Live updates from MLB Winter Meetings: Here's what our Mets writer is seeing and hearing

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The heart of the baseball world has descended upon Music City.

Down the road from the Grand Ole Opry here, all the attention of baseball fans has locked in on the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings in the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center where representative of all 30 teams gathered beginning Monday to chart their course for the 2024 season.

For the Mets, there are areas of need in the starting rotation, bullpen and outfield, but how aggressive they will be in filling those gaps remains to be seen.

As the MLB's hot stove begins to simmer, the game's top star Shohei Ohtani is moving toward choosing his next home. Other big names, including Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, former NL MVP Cody Bellinger and NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell, are also up for grabs.

There is also the intrigue surrounding the trade market with the Padres' Juan Soto, Rays' Tyler Glasnow and White Sox's Dylan Cease all drawing trade interest.

It's one of the most exciting weeks in the baseball calendar, and I will be here in Nashville to break down all of the events concerning the Mets:

Another reliever addition

David Stearns wants a variety of different options in his bullpen.

The addition of right-hander Michael Tonkin, as first reported by MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, could provide the value of length to the Mets' relief pitcher unit.

According to reports, the Mets and Tonkin are in agreement on a one-year deal worth $1 million for next season. Tonkin appeared in 45 games for the Braves last season, chewing up 80 innings while finishing 7-3 with a 4.28 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 75 strikeouts.

Between 2017 and 2023, the 34-year-old bounced from Japan's Pacific League to Triple-A to the Atlantic League to Mexico and back to MLB. Tonkin is likely to provide a valuable swing role for the Mets after pitching at least two innings in 21 different games. His three-quarters delivery could also provide teams with a different look.

Tonkin, who began his career with the Twins, threw a steady two-pitch mix of fastballs and sliders last season, with a 30.4 whiff percentage on his slider. He joins a bullpen that includes Edwin Diaz, Brooks Raley, Drew Smith, Phil Bickford and Sean Reid-Foley. The Mets also added right-hander Austin Adams last week.

Mets unlucky in MLB Draft Lottery

The punishment for spending over the competitive balance tax has come to pass for the Mets.

For the second straight season, the Mets will drop 10 spots in the MLB Draft order for exceeding the second luxury tax threshold. Next season, the Mets will have the 19th overall pick after failing to land one of the top six picks in Tuesday night's MLB Draft Lottery.

Before the lottery took place, David Stearns said where the Mets pick landed would not alter the team's approach to the evaluation process.

"If you're in the top six for that first round, you can narrow down the field a little bit more. When you're picking in the back half of the first round, it's much wider. From an organizational perspective, I don't know that it's going to alter our evaluation philosophies all the much."

The Guardians landed the first overall pick despite having only a 2 percent chance to move to the top of the draft order.

The Mets were represented by new Mets Hall of Famer Howard Johnson during the lottery.

Mets sign Jose Iglesias to minor league deal

The Mets continued to bolster their infield depth on Tuesday as they agreed to a minor-league deal with infielder José Iglesias. The 34-year-old shortstop received an invitation to the major league club's spring training.

Iglesias last appeared in MLB in 2022 as a member of the Rockies, slashing .292/.328/.380 with three home runs, 47 RBI and 48 runs. He joined two separate organizations - the Marlins and Padres twice - in 2023 but never made a return to the majors before opting out of his deal with the Padres in late June.

In 28 games with Class AAA El Paso, Iglesias posted an .892 OPS with four home runs, 13 doubles, 27 RBI and 22 runs.

The Mets have also added utility man Joey Wendle to a one-year, $2 million deal this offseason.

Targeting Erick Fedde?

The Mets might be hoping that another source from the Korean Baseball Organization could help bolster the pitching staff.

According MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the Mets join the White Sox as finalists for right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde, who is coming off a season with the NC Dinos in South Korea. After six seasons with the Nationals, Fedde finished 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA, 209 strikeouts and a 0.95 WHIP in 180.1 innings.

It would be an attempted reclamation product for the Mets. Fedde had a rough final season with the Nationals in 2022, finishing with a 6-13 record with a 5.81 ERA, 1.63 WHIP and 94 strikeouts in 127 innings. He has a lifetime ERA of 5.41.

More Mets: Mets' lone lefty reliever: How a stint in South Korea shaped Brooks Raley's MLB career

Merrill Kelly is the best example of a pitcher who rejuvenated his career in Korea. After five seasons in the minor leagues, Kelly spent four seasons with SK Wyverns before landing with the Diamondbacks in 2019. He has twice won 13 games since. Brooks Raley also spent five seasons in the KBO with the Lotte Giants before landing back in MLB in 2020.

Where are the gaps?

The Mets acted before the Winter Meetings began by signing Luis Severino to a one-year, $13-million deal and Joey Wendle to a one-year, $2 million contract.

The work is far from over.

During a curiously quiet opening day of the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Stearns said that the Mets front office intends to add at least one more starting pitcher heading into 2024. Another hole might be addressed in the outfield with Starling Marte needing to prove his durability in right field after a checkered 2023.

Both Stearns and manager Carlos Mendoza lauded Severino's experience pitching under the bright New York lights and hope he can put some of his own injury history behind him.

Third base will not be an area where the Mets add, Stearns said, with the belief that Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos can continue to develop in the Mets infield.

Jung Hoo Lee to be posted

Another enticing international free agent is set to hit the MLB free agent market on Tuesday.

The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization announced on Monday that outfielder Jung Hoo Lee would be posted, opening a 30-day window for negotiations to come to the U.S. According to USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale, the Mets have strong interest in Lee to fill one of their outfield spots.

The 25-year-old Lee is known for his supreme bat-to-ball skills, posting a .318 batting average or better in all seven of his seasons in South Korea. Lee flashed some power during his best year in 2022 when he finished with a .996 OPS, 23 home runs and 116 RBI. Otherwise, Lee's previous career mark was 15 home runs in 2020.

Lee was 6-for-14 (.429) with four runs and five RBI during last year's World Baseball Classic.

Mets announce coaching staff

While the Mets pitching coach and hitting coaches remain in Jeremy Hefner and Jeremy Barnes, the team officially announced a new-look coaching staff on Monday.

Under Mendoza, the Mets bring on former Blue Jays manager John Gibbons as bench coach, Antoan Richardson becomes the first base coach, Mike Sarbaugh as the new third base coach and José Rosado as bullpen coach.

Gibbons spent 11 seasons leading the Blue Jays, including back-to-back ALCS appearances in 2015 and 2016. Richardson spent the last four seasons as Giants first-base coach, overseeing baserunning and outfield instruction. Sarbaugh was the Guardians' third base coach for the last 10 seasons. Rosado was the pitching coach for the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization for the last three seasons.

Eric Chavez will return to his role as one of the team's hitting coaches alongside Barnes.

A baseball paradise

It is my first time attending the Winter Meetings, so everything might appear larger in grandeur, but the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center initially made my head spin.

I did not expect to ever see a river boat coasting in between a swath of hotel rooms or a Christmas tree completely made of poinsettias.

Walking through the 4.5-acre garden feels a bit like Las Vegas without the casinos. There's about a dozen restaurants and bars, a water park and a fountain display with music spectacle that brings a piece of the Bellagio east.

The backdrop for the MLB's biggest week of the offseason meets the stakes of the days ahead.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets at MLB Winter Meetings 2023: News, rumors, free agency updates