Early refueling of the Mets roster tells us a lot about what the plan is with the prospects

Cooper Hummel may never see a major league at-bat with the New York Mets. Claiming him off waivers last week does help us at least understand President of Baseball Operations David Stearns a little bit better.

Stearns was unafraid to clean house in Milwaukee. So far with the Mets, he has done some minor tidying up. The tank on the 40-man roster is now in the process of being refueled with guys like Hummel and what looks like a small army of pitchers.

What this tells us about Stearns isn't some strange faith in outcasts from other organizations. It's more of an indication of what he plans to do about some of the team's best prospects: nothing yet.

David Stearns is hitting the pause button on any new prospects coming to the majors

The team's actions at the deadline last month to protect players ahead of the Rule 5 Draft was only a hint into Stearns' thinking. Alex Ramirez was the lone player added to the 40-man roster. Despite room to add more, Stearns chose not to. It's both a lack of faith in those Rule 5 eligible players and how few of the other prospects he believes are Opening Day worthy at this time. There is never an urgency to unnecessarily add a player even if there is a planned competition for the spring.

Not a single Mets prospect is an obvious Opening Day roster candidate. Those trying to push Mike Vasil into the rotation or bullpen are thinking on a different wavelength than Stearns. If Drew Gilbert has a big spring, he'll be able to revel in it before heading back to Syracuse to begin his season.

The Mets are in a mode of caution at the moment. Pushing prospects to the majors is even less necessary than it was last year. A hot spring will only help a guy if he wins a competition in a landslide. If the IL becomes too full, maybe then a prospect can roam the earth.

The Mets are already fielding a young roster in the learning process of their career. Several of the Baby Mets have graduated from prospect status yet remain works in progress. To avoid becoming a team of rookies and sophomores, the Mets are adding experience to hold the place and protect free agency from creeping up a little quicker. Outside additions like Cole Sulser and Andre Scrubb give them that new selection of warm bodies to get through the year without having to move along a promising prospect a little too quickly.

We got used to seeing the Mets look in the short term. Take time to adjust. Every decision they make will have the future in mind.