The Mets are starting over, yes, with a new manager and a new GM. But you’re not getting rid of Omar Minaya that easily. The Daily News reports today that Minaya’s relationship with the Wilpons remains strong, and his future with the team may well depend on who the organization hires as its next general manager.
The News offers something of a timeline: The Mets will “likely” have a new general manager in place by the World Series, and Minaya, who is still owed more than $2 million over the next two years, “is not expected to make a decision about his future for at least another month.” Of course, that decision may not be his to make: He’ll discuss his future with the Mets sometime this winter, and according to the News’ sources, the thinking goes that a younger GM — someone who hasn’t held that title before — may not want Minaya around, while someone more experienced “might be secure enough in his own position to want to utilize Minaya’s skills,” which presumably means scouting, and not bad-contract-offering.
It’s worth noting, though, that six paragraphs into the report, the News admits that no one knows if any of the candidates — including Sandy Alderson, whom the paper calls the front-runner for the job — would want Minaya around, speculating only that since Alderson’s background isn’t in scouting, “Minaya’s strengths could complement his perfectly.”
Ousted ex-GM Omar Minaya could stay with Mets if Sandy Alderson is hired to be next general manager [NYDN]