It won’t be a surprise if the Mets replace GM Omar Minaya and manager Jerry Manuel after the season. At this point, Jon Heyman of SI.com says it’s “all but certain” that they’re goners. Here are the details on who might replace them, plus other details about GM and managerial openings around baseball:
- The Mets appear to be looking for a “high energy” manager, so it’s hard not to wonder if Bobby Valentine is a candidate to manage the team for a second time.
- The Mets are ready to consider former Padres GM Kevin Towers, former D’Backs GM Josh Byrnes and White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn as possible replacements for Minaya.
- Some have suggested that Towers would prefer to work for a team in the West, but he’d consider GM jobs in the East. "I don't think I'm in position to be picky,” Towers said.
- The Blue Jays will likely consider third base coach Brian Butterfield and Yankees third base coach Rob Thomson for their managerial opening this offseason. Some say current manager Cito Gaston is pushing the Jays to hire former Rockies manager Don Baylor.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they both stayed
I dunno, the Mets are noticeably in a bad PR position and I think they finally got around to realizing it. Jerry’s at least gone for good because his contract is up and Minaya is probably going to be shifted around to some other position.
c’mon dude stop it
what about john daniels???
Mets fans would be better with Jack Daniels.
funny
Towers actually did a pretty good job in SD considering what he had to work with. Byrnes was a failure in AZ, Mets need someone proven, who has had success and should consider trying to get a current GM to come over for big bucks. Someone like Theo or Jocketty, or Williams or even Cashman. All have shown the ability to build something and maintain it, but may be reluctant to leave a stable situation even for a big pay raise.
Yeah I’m sure Epstein and Cashman are waiting to pounce on this job.
I don’t want Valentine but its a great job for him – lots of power
Until Jeff Wilpon is removed, nothing will change.
True that, but we gotta get somebody in there to make the most of…well, whatever it is we got, while we wait!
this is the root of the problem. everyone screams for blood and aims at omar and the manager…and the players…but no one realizes that until u have jeff wilpon step down as team president…nothing will change…and trust me…if fans were as vocal about jeff as they have been about the racial makeup of the team, the wilpons would have gotten the picture already. but all the smoke and mirrors ( the walter reed hospital issue ) will just distract fans from the root cause. Jeff Wilpon.
Meanwhile, the dynamics behind the point you’re making (one which I have made myself on numerous occasions) is that fans lash out at targets that look “reachable” and shy away from ones that look impossible to influence. Managers, GM’s, trainers, coaches – all of those are personnel that fans can see a way to change. However, to most people, ownership looks like an unassailable fortress; “powers that be” that can’t be altered. For me, I’m OK to see GM’s and other staff change, because it won’t be until there have been several changes – and no improvement – that more fans really “get it” that the problems start at the top. I think that only at such a point will more fans focus on the root of the problem and speak the hell up!
ummm…how many GM’s have the Mets have since the Wilpons forced Frank Cashen to step down ?
Al Harazin
Jim Macllvane
Steve Phillips
Jim Duquette
Omar Minaya
a GM needs at least 3-5 years to leave his print on a ballclub…u would rather scuk for that much longer ???? I’d rather get Jeff Wilpon OUT OF HERE…
“Umm”….I get your passion and your points, and agree with most of them. But as you see, few others agree or pay much heed. So this not about what I would “prefer,” but rather what I see it’s going to take for people to wake up. So while you say “I’d rather get Jeff Wilpon OUT OF HERE….” nothing would make me happier, but I can SEE from fans (and even MLB analysts) that it’s going to take a helluva lot more than a few outraged posts and rants for folks to change their attitude and start applying some vocal pressure to the organization. As with lots of things in life, this team doesn’t change as fast as we want it, and in a similar way, a lot of people just don’t change what isn’t working until absolutely FORCED. So if the fans’ reaction isn’t enough for you (and I’m with that), start doing something about it. Start a campaign. Do whatever….but just be prepared for it to take time!
Mac was a good scout, bad gm
Phillips was ok – Wilpon puppet
History says that no matter how much the fans yell, generally it’s never enough to force ownership to change (e.g. 90s KC and Reds, early 00s Os and Marlins, 70s Braves, 60s/70s Stros, pre-90s Indians, etc..). For one thing, fans tend to call for an ownership change only when times are tough for the franchise, which will usually nosedive it’s value. Who would willingly accept such a major loss by selling while it’s value is at a major low, just because some loud fans call for it, when there’s no actual person you technically have to answer for?
Lastly, unless there’s some obvious direct reason, this kind of move I think tends to be cosmetic. The majority of owners tend to be business guys who float in the background, with their Pres of Baseball Operations being the one who is responsible for organizational culture. On that scale, the Wilpons (specifically Jeff) tend to be pretty hands off as far as “bad owners” go. Considering how badly the Krod fiasco was handled, it might be part of why they need to go, but does that mean we need ownership who gets more involved?
very true…fans screaming wont affect anything…even if fans stop showing up…the mets make enough in just profit sharing and naming rights to pay for the stadium and payroll AND have money left over..what may hurt them is having to pay back profit made in the Madoff deal..
according to bloomberg
Mets LP placed a total of $522.7 million in two Madoff accounts and withdrew $570.5 million over an unspecified period, Irving Picard, the court-appointed liquidator, said in a filing Oct. 19 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York.
…so now things may be in perspective when u see them looking for the GMJ’s of the world at a discount
but they can still sell high…right now the mets have the 3rd highest value of any MLB ( behind the sox/yankees )the pres of baseball operations ( jeff wilpon ) has been labeled the true GM of the team.even peter gammons stated that last year…that omar minaya is basically a human pinata used to take abuse for wilpon’s decisions ( see billy wagner trade )
I like the idea of Kevin Towers because he didn’t get much in the way of funds to work with in SD, and managed to do a pretty decent job. Considering that the Wilpons are not looking to spend much for a while, Towers may be just the guy to get that to work!
u dont need a ton of money on the mlb roster to have a consistent good team. ( see braves, twins, rays as example )…
Exactly my point! Not spending shouldn’t have to be a hardship with the right (shrewd) person in the GM chair.
ummm…ur NOT getting it…if u have a team president that meddles in day-to-day operations….it doesnt matter who u hire. the reason why those teams succeed isnt so much because the gm is shrewd. its because there is an environment of accountability from the top on down. the top in the mets world = the team president position.
If the Mets hire Byrnes, look for a roster full of guys that strikeout 150-175 times a year. I pity Dipoto in Arizona for the mess of a roster Byrnes left him.
Replacing Cito with Butter would be a mistake IMO. It would be difficult to replace Butter when it’s easy to replace Cito. Doesn’t make sense to me, but this is Heyman..
You have to hire the best option available. And if AA thinks Butter can do the job and I think he can, then there really is no reason why you shouldn’t hire him. I’m more interested if AA will hire someone from the minors or someone who has big league experience. There were reports earlier about that Fasano coach we have in the minors. This hiring will be very important for the franchise.
Sal Fasano or Luis Rivera would be my 2 internal choices. I think Butter can manage, but he’s more vital as a 3rd base coach to me [people always say he’s one of the best]. Cito is easy to replace because, well, he’s a dumbass. But if he threatened to leave as TR says, give him the job and have Fasano or Rivera start off small and work up the ladder.
The Jays need a coach who can speak Latin fluently.
Latin has long been a dead language, I believe you meant Spanish.
Same difference :p
….Unless you actually expect the latinos to understand you, of course.
Yo no entiendo
Ni yo tampoco…no te apures.
Latin was spoken in Ancinet Rome, and as stated above, is a dead language. They are absloutely nothing alike and stating so is incredibly ignorant, even if it was in jest.
They are somewhat alike since Spanish is one of the five Romance Languages, which are derived directly from Latin.
Not ready yet, i do think Fasano will one day manage..I think the more interesting story line is if an outside manager is brought in, if murphy, leyva, butter, walton are able to keep their jobs.. I mean with the work murphy and walton have done, i don’t see any way you can allow them to be let go or walk away… If that means that you hire butter for a few years during the development stage then so be it.
I am a die-hard Red Sox fan (hence the Ellis Burks thing) but I live in Canada and lived in Toronto for over 10 years and hate the Blue Jays. However, if the Jays hired Sal Fasano I would root for them so hard.I just love Sal’s handlebar mustache!
Last I saw, he had shaved it off. RIP.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo…ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Oh well, back to disliking the Blue Jays.
Except Butterfield will likely leave if he sees no opportunity for advancement with the Jays.
I think Rivera,double A manager would fit this jays squad the best.D.Martinez is enticing because he comes from Joe Madden who’s style of managing and club house unity is something long lacking the Jays clubhouse.He is also Scioscia once removed who comes from one of the best baseball intelligent franchises of one time, the Dodgers.Still my first vote would be Luis Rivera from NH. What he has done with the players at that level, his managing style which is very much my my young era of enjoying baseball in the 80’s/90’s would fit the Jays club that is built now and for the future.Butterfield is the feel good guy. However I don’t think he would be enough of a change, and believe me there is a need of a change of philosophy, ON THE FIELD for these Jays and Jays of the future.Don Baylor only brings more of the same as Gaston, especially with the pitchers.With Rivera, you could keep Walton, who is probably, no very much so, underrated by this market in terms of pitching, and keep Murphy for another year to prove his chops and is probably a little bit in Gastons shadow.
I vote for Dave Martinez, he’s young, smart, cool, an ex-Expo and Jay. Totally suited for this team IMO.
There have been rumblings that Butter would leave unless he was offered the manager’s job.
The AA coach is it Luis Rivera? I’ve heard he is also a good option.
There’s now way in hell I’d take the Mets’ GM job. A city full of people that view you as the other team and a meddlesome ownership is not a recipe for success.
You would take the job because there would be six zeroes in your paycheck.
If you were Kevin Towers, you would take the Mets GM job ??
( being that he is one of the most sought after GM’s….and there may be a host of other clubs offering the GM position…)
What about Beane from Oakland
He’s been offered big money by the Red Sox before and turned it down. Money is nothing to him, he’s all about the challenge. And Jeff Wilpon would keep him from having fun with it.
Towers + Valentine please
makes sense
We can only hope so. Towers is an accomplished GM who would be able to do a lot with the Mets’ resources. They need a manager who will have the respect of the players as soon as he walks into the clubhouse. That will be the case with Valentine but definitely not Backman. I think the veterans would tune Backman out and mutiny by August. Then Backman would be having regular tirades with umpires to try to win them over.
The ONLY way to get the point across to the Wilpons is to not show up at the games. The Mets are a profitable franchise no matter what anyone says. The Wilpons will not sell the club anytime soon, so if the fans want some kind of serious change,empty seats are the only way to get the owner’s attention. Campaigns, rants, rallys or calls to radio shows won’t have much affect if people spend their monies at the ballpark. You want change?
Just stay home!!
Check and see if Ozzie Guillen is available
Outside GM a must. Valentine would lovethis job – he would have mad power and celebrity status
Towers + Mazilli
Billy Beane is as overrated as 5 tool player, oh wait…
The Mets don’t need Towers and or Valentine. What the Mets need is fresh blood and patience front that fresh blood GM.
It was actually in sarcasm. Buen trabajo en recogerlo.
Clearly the reply button fails.