Omar is DEFINITELY Up To Something

Look guys, I know you are all upset that all the other teams are getting better and the Mets are sitting around doing absolutely nothing. Lackey to the Red Sox, Chone Figgins to Seattle, Roy Halladay to the Phillies, Granderson to the Yankees, Kendall to the Royals (Ok just kidding I know you guys hate Kendall and I am the only one who likes him), and the Mets haven't done diddly squat except sign a few minor leaguers like Hessman and those Dutch guys. However, no matter how bad a GM Omar Minaya is, he is definitely not an idiot, and like it or not he still does a decent job filling in the holes, even if he doesn't do it perfectly. Keep in mind this is a guy who went out and got Beltran, and Pedro, and Santana, and K-Rod, and Putz, etc. Now not all of those deals worked out perfectly, but you have to admit, you were probably excited when these happened and thought they were good deals at the time.

Anyway, what I am trying to say is simple. All the other teams are going out and spending big bucks on free agents and trading big prospects for star players, but while it may seem like he is, Minaya is certainly not just standing by watching only later to say, "Oh, why didn't I think of that?" Of course, there were a few moves made that I think he could have a should have made, such as acquiring Kevin Millwood, but that is besides the point. He definitely did not decide he should have signed John Lackey only after the Red Sox signed him.

Minaya has a plan. His plan is to let everyone else rush and panic and get everything done now, no matter how expensive it may be, and after the New Year, when everything settles down, he will pick up some players on the cheap.

I really hope the Mets sign Matt Holiday. I don't care if it is 6 years, but if Minaya waits long enough we may be able to get him for 4 or 5 years. I wouldn't mind Jason Bay, but only if we can have him for no more than 4 years. That may only be possible through waiting and letting the hype die down. And if the Mariners or the Yankees or some other team comes in and swoops these players up for a huge, expensive long term deal, so be it. The idea is to improve the team now and for the future. We do not want to put ourselves into a position where we will be shackled to a bad, overpaid player in a few years.

Even if the Mets can't get a Holiday or a Bay after the hype dies down, Minaya, while he is also the butt of many jokes, is still a smart man. Last year, when he acquired J.J. Putz in that three team trade, did anyone see it coming? No, I certainly didn't and I know you did not either. Even though I do not like it now, and I had some doubts about it then (I wasn't too crazy about trading away Joe Smith, or these two teenagers named Carrera and Cleto, who even though I had never heard of them were able to be the deal breaker in a massive trade) I honestly thought it would make the Mets better in 2009. So Putz got hurt, Omar couldn't see that coming. All examples aside, he may be able to pull off another massive trade this time around. Okay, so we may not be getting Adrian Gonzalez, but perhaps Minaya can somehow net us a Diasuke Matsuzaka or a Grady Sizemore. Players who are very good, but may not be the best fit with their current team for reasons such as deep depth with the Red Sox or money with the Indians can be good fits for the Mets. We don't have too much depth in any one area and we have some extra money to spend so why not?

In conclusion, I don't really have any specific ideas for what Omar Minaya can do to make himself look like a genius, but I can assure you one things. He certainly is not a dumb man and he will definitely do something, something big to improve the Mets for the 2010 season. So while you watch all the other teams make deals for big star players, do not fret, and just relax, because a major league GM may always have something smart up his sleeve.