By: STEVE POPPER

INDIANAPOLIS - On the first day of the winter meetings, the Mets found themselves the subject of some of the biggest business. The only problem was that their contribution was issuing denials to rumored deals.

Omar Minaya says the tendency is to get trades out of the way before free agent signings. While the news centered on deals that were not done, Mets general manager Omar Minaya was moving hard to make some to begin to fill the holes in the team's roster.

Minaya said the pitching on the trade market behind Halladay is no better than the free agent class behind Lackey -- which would seem to push him to go free agency for that vacancy.

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