Fred Wilpon Wants Omar Minaya To Remain With Mets In Advisory Role

by Eric Simon on Jan 27, 2011 7:25 PM EST

Ian Begley of ESPN.com reports.

"I think Omar is a very good man and a very good person also," Wilpon said at the Police Athletic League's 18th annual Sportsnite at Cirpiani Restaurant. "I think [finding] the right position for Omar is going to be helpful for Omar and helpful for this organization."

[...]

"Psychologically, emotionally, he's got a lot invested here [with] the position he had over all of those years," said Alderson. "Coming back and interacting with many of the same people in a different capacity is a change. I think anybody would need some time [to] adjust to that. I don't think you should read into anything that's happened so far. I think this is just what happens when there's a transition, and I think you've got to give people some space to figure out what they want to do."

My feelings about Minaya as a general manager don't cloud my opinion of him as a person or of his potential value to the Mets in some kind of scouting or advisory position. I also trust that if Sandy Alderson wants to keep Minaya around that he won't do so simply as a favor to Minaya or to Wilpon, and that he'd only do so if it brought value to the organization. Minaya's contract with the Mets runs through 2012 at something on the order of $1 million a season.

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Since he's being paid either way, you might as well have him out there, scouting

Maybe he can hang out in the DR and find us the next Jenrry Mejia?

by psiogen on Jan 27, 2011 7:45 PM EST reply actions

As long as he's in a strictly scouting role

and has to clear things through Sandy and friends before acting, sure, why not.

Hey, wait! I'm having one of those things. You know? A headache with pictures?

by KeithsMoustache on Jan 27, 2011 7:48 PM EST reply actions

Omar can do more than just scout. Alderson is making the trades and signing players and

that is what matters here. Omar can be a huge asset to the front office and being part of the Alderson team will filter out his bad idea’s and enhance his good ones.

Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitudes...

by Major on Jan 27, 2011 7:59 PM EST up reply actions

Bad scout

And a negative asset. For all the damage he has done he should not be allowed in Queens.

And quite frankly, not such a nce guy either. Just ask Randolph. Or the jacket. Or Rubin. Or any of the players he threw under the bus.

"But also, there are lockers… and it’s a room… so, I call it a locker room."
-Matthew Cuttandpasteone

by Dandy Salderson on Jan 27, 2011 8:07 PM EST via mobile up reply actions 7 recs

Omar is not even close to bad scout but you can have your opinion

Freedom is a road seldom traveled by the multitudes...

by Major on Jan 27, 2011 8:16 PM EST up reply actions

True

Bad is not a harsh enough assessment. The guy spends years bringing in Sullivans, Reddings, Burgos’s, Gotays, Ben Johnsons, Adkins, Bosticks, Vargas’s, Estradas, and on and on and on, squandering a huge payroll advantage by his inability to scout or identify talent. True, not even close to just plain old “bad”.

"But also, there are lockers… and it’s a room… so, I call it a locker room."
-Matthew Cuttandpasteone

by Dandy Salderson on Jan 27, 2011 8:27 PM EST up reply actions 5 recs

Doesn't every GM try to bring in guys off the scrap heap?

And for all the ones you mentioned, I could mention all of the decent bargains he brought in.

He’s not a great scout, but not a terrible one as you make him outt o be.

There is no hope.... there is no future....there is only GRISSIONZ

The 2011 Mets- Rock bottom: We haven't reached it yet

by Syler on Jan 27, 2011 8:56 PM EST up reply actions

The lowest win per dollar

Ratio over the past three years running does not equal a “not terrible” GM in any sense. A GM’s job consists of finding ways to get the most wins out of every dollar spent. Being the worst at this means you are terrible. I made a chart of this a while back and while he may not be the absolute worst (for some reason I remember the Tigers being up there) he’s certainly in the bottom three. Anyone can cherry-pick a bunch of good deals or a bunch of bad ones, but his performance, inclusive of all things that may make wins more or less likely, was terrible in light of the resources at his disposal.

It's a triumph of number crunching over the human spirit...aaaaaand, it’s about time. -- Play-by-Play Announcer, The Simpsons.

by MookieTheCat on Jan 27, 2011 9:45 PM EST up reply actions 4 recs

The question was whether he's a good scout

We all know he’s not a good GM. But he may be a good talent evaluator who is a bad GM because he doesn’t understand things like roster construction and contract value.

by psiogen on Jan 27, 2011 10:40 PM EST up reply actions

The past few days I read some posts on here on draft rankings

In one we were fifth from the bottom. Arguments over this ranking were discussed, and some thought that the system was undervalued. Even assuming that was true, consensus was that we were in the bottom half of the league, at absolute best (and some argues that the bottom fifth was in fact true). Assuming that the minors are populated primarily based on talent evaluation, and trades to stock the minors or to receive value are done based on talent evaluation, what does that tell you about the chief talent evaluator? It’s not like star after star has percolated to the top, gutting the minors due to appropriate flow to the majors. Further, this is not a team that needs to gut its minors to get quality players for lack of an ability to get players on the FA or trade markets, or to bring players up too quickly to fill holes due to lack of utility players (notwithstanding that past practice has been to do that). With a lot of money to throw around up top you’d think that they could let players develop naturally. And the overslot argument seems overused to me. Sure it’s better to entice, but enough guys come via other mechanisms or draft rounds so that it can’t be the whole story.

So while I did paint too broad a brush in that one sentence above, it’s clear that after five years a great (or merely good) talent evaluator probably would have left the minors in better shape than this. Once again, if you have more money to play with than nearly everyone else, and consistently badly evaluate talent on both the minor league and the major league level, then perhaps that plays into fewer wins for the dollar.

It's a triumph of number crunching over the human spirit...aaaaaand, it’s about time. -- Play-by-Play Announcer, The Simpsons.

by MookieTheCat on Jan 27, 2011 11:57 PM EST up reply actions

I guess the difference is when Omar is watching some kid firsthand

vs him sitting in a room full of scouts hearing and filtering their opinions. The latter he most likely stinks at. The former he might be good according to his rep.

by FrancoTAU on Jan 28, 2011 12:16 AM EST up reply actions

The former led to

a supporting cast of Omir Santos’s.

He stinks.

"But also, there are lockers… and it’s a room… so, I call it a locker room."
-Matthew Cutandpasteone

by Dandy Salderson on Jan 28, 2011 6:34 AM EST up reply actions

Oliver Perez.

enough said.

"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"

by feslenraster on Jan 28, 2011 8:07 AM EST up reply actions

He sucks at valuing and negotiating, that's abundantly clear.

So in that way you just can’t use his wins per dollar or even his roster construction to determine his usefulness now, or lack of. He wouldn’t have anything to do with valuing, or with relative judgments. He’d be watching and reporting on how kids are at baseball. He may be good at that, or not, I don’t know.

I think what he is evidently great at is schmoozing, people all around baseball really like him. His career was built on that. So use him that way, use him for his connections. He’s being paid; if he has a connection you want to exploit in order to finesse a deal, let him connect. I don’t know how much value he could provide this way, but probably some.

by SuperT on Jan 28, 2011 2:46 AM EST up reply actions

I can agree with this, if there is a value-added role for schmoozers

Then let him do something that maximizes that. But I, at least, can’t identify a role like that where there isn’t someone who at least hasn’t proven themselves to be bad at other aspects trying to take care of it. If someone wants to plant him in some country to take a close look at amateurs there and to capitalize on relationships and cultural knowledge, I could go for it, maybe. What pushes me away is that no one wants to deal with a lame duck. There are a bunch of talent evaluators out there, such as the guy who works for the Royals profiled in some article the other day. Why not hire one of his friends, who would be willing to stay in cheap hotels and put up with the necessary travel headaches of the developing world? I guess my objection boils down to the observation that there is a difference between being liked and being respected. I have known a few people who are great at the holiday party but you never wanted to work with them.

It's a triumph of number crunching over the human spirit...aaaaaand, it’s about time. -- Play-by-Play Announcer, The Simpsons.

by MookieTheCat on Jan 28, 2011 12:01 PM EST up reply actions

This

He’s obviously a people person (at least when the camera’s aren’t on him). Otherwise he would have never gotten the two GM jobs he somehow got.

Save Jenrry Mejia!

by Ogre39666 on Jan 28, 2011 2:39 PM EST up reply actions

Anyone think that bringing him back is a ploy to keep him shut up given the recent news?

It's a triumph of number crunching over the human spirit...aaaaaand, it’s about time. -- Play-by-Play Announcer, The Simpsons.

by MookieTheCat on Jan 28, 2011 2:47 PM EST up reply actions

That hadn't occurred to me. Youneverknow, though.

I just want him gone. As a talent evaluator he’s nothing special in any sense, and god forbid Alderson and Wilpon clash and Alderson is fired with Omar nearby. If there’s one chance in a thousand that happens the odds are still too great to risk it. Look—you simply don’t want Minaya having the Wilpons’ ears in any capacity whatsoever. We already know how that plays out. It’s a frigging nightmare. Get rid of the son of a bitch and all the damage he did to the organization. I don’t give a shit about the money he’s getting paid. He can easily be replaced by a better scout or evaluator. Those guys make next to nothing. Minaya’s simply NOT worth keeping. Good God—on his watch Jeff Francouer was the starting RFer. On his watch GMJr was the starter over Angel Pagan. The more I think about Minaya staying around the more the idea is clearly insane, only imaginable in some bizarre, schizophrenic dream where the past is this wet, slippery nightmare that delusion demands we relive, over and over and over and over.

2010 Mets: 81-81 Pythagorean record. 656 Runs Scored, 652 Runs Allowed.
Damn You, Manuelllllllllllllllllllllll!!!

by Jack Str on Jan 30, 2011 6:06 AM EST up reply actions

This

It's a triumph of number crunching over the human spirit...aaaaaand, it’s about time. -- Play-by-Play Announcer, The Simpsons.

by MookieTheCat on Jan 30, 2011 7:53 PM EST up reply actions

Those guys weren't off the scrapheap, though.

We actually traded reasonably valuable assets for most of them. Johnson and Adkins cost us Heath Bell. Bostick and Vargas (neither of whom the Mets ever saw fit to use) cost us Matt Lindstrom. Burgos was acquired for a cost-controlled Brian Bannister. Gotay, we traded Jeff Keppinger for, and then waived out of the blue. Either of them would have made Cora, Anderson Hernandez, Awful Reyes, Ramon Martinez, Angel Berroa, Andy Green, and Luis Hernandez unnecessary. Smart teams don’t trade cheap pitching talent for guys like those; Omar did.

I am willing to wait to build a world class franchise (h/t to millsy)

by BobbyV_Incognito on Jan 27, 2011 11:24 PM EST up reply actions

Omar is a horrible judge of major league talent.

But he does have a rep as a really good amateur scout. If he’s out of country than I’m fine with with him roaming around the island finding us some studs. He can do no good in Flushing though.

by FrancoTAU on Jan 28, 2011 12:14 AM EST up reply actions

The guy traded

Five years of Cliff Lee + five years of Grady Sizemore + five years of Brandon Phillips for three months of Bartolo Colon. He is a TERRIBLE talent evaluator and should have no role in the organization.

"But also, there are lockers… and it’s a room… so, I call it a locker room."
-Matthew Cutandpasteone

by Dandy Salderson on Jan 28, 2011 6:32 AM EST up reply actions

Agreed

just awful

R.A. Dickey "I do have thoughts on that. I don’t want to make them public."
THE WALTER REED 3 - Terrible Teammates, Worse Human Beings.

by Mookes7 on Jan 28, 2011 9:45 AM EST up reply actions

As was stated, you can't blame him for that,

given the fact that he (and many others) were under the impression that the Expos were going to be a defunct and nonexistent team after that season.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 453 posts (10/03/10)

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 28, 2011 12:02 PM EST up reply actions

Do you think Alderson

would have done this deal in Omar’s shoes?

"But also, there are lockers… and it’s a room… so, I call it a locker room."
-Matthew Cutandpasteone

by Dandy Salderson on Jan 28, 2011 12:04 PM EST up reply actions

Alderson

never would have taken that job.

Save Jenrry Mejia!

by Ogre39666 on Jan 28, 2011 2:52 PM EST up reply actions

We can debate each of Omar's bad moves

But for each one there is always an excuse for him. The Expos are being contracted, Jeff Wilpon is meddling, unpredictable injuries, it is Willie Randolph’s demeanor, it is Jerry’s demeanor, it is Adam Rubin’s agenda, it is Oliver Perez’s dedication, it is Beltran’s agent giving medical advice, it is Duaner Sanchez’ taxi driver, it is Ryan Church’s toughness, it is David Wright’s leadership, blah blah blah.

Sports is a results business and Omar needs to find another line of work.

"But also, there are lockers… and it’s a room… so, I call it a locker room."
-Matthew Cutandpasteone

by Dandy Salderson on Jan 28, 2011 12:12 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

I'm not disagreeing

Below, you’ll see, I formulated the quick rebuttal to “Omar is a good scout of talent”. In that trade, though, extraneous situations existed such that, on any other given day, it’s highly unlikely that Omar would have made that move. As such, you really can’t blame him for that. It’s not really reflective of “normal Omar”, for a lack of better words. Was “normal Omar” much better? No, not particularly. Would “normal Omar” trade, for three months of Bartolo Colon (who was decent at the time, mind you, perceived one of the top pitchers in baseball) for prospects Cliff Lee, Brandon Philips and Grady Sizemore? I do not think so, no. During his tenure with the Mets, he traded away a few guys who would have come in handy, but nobody who (as I remember them) were as highly touted as Lee (a little), Phillips (medium), and Sizemore (lots). His biggest folly trading away guys like that with us probably was Heath Bell, or maybe Joe Smith (so far; there’s still time for some of those real young guys, like Ezekiel Carrera, for example, to turn into megastars somehow). Useful, but neither are Lee+Philips+Sizemore. With the Expos theoretically not existing at the end of that year (and the team and farm system broken up and scattered), and the team being in contention at the trade deadline, he decided to go out and get the best available player on the market, making an offer that would not/could not be refused, and make a push for the playoffs.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 453 posts (10/03/10)

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 28, 2011 12:25 PM EST up reply actions

Yah, I agree about the circumstance

I’m saying more, in the context of the talent evaluator argument, if he was truly gifted at evaluating talent he would have given up other prospects, gotten more for these prospects, and picked up a better player on the other side of the deal. Ho got shafted on both ends of the trade, strictly from a talent evaluation point of view.

"But also, there are lockers… and it’s a room… so, I call it a locker room."
-Matthew Cutandpasteone

by Dandy Salderson on Jan 28, 2011 12:49 PM EST up reply actions

Yes and no

I look at it like a situation where you’re on eBay, and there’s like a minute left on the thing that you’re bidding for, and you really want/need. In the heat of the moment and whatever else, in order to make sure that there’s no chance that you’re outbid, you put in a bid that’s a little excessive, maybe, but all but guarantees that you’ll win the item. Omar, he definitely made an offer that nobody would refuse. And, if he “won” that, and the Expos got into the playoffs, and won the World Series, it definitley wouldn’t look as bad as it is now.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 453 posts (10/03/10)

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 29, 2011 2:03 AM EST up reply actions

Just to give an outsider's view here

I’m in Philly visiting some friends, and am staying with an old friend who is a lifelong Phillies fan (even when they were terrible in the 80s/90s). I told him about this discussion and his response was “Bringing Omar back, that’s just a horrible idea. Why would they even think about doing that?”

So there you have it. Even Phillies fans recognize the horrible nature of this at first glance.

It's a triumph of number crunching over the human spirit...aaaaaand, it’s about time. -- Play-by-Play Announcer, The Simpsons.

by MookieTheCat on Jan 28, 2011 12:26 PM EST up reply actions

Dickey, Pagan, John Maine circa 06 07 08 Ollie circa 06 07 08 Tatis

And he traded nothing to get Johan…..Letting him run around with total control of the checkbook might not have been the smartest move but give the man his due. He resurrected a dead franchise (remember the Art Howe years) and gave us only one playoff run but 07 and 08 you could blame on the field managers. 09 had so many injuries and last year I think they put the reins on him a bit. If Jason Bay comes here and does nothing how could that fall on Omar? If Beltran is hurt how does that fall on Omar. They account for a large part of the payroll, certainly more than Ollie or Castillo do.

by The real Julio from Paterson on Jan 28, 2011 7:11 PM EST up reply actions

Credit where credit is due:

Maine, Pagan, and Dickey, to a degree. With Johan (arguably, the biggest and most impactful in the bunch), the Twins were in a rock and a hard place. They couldn’t keep Johan, and the Red Sox and Yankees basically canceled each other, and relatively blocked the other from trading for him. Omar kinda just lucked into that. Remember, we were looking to sign Livan Hernandez as our “ace” that offseason, before that trade went down.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 453 posts (10/03/10)

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 29, 2011 2:05 AM EST up reply actions

A couple of errors I see here

07 and 08 were directly related to lack of depth, from not having a replacement for Duaner Sanchez to a few other kneejerk moves, not the least of which was the completely unprofessional manner in which he kept the team hanging before firing Willie (a story broken by Ted Berg, Ted Berg of all people!). While Willie and Jerry share some of the blame, that doesn’t absolve Omar. Plus, a lot of the “resurrection” of the club was due to actions that occurred before Omar: Reyes, Wright etc. The depth issue, not injuries, was what killed us the last two years, and it resulted from a management scheme that looked not to get the best player on the market, but to fill holes in a haphazard and undisciplined manner (NEED POWER OF, GET JASON BAY AT ANY COST!). Injuries are a nice excuse but the better question is why the Phillies and many other clubs can withstand injuries due to decent bench/AAA players, whereas all of a sudden we’re playing a Mexican League team of Jose Limaesque retreads. Not to mention that he had tons of money to play with, thus giving him the ability to sign stars, and he pays us back by giving $17+ million to a reliever. I mean, c’mon. A stopped clock is right twice a day and a GM with $150 million to spend will sign a good player now and then.

Really bad GM is really bad GM, and that’s exactly where credit is due.

It's a triumph of number crunching over the human spirit...aaaaaand, it’s about time. -- Play-by-Play Announcer, The Simpsons.

by MookieTheCat on Jan 29, 2011 3:03 PM EST up reply actions 5 recs

I am going to have to create a bunch of SBN accounts

So I can rec this post over and over.

"But also, there are lockers… and it’s a room… so, I call it a locker room."
-Matthew Cutandpasteone

by Dandy Salderson on Jan 29, 2011 4:46 PM EST up reply actions

Green'd.

Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!

by Steve Schreiber on Jan 29, 2011 11:05 PM EST up reply actions

Maybe he can be Ollie's shrink

by fxcarden on Jan 27, 2011 8:24 PM EST reply actions

Assistant to the traveling secretary

Image credit for Jerrysaurus goes to astromets

by hotspur on Jan 27, 2011 9:08 PM EST via mobile reply actions 4 recs

Assistant to the General Manager?

Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!

by Steve Schreiber on Jan 28, 2011 11:00 PM EST up reply actions

Assistant to the Intern of the General Manager?

"The Mets are gonna be amazin'!" - Casey Stengel
"Bounding and astounding!" - Clyde Frazier

by Russ on Jan 29, 2011 10:11 AM EST up reply actions

I hope they just get rid of him.

The “good talent evaluator” thing is a load of brownies. Schoenhois (sp?) > Bradford? Heath Bell?

by Shevshevy on Jan 27, 2011 9:10 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

Disagree

Brownies make me happy. But agree that the “good talent evaluator” label is very suspect as best.

It's a triumph of number crunching over the human spirit...aaaaaand, it’s about time. -- Play-by-Play Announcer, The Simpsons.

by MookieTheCat on Jan 27, 2011 9:47 PM EST up reply actions

Don't forget

the infamous Cliff Lee, Brandon Phillips, and Grady Sizemore for Bartolo Colon and the other other Drew brother (Tim). what a great talent evaluator.

"Anybody with ability can play in the big leagues. But to be able to trick people year in and year out the way I did, I think that was a much greater feat." -Bob Uecker
"Who is the girl in the dugout, with the long hair? What's going on here? You have got to be kidding me. Only player personnel in the dugout. I won't say that women belong in the kitchen, but they don't belong in the dugout." -Kieth Hernandez

by metman726 on Jan 27, 2011 11:39 PM EST up reply actions

In his defense, he believed that the Expos were about to be contracted.

He hands were kinda tied there.

I am willing to wait to build a world class franchise (h/t to millsy)

by BobbyV_Incognito on Jan 28, 2011 12:35 AM EST up reply actions

valid point

by metman726 on Jan 28, 2011 11:15 AM EST up reply actions

Hindsight is always 20/20

by The real Julio from Paterson on Jan 28, 2011 7:13 PM EST up reply actions

But shelling out young arms for role players is always a bad move.

Save Jenrry Mejia!

by Ogre39666 on Jan 28, 2011 9:34 PM EST up reply actions

Players, like Bell and/or Lindstrom

who had potential, but were never even given a fair shake with the team, nonetheless.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 453 posts (10/03/10)

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 29, 2011 2:06 AM EST up reply actions

Can he roll a good tarp?

by Cranky50 on Jan 27, 2011 10:08 PM EST reply actions

While Fred's at it

Why not give him another four year extension.

"But also, there are lockers… and it’s a room… so, I call it a locker room."
-Matthew Cutandpasteone

by Dandy Salderson on Jan 27, 2011 10:18 PM EST reply actions

Fred...you just don't get it...do ya?

Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!

by Steve Schreiber on Jan 27, 2011 10:23 PM EST reply actions 2 recs

nice, so is Omar #2 or Mustafa

Any task BIG or small, Do it well or not at all

by Rickfansince76 on Jan 28, 2011 7:48 AM EST up reply actions

Do the Mets ever fire or release anybody but Bernazard,In business when you break

a chief exec you settle his contract and he moves on somewhere else.You do not have his presence hanging over the team making people feel uncomfortable or sorry for him.
Heard Hojo not leaving either even though he also has been demoted to an unnamed
position.

by Putnan Prince on Jan 27, 2011 11:06 PM EST reply actions

I was having trouble loading this page up.

For whatever reason, Firefox repeatedly gave me a message saying something along the lines of “Server cannot handle this right now”. The server has it right.

I never saw Omar as a bad guy, per se (as opposed to Jerry Manuel, who was an absolute piece of crap, in addition to being a terrible player and manager), but I don’t see what he brings to the table, specifically, that makes him worth holding on to, considering all the negative media baggage and everything else.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

AA Gamethread Embiggening Record Holder- 453 posts (10/03/10)

by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 28, 2011 2:42 AM EST reply actions

I like how it's specified that

he is both a good man and a good person. That’s a bit strange!

by deadspy3 on Jan 28, 2011 3:39 AM EST reply actions

Donny was a good bowler...

and a good man.

"But also, there are lockers… and it’s a room… so, I call it a locker room."
-Matthew Cutandpasteone

by Dandy Salderson on Jan 28, 2011 6:39 AM EST up reply actions

Right, but that makes sense

Good at his job, but also a good dude. This implies that Omar’s job was to be a man. I thought that was Ricco’s job.

by deadspy3 on Jan 28, 2011 8:05 AM EST up reply actions

No

Santana is a man.

Save Jenrry Mejia!

by Ogre39666 on Jan 28, 2011 2:40 PM EST up reply actions

NO NO NO!

Pay him off- get him OUT of the organization. The team needs a clean break from him. Can’t the Wilpons break the failed Assistant GM promoted to failed GM chain? I thought they had done so with the Alderson hiring.

by MDMETSFAN on Jan 28, 2011 7:26 AM EST reply actions

how can Oliver Perez be forigven?!

"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"

by feslenraster on Jan 28, 2011 8:08 AM EST reply actions

Just when you though the stain and stench of the Minaya era was finally removed

and the Mets stopped being a laughing stock, along comes this news. This is the reason that I think it might be time for Fred Wilpon to retire and hand off the business to Jeff. These two seem to have different approaches to the way the team should be run. And its becoming abundantly apparent to me that Jeff might be the better owner. I have no idea why Fred wants Minaya around. The only reason I can think of is to get some “value” out of the last two years of his contract. Minaya has repeatedly shown that he does not belong in any front office role. If they are going to keep him around, maybe they could put him to work in the dunk tank in April, have him stand in the Pepsi Porch and lets fans kick him squarely in the nuts or he can clean one of Citi Field’s abundant toilets.
I am quite sure Alderson is happy that he has to work with an obvious nincompoop. The Mets might need an eye surgeon around because Alderson and crew will be rolling their eyes every time Minaya opens his mouth. I can see Minaya during every contract negotiation telling Alderson that they need to add an easily obtainable vesting option. Damn Minaya is horrible. If he had any pride, he would quit like Gil Mesche.

by aparkermarshall on Jan 28, 2011 8:10 AM EST reply actions

"Jeff might be the better owner"

Terrifying, horrifying thought… But I agree with everything you wrote and you just convinced me.

"But also, there are lockers… and it’s a room… so, I call it a locker room."
-Matthew Cutandpasteone

by Dandy Salderson on Jan 28, 2011 8:54 AM EST up reply actions

Omar = Isiah

Time to move on.

"The Mets are gonna be amazin'!" - Casey Stengel
"Bounding and astounding!" - Clyde Frazier

by Russ on Jan 28, 2011 8:17 AM EST reply actions 1 recs

Omar got us to a game 7=Isiah got swept by the nets

And even though many hated on my beloved “los Mets” of 2006, they were a freaking wrecking ball that came within one pitch of the world series with Pedro MIA, El Duque MIA, and John Maine and Ollie driving the bus.

by The real Julio from Paterson on Jan 28, 2011 7:17 PM EST up reply actions

2006 was a great season, no doubt.

But looking back on it, there was so much that went completely right that season. Minaya counted on that amount of luck every season instead of picking up players who were actually decent. It seemed like every year he’d try to fill holes with the next 2006 Jose Valentin or Endy Chavez but they’d blow up in his face because…well…2006 was the year the moon and stars were aligned (until that fateful night in October).

Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!

by Steve Schreiber on Jan 28, 2011 11:04 PM EST up reply actions

As long as the Alderson-D3PO-JP trio still make all of the important decisions,

I don’t think this is a big problem. However, I do think that if Omar does become a problem, the Alderson trio should have the authority to get rid of him, without interference from the Wilpons. If that doesn’t happen, then it’s a huge problem.

Now, kids, being eaten by a crocodile is just like going to sleep; in giant blender.

by meigs1414 on Jan 28, 2011 8:38 AM EST reply actions

How about Intern Janitor?

Proud supporter of a New York baseball team and a Boston football team. Yeah, deal with it!

"We don’t listen to the hype. I don’t think we ever have. We really take after our coach and he says ‘When you win, say little. When you lose, say less.'"--Tom Brady

The 2011 New York Mets: At least we don't have Omar and Jerry anymore

by R_Adragna on Jan 28, 2011 8:45 AM EST reply actions

Fine, I'll stick up for Omar...

Omar is a good talent evaluator, he’s just lousy at the wheeling and dealing and other finer aspects of being a GM, just like we discovered about JPR from his tenure in Toronto.

It’s one thing to be able to break down a prospect’s abilities. It’s another to figure out what they will fetch on the market. Especially when you are expected to make deals that grab headlines.

Maybe if they make Omar a Super Scout again and he understands that he is just a cog in a machine rather than the Man, he’ll find that magic again…and some other team will get duped into making him a GM.

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by Donal on Jan 28, 2011 9:29 AM EST reply actions

This is said so often

And always said as a statement of fact.

I am too annoyed to formulate a thoughtful response.

"But also, there are lockers… and it’s a room… so, I call it a locker room."
-Matthew Cutandpasteone

by Dandy Salderson on Jan 28, 2011 9:41 AM EST up reply actions

I'll pose one, then:

It is said that Omar is a good talent evaluator, but where is the evidence? Via the drafts (something that he isn’t alone at doing; there’s other scouts and evaluators who put in their say), he’s had a few good signings, but for every decent one, there was a Eddie Kunz, or something retarded like that. Via the FA market, he basically used the large pockets of the Wilpons to sign big-name FAs, and that’s really it. Sure, he struck gold once or twice with Jose Valintin, or John Maine, but look at the supporting cast to the core and the bench for basically the past three years. Major flaws in evaluating talent all around.

"Blinding ignorance does mislead us. O! Wretched mortals, open your eyes!"
Gil Hodges IS a Hall of Famer.

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by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jan 28, 2011 12:07 PM EST up reply actions

This

Gets the to point. He didn’t have to be like the Royals or the Twins: he had the resources to make big signings and merely supplement them by drafts, or foreign FAs, or scrapheap pickups off of waivers, or whatever. In my mind this should have reduced the pressure to sign someone for every position, and thus made the attempt to find undervalued players easier.

It's a triumph of number crunching over the human spirit...aaaaaand, it’s about time. -- Play-by-Play Announcer, The Simpsons.

by MookieTheCat on Jan 28, 2011 12:40 PM EST up reply actions

This organization loves rewarding fail

Examples- above, Dan Warthen, Tim Tuefel, Ray Ramirez, Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, F!, Jeff Wilpon, Saul Katz and the list goes on.

R.A. Dickey "I do have thoughts on that. I don’t want to make them public."
THE WALTER REED 3 - Terrible Teammates, Worse Human Beings.

by Mookes7 on Jan 28, 2011 9:45 AM EST reply actions

Kinda early

to put F! in that group. Dude’s what, 22?

by Kepler on Jan 28, 2011 10:03 AM EST up reply actions

He cant hit a breaking ball

Cant stay healthy, has arthritis and has NEVER actually produced. I would rather have any number of freely available players in my organization – guys like Garko, for example. F! sucks.

"But also, there are lockers… and it’s a room… so, I call it a locker room."
-Matthew Cutandpasteone

by Dandy Salderson on Jan 28, 2011 10:08 AM EST up reply actions

Dude is 22 years old, let's not declare him finished yet

There is no hope.... there is no future....there is only GRISSIONZ

The 2011 Mets- Rock bottom: We haven't reached it yet

by Syler on Jan 28, 2011 11:16 AM EST up reply actions

.250 ISO in AAA in '09

Nope, never actually produced…

Save Jenrry Mejia!

by Ogre39666 on Jan 28, 2011 2:47 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs

The MLE obp in 2009

was sub 300. Some year.

"But also, there are lockers… and it’s a room… so, I call it a locker room."
-Matthew Cutandpasteone

by Dandy Salderson on Jan 28, 2011 8:02 PM EST up reply actions

You said he never produced

.250 ISO is evidence to the contrary.

Save Jenrry Mejia!

by Ogre39666 on Jan 28, 2011 9:36 PM EST up reply actions

I kinda meant like his cups of coffee in Queens

He never really merited the invitation.

R.A. Dickey "I do have thoughts on that. I don’t want to make them public."
THE WALTER REED 3 - Terrible Teammates, Worse Human Beings.

by Mookes7 on Jan 28, 2011 10:09 AM EST up reply actions

Of course not.

He also shouldn’t have been playing in A+ as an overmatched 17 year old but that’s not his fault. That’s all on the front office (chiefly Tony Bernazard). They pushed him way too quickly and when he predictably struggled, there was nowhere they could send him except continuing to push him forward through the system.

Chamption of the R.A. Dickey Face contest and "Cromulent Photoshopper Extraordinaire" of Amazin' Avenue!

by Steve Schreiber on Jan 28, 2011 11:09 PM EST up reply actions