"Remember who Francisco Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran were in spring training. Because back then it was easy to believe the Mets would get nothing for them. Nothing on the field, and therefore nothing in the trade market.

Both were viewed as overpaid, disgruntled employees coming back from significant injuries. Heck, Beltran played three exhibition games in total and K-Rod had a vesting option for 2012 that made his contract status appear one of the ugliest in the game. The duo was just going to be money spent poorly, a lasting memory of a failed regime gone by. Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo, but with better pedigree and a place on the 25-man roster.

But, motivated perhaps by their potential walk years, Rodriguez and Beltran performed very well as Mets. And general manager Sandy Alderson's administration capitalized on that, turning two players who were not in future plans into money saved and prospects added. It is not the kind of win for which Mets fans yearn. Yet it should not be minimized as victories go, especially if you have perspective of how little Rodriguez and Beltran were worth just four months ago.

This was a victory of front-office competence and the future — two areas that have been rather bleak in recent years for the Mets.

Yes, the Mets ate money to move Rodriguez and Beltran, but that was money they were spending regardless. But they also saved $5.5 million. Mets fans will hope that gets redirected to the team and not to the Wilpons' Madoff-damaged wallets. The Mets also acquired two secondary prospects from Milwaukee for Rodriguez. But their main bounty was in obtaining Zack Wheeler from the Giants for Beltran.

That trade — Beltran, and $4 million of the roughly $6 million he was owed, for Wheeler — will not become official until today, owing to the 24-hour grace period provided any player with 10-and-5 rights like Beltran. But the Giants were the team Beltran preferred going to the most, thus it is highly doubtful there will be any snags in him waiving his no-trade rights."