all the general managers will meet up and discuss potential signings and trades with each other for a few days.

This past year, Jacob deGrom became the fifth player in Mets history to win the National League Rookie of the Year Award. The other winners were Tom Seaver in 1967, Jon Matlack in 1972, Darryl Strawberry in 1983 and Dwight Gooden in 1984.

The New York Mets started the offseason with an unexpected bang, inking veteran Michael Cuddyer to a two-year, $21 million pact. Since then, they've gone mostly quiet.

That has to change if New York is truly shifting into win-now mode, as assistant general manager John Ricco suggested after the Cuddyer signing.

It’s not a coincidence that many of the biggest trades in recent years have involved blue-chip prospects. With the market rate for impact players on the rise and teams trying to manage their payrolls more economically, prospects, though unproven in nature, have come to represent a form of currency.

You know, we really should get to work thinking of a good nickname for the New York Mets' starting rotation. 

Why? Well, put it this way: Now's a good time to realize it's going to need one before long.

After quietly returning to the big leagues in 2014 after a one-year hiatus, New York Mets outfielder Bobby Abreu has officially called it a career.  

According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, Abreu made the announcement Friday with a simple, quiet message:

With the postseason out of reach, one of the main reasons to watch the New York Mets over the final few weeks will be the team's exciting young players. 

Unfortunately, that list may have been shortened by one on Tuesday, as center fielder Juan Lagares was forced from the game with a hyperextended elbow, per the team's official Twitter feed:

The New York Mets are desperately trying to stick around in the NL postseason race, even though it will be difficult to overcome what is currently a 9.5-game wild-card deficit.

The team, though, seems more ready to really compete in 2015, particularly with all the young pitching it has. However, this is not to say that the Mets are perfectly fit as is to be a postseason contender next season. There are certain areas that the front office will need to address for the future.