As of late yesterday, Mets GM Omar Minaya was not finished yet. With only a matter of hours left before today's 4 p.m. non-waiver trade deadline, the Mets were among four teams still in the running for Rangers righthanded reliever Eric Gagne, along with the Yankees, Red Sox and Brewers. One person familiar with the situation said last night that the Mets remain interest in the Reds' Jeff Conine and also have inquired about the White Sox's Jermaine Dye, but the Mets are reluctant to part with the prospect needed to make that trade. The Braves are close to completing trades with the Rangers for first baseman Mark Teixeira and with the Royals for reliever Octavio Dotel, but Minaya insisted that he is not influenced by the actions of his NL East rival. "That doesn't affect me at all," Minaya said. "Because at the end of the day, whether the Braves make a trade or whether the Braves don't make a trade, we are going to do the best we can to improve this team on a daily basis."