Not to complain about a minor-league deal, but:

Dessens, who turns 39 next month, would get a split contract if added to the 40-man roster that would pay $700,000 in the majors and $90,000 in the minors.

...

He can earn $150,000 in bonuses under Friday’s deal: $30,000 each for 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 relief appearances.

So, Dessens could potentially earn $850,000 if makes the team out of Spring Training. Just to reinforce what kind of improvements we should expect from Elmer, at age 40, on his 5.33 FIP 2009 season:

via www.fangraphs.com

Just a minor thing, but a nice illustration of how a poorly run organization spends at the fringes. In summary: if the Mets suffer an injury in their already thin bullpen, they will pay Elmer Dessens roughly Adam Everett's salary with the Tigers to make the team worse.