According to Ken Rosenthal, at FOXSports.com, citing ‘major league sources,’ Mets GM Omar Minaya recently requested a contract extension, but his request was declined by the team.
…as it should be…look, i know people seem to feel i support everything omar does, which is not accurate…i am simply optimistic, 
and, by nature, i search for the silver lining and always look at the big picture…that’s who i am…so, if omar makes a move, i tend to bring those qualities to my criticism, which is mild-mannered at best…that being said, omar is entering the fourth season of his five-year deal, during which his team made the playoffs once, while squandering a seven-game lead last season…so, the clock is certainly ticking on both minaya and Willie Randolph, as it should be…
In the Daily News, Adam Rubin breaks down Minaya’s track record since joining the Mets roughly three years ago, during which, though he signed Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran, and traded for John Maine, Duaner Sanchez and Oliver Perez, he also sent away Heath Bell, Mike Cameron and Brian Bannister with very little to show for it.
…by the way, while the Mets media department is already in Nashville, minaya will arrive to the Winter Meetings with his staff later this morning…
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I don’t see any harm in holding that carrot out there for Omar to have a big winter and see the team make the playoffs (at least) before talking contract extensions.
Let’s be real for a second: there are not many go getter GMs like Omar. I like having him out there working it for us, but it’s more than activity that makes a winning team and he needs to prove that he can make the right moves, not just moves.
good move. this winter will define him. since losing arod, he better sign miggy and bedard…..and throw in dtrain for good measure
Yeah not one thing on that list is going to happen.. but thanks for playing
haha, cabrera aint happening unless the report of what they turned down is completely false. bedard is possible and IMO the only guy we have a legit shot at. santana and haren forget it both will be in the AL east next year.
i truly think you are the most uninformed person on this blog
The harm is that he looks at 2008 or bust as his only chance, and efectively dooms the mets to likely mediocrity (or a much higher probobility of it) in future years, stocking up on old guys while trying for the brass ring this year.\
What is his incentive to try and build a balanced team (win if possible this year, but also build for the future) if he isn’t going to be part of it?
Either extend him, and tell him to continue to build a perpetual contender, or can him and put someone new in place.
I disagree. My answer to you would be that this team is already good enough to be very competitive. Omar needs to put the finishing touches on this baby and get it back into the playoffs at a minimum. I don’t see him mortgaging the future to win now because we all know that the chips that he is looking to trade for a front line starter are chips worth parting with for a front line starter.
Charlie-I half agree with you…after “The Collapse”, people seem to think that the Mets need wholeslae changes…It’s not like we collapsed from 4th place to 5th place…Over the last two seasons, the Mets spent like 10 days out of first place…Its a good team. They can go to war with small tweaks to this squad, and be fine, and a threat…I doubt it’ll be like ‘06 where we steamroll, but thats besides the point.
On the otherhand, by not assuring Omar a job in the future, he may feel the pressure to make a so-called big move, by mortgaging the future…Right now, he is not forcing it, because teams are asking for huge packages, but with enough pressure, he could very well fold and overpay in terms of young talent.
I absolutely feel that stickguy is right on with his concern.
I’m not sure I’d extend Omar, but the risk is that he overreaches for the near term.
and how does he do that?
I was on a conference call, so I couldn’t respond fully. I see your point and I agree that it’s a risk. But, I feel that it’s a risk worth taking simply because if you look at what we have on the farm (Pelfrey, Humber, Gomez, FMart, etc), it’s just the type of group of prospects needed to land a Bedard or Haren. Now, if you trades the farm for Blanton, then I’d have to say you are right. But, the aim to to keep his job, which is his for anothing two years, so any trade for the short-term only will be both obvious and impact the 2009 season negatively, which is his walk year.
Also, the Wilpons have to approve any deal. It’s equally on them to manage Omar’s aggressiveness for the health of the team long-term.
But, let me reiterate. I agree with what you’re saying, but I don’t see it as a big a risk as you.
I was on a conference call
What’s more important, work or Mets chatter?! Get your priorities straight, Charlie.
Since the end of the 2006 season most of Omar’s moves have been highly questionable, though I think the Milledge/Schneider trade can eventually work out. I’ve been disappointed in Omar, and am glad to see the owners are not blind either.
However, why did someone have to leak this information on the eve of the winter meetings? If anything, this news which underscores Omar’s tenuous position will weaken his bargaining position with other teams. It certainly can’t help. I wonder who leaked it out.
Great question VCarver. Great question.
Excellent point, gentlemen…very, very poor timing.
you’re right. Someone’s being very sneaky.
Good. Let him earn it.
He should live/die with Willie.
i agree no extension. but i also fear he will bet the farm, literally. i mean look at the absurd trade of milledge. frankly, this team isn’t making the playoffs and i look forward to omar and willie both getting canned. i’d much rather see manny acta managing here.
Bizarre time to ask for an extension. Bizarre.
Screw Omar. I’ve had it with this fraud.
This team will not finish 1st in the NL East as presently constructed. The pitching is average overall and the offense is average. Omar needs at least one top starter,an innings eater,and another big bat. Some of you will think i’m crazy but you will see come September 08′.
i agree, and i think the innings eater can be signed, but only 1 of those two other needs can be had this offseason through trade. which is why i think since we are kind of on the outside looking in with santana and haren. we should try to get a big bat like cabrera for example and then sign the big ace next offseason, bc you got to figure someones going to want to test the waters and if the yanks or sox lock down santana theyll be out of the mix making it easier to sign someone. that would give us the true WS contender to go out there and win a title the first year of citifield.
Yeah true, we need to sign Texeira next year.
The Cameron trade landed us Nady, which, in turn, got us Perez. So there was value in the deal. I still am not an Omar fan, though.
Heh. I should have read this post before making mine, below.
if people were honest, the would come to realize the 2006 was something of a mirage. the division was awful. the mets got hot at the right time and got some clutch performances. but when push comes to shove they couldn’t beat an inferior team in the cardinals–and i don’t care if they won the world series. the cardinals were a bad team that got hot, lucky etc.
2006 lulled mets management into thinking it had a good team–they always get lulled by these one year abberations. and now we have the disaster that’s shaping up for 2008
This is highly suspicious. How can you ask for a job extension on the eve of one of your most important days? This doesn’t sit well with me. It seems that now Omar has been declined, he knows in order to stay he has to win now. Say good bye to FMart, Guerra, Gomez and any other prospect for an over the hill player with little upside.
And let me get this straight…..He was late to the winter meetings because he was asking for a contract extension? Tip for OMar….Ask for an extension after you win the world series!
To be fair, it doesn’t say that he asked for the extension in the last few days. It just said “recently” which might have been 2 weeks ago for all we know. And it doesn’t say he was late to the winter meetings because he was asking for an extension.
omar has some nerve
Someone help me out here but i cant understand why Pelfrey/Humber,Gomez and another lesser prospect doesnt get Santana over Hughes,Melky(4th outfielder)Cabrera and a lesser prospect???
Hughes has been successful at the major league level. He was pitching a no hitter when he hurt his hammy. He then hurt his ankle. Minny scouts (who have been extraordinarily successful) think that a healthy Hughes is a significant prospect that they can immediately plug into the rotation. None of the Mets’ pitching prospects are – right now – of this calibre. The rest of the trade is far less significant – ie, the difference b/w Gomez and Cabrera.
In no way should Omar be extended right now. For all of the hoopla about the Mets being contenders all of last year, keep in mind that they were 35-19 on June 2, and 53-55 the rest of the way.
This team, as currently constructed, is a 3rd place team. Starting pitching is decent, but that’s only if you can count on Pedro to be healthy the entire year, and that you get something out of Pelfrey and/or Humber. The offense is nothing special. They will struggle against LH pitching, and if Alou is out for an extendded period, they will struggle to stay above .500.
Think about it, every starter has question marks. Pedro and his health, Perez and his consistency, Maine being able to put a full season together, el Duque staying healthy, and Pelfrey and Humber developing into major league pitchers.
Omar has a lot to answer for. He made the team significantly better in 2006 than it was in 2005, but it is now far worse.
i dont want to beat a dead horse here but if Omar didnt leave Jesus Flores unprotected in the rule5 draft a year or 2 ago, we wouldve had a pretty good catcher (21 years old) without trading Milledge. Just another bad Omar decision.
I think ultimately I would need to know who was kept/placed on the roster instead of Flores before deciding that not protecting him was a bad decision. If it was someone like Julio Franco then…pretty, pretty bad.
Julio Franco was protected. Flores was not. A very questionable move by Omar.
Check out the Observer on this trade:
http://www.observer.com/2007/mets-get-bad-deal-milledge
It contained this observation:
As a bonus, the Mets now have three catchers on the roster, and will almost certainly have to release Johnny Estrada, who offered a switch-hitting option to pair with Castro without a commitment beyond 2008. When asked by MLB.com’s Marty Noble why any team would trade the Mets anything for Estrada, now that it was clear they had no place to put him on the roster, Minaya replied, “I don’t know how to answer that question.”
Good. He should be denied after the brutal job he’s done the past 12-18 months. Only smart thing the Wilpons have done since they’ve owned the team.
Yes I cannot believe Minaya has not taken more heat for Flores- that in itself was a firable offense in itself (like so many of his other moves). What’s even more surprising is that Flores is Lat*n, so you’d think Minaya would obviously have protected him. I mean I could understand if he was white.
The word “Lat*n” will automatically delete your post? That is bush league…you should be embarrassed Matt. Shame on you.
I think Omar is vastly overrated but he traded Cameron for Nady who he then converted into Oliver Perez. I thought he traded Cameron too soon and could have gotten more but you cant argue with the end result: Oliver Perez.
Aside from major league success, Omar should also be evaluated on the organization’s overall level of talent. And this assessment cant be made til he’s long gone (Eg, Tony Pena’s kid is still a teenager). But the fact that the Mets are not seen as players for any of the available pitching talent does not speak well of the team’s farm system or its coaching. IMO.
Ya gotta luv the modern day GM !, Just like the ballplayers,
Always lookin’ for an extra pat-on-the-back OR paycheck for
doing what they’re already paid for.
Omar has shown to be a run-of-the-mill GM with the exception
of spending Freddy Skillsets bucks.
But as usual with this guy, ya gotta luv it.
Only a matter of time before he brings in Colon and/or Livan
for 3+ yrs @ 30+ mil. thus completing the fine job in building
Los Mets and providing addl retirement packages for washed-
up and/or always hurt ballplayers f/ lat*n-amer*ca.
Deny, deny, deny! No way omar deserves an extension at this time. Besides his poor moves letting go of young pitchers last year – Bannister, Bell, Lindstrom etc…and getting nothing in return, he needs to be held accountable for the poor prospects and the lack of near major league ready talent throughout the organization. His whole strategy over the last few years has been poor in stocking the minors with talented position players and way too little pitching. Pelfrey and Humber are not highly regarded prospects and last year when we needed a spot starter we had all kinds of garbage like Brian Lawrence, Vargas etc…who absolutely sucked….Omar must win or else! Same thing with willie…Hopefully the Wilpon’s have come to their senses…….
Rather disgusting that Omar won’t get an extension, after bringing in the players that have made this team relevant instead of bottom dwellers. He brings us all-stars like Alou, Beltran, Pedro, Wagner as well has bringing in pleasant contributors like Chavez, Feliciano, and Sanchez. Notably, received a #2 starter in Oliver Perez, who is young and makes little money, for absolutely nothing.
Then Willie Randolph blows the biggest lead in the divisional races, chokes, and shows repeatedly he does not know how to manage the game of baseball. In turn, he is rewarded with another year to make things work.
Despicable.
Minaya stinks, the sooner he gets canned the better. Maybe Wilpon can get Gillick after he leaves the Phillies.
And Omar can take Willie with him. Dont let the door hit the both of you on the way out.
As I’ve written many times now, Omar started out great and the last 15 or 16 months, has been awful. He can always have the balls to ask, but he got turned down, as he should be – thank goodness. The Mets are a mess right now thanks largely to him, but they are in way better shape than we he came aboard, so he gets credit for that, too. I didn’t read the article yet, but in this post it states that Cameron went away with little to show for it, which is factually incorrect. Cameron brought us half a season of Xavier Nady and then Oliver Perez, who we might be relying on to carry us along with Maine and possibly Pedro this season.
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