A look inside the Mets' GM search

The Mets are currently playing their own version of the dating game, trying to find a new soul mate to occupy their top executive position. Although the Wilpons, and the Mets organization in general, have botched so many situations in the past, Mets fans are hopeful. We’re not hopeful because the Wilpons have a great track record in hiring talented executives. We’re hopeful simply because the Mets are actually interviewing candidates. Over the last 13 years the Mets have bounced around from one GM to the next, never conducting a full vetting and interview process. In 1997, Steve Phillips was made GM when his superior, Joe McIlvaine, was fired. When Steve Phillips was let go, Jim Duquette, a member of the Mets front office, was made interim GM and then was given the full position. Finally, in 2004, the Wilpons raced to hire Omar Minaya. It’s time for the Mets to finally enter the dating pool and see what the GM candidates out there can offer our little ball club.

Jeff Wilpon has announced that the Mets will choose their new GM by the World Series. (Perhaps the Wilpons are hoping that Mets fans will be so thrilled by the prospect of a new GM that they won’t notice that it’s been a decade since they watched their own team in the World Series?) The Mets are currently pursuing a courtship with five different bachelors: MLB executive and former Padres CEO Sandy Alderson, former D-backs GM Josh Byrnes, former Royals GM Allard Baird, current White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn, and Dodgers assistant GM Logan White. (Just as an aside, if you haven’t noticed, all of these candidates are white. This seems strange considering Los Mets have been heavily Latino over the last few years.)

Even though the Mets have quite the group of candidates, the Wilpons have their eyes set on the great state of Texas. Rumors have been swirling that the Mets’ Plan A involves Rangers GM Jon Daniels, a former New Yorker who grew up a Mets fan and whose parents currently live in Bayside. I LOVE the idea of a GM who is a Mets fan. I especially love the idea of a GM who has led his organization into the playoffs (with the added bonus of forcing Yankee fans into the fetal position). However, the Mets seem to be wasting their time and energy on Daniels.

First, the Wilpons have announced that they will choose a GM by the World Series. Daniels’ team is playing in the World Series. If the Mets truly want him, they will have to delay their timetable and wait until after the World Series to even start to talk to Daniels. Second, do the Mets really think that Daniels is going to leave Texas after the season he’s had? Daniels has an opt-out clause in his contract that allows him to leave the organization if the Rangers change owners. However, Rangers owner Chuck Greenberg has already stated that he wants to sign Daniels to a contract extension. When times are so good in Arlington, I can’t imagine that Daniels will jump ship, even to his hometown team.

The Mets are considering five other candidates, but there’s really only one who can be the Mets’ Plan B if Daniels doesn’t come through: Sandy Alderson. Allard Baird has a history of making bad deals and has little success in the draft. Rick Hahn has little scouting experience, and although he’s a negotiator-extraordinaire, the Mets already have John Ricco as their negotiation guru. Logan White is great at scouting…and that’s about it. Mets fans don’t need a Minaya Jr. The Mets didn’t invite any of these courters back for their second round of interviews.

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Manuel and Minaya are out: A belated celebration from a Mets fan

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Minaya and Manuel are GONE!!! Have there ever been five sweeter words spoken?

The Mets have finally decided to trim the fat, starting from the top down. Well, they’ve decided to trim most of the fat. Although Omar Minaya has been dethroned from his seat as Mets GM, the Mets have said that they are planning to retain Minaya. Perhaps they want to keep him around to share his winning ways with the new GM. The Mets would have to pay Omar for the next 2 years and some Mets fans are pushing to keep him on to do something (anything) for his $2 million salary.

This seems like a horrible idea. Firing Minaya and Manuel represents a clean break from the last four years of losing. Every girl knows that when you break up with a boyfriend you get rid of everything that reminds you of him so that you can move on. You definitely do not keep the ex-boyfriend around so he can do menial chores around the house. You just send him on his way. That is what the Mets need to do with Minaya -- cut all ties. Get rid of Castillo, Beltran, K-Rod, and many of the other relics that remind Mets fans of the ex-GM. The only thing that Minaya can do in the Mets’ front office is become a second schmuck that the new GM will have to cater to (the first, of course, being Jeff Wilpon). Why invite that headache?

Although Omar Minaya’s landing spot is still up in the air, Jerry Manuel’s fate is sealed. Manuel has been completely removed from the Mets’ clubhouse, with no carry-over possible. Most Mets fans are not going to miss Manuel. There is a laundry list of characteristics to dislike about our former fearless leader, starting with his demeanor.

For starters, Manuel had the most annoying habit of refusing to look at the dugout camera during in-game interviews. It must have been the highlight of Gary Cohen’s day every time he got to talk to the top of Manuel’s head. If Manuel didn’t want to deal with the media, he should have gone to Kansas City or Cleveland. In New York there are a lot of newspapers, radio, and TV networks dedicated solely to NY sports. Media comes with the job so Manuel should have looked at the camera, smiled, and at least pretended like he wanted to be there.

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