Should Minaya Be Fired? A Look at His Track Record

(Photo by Doug Benc/Getty Images)

"Ownership is not happy with the direction of the team,'' chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said before the game against Colorado.

That kind of statement from the team owner would have most GMs in baseball polishing their resume and deleting the porn off their office computer.  But Mets GM Omar Minaya may have more job security than most GMs in his spot, considering he hasn't even begun a three-year contract extension he signed last winter.

The New York media is calling for Minaya's head as the team is in the midst of a disappointing season and after Minaya botched his second firing in as many years (remember the late night Willie Randolph debacle?).

But should Minaya be fired?  Or should he just focus on his job running the team and leave the press conferences to PR man Jay Horowitz? 

I looked at Omar's run since joining the Mets as GM on September 30, 2004.  I graded each move as a win, a loss, or even.  Here are the results:

1.)  Deal RP Mike Stantan to the Yankees for RP Felix Heredia.  Stanton was horrible, Heredia got hurt.  Result:  Even

2.)  Signed free agent SP Pedro Martinez.  The Mets overpaid, and Pedro broke down after only one good year for the Mets.  Result:  Loss

3.)  Signed free agent OF Carlos Beltran.  Beltran is one of the most complete players in the game.  Well worth $18 million a year.  Result:  Win

4.)  Omar's first draft for the Mets was big win, despite not having a second or third round pick.  He chose SP Mike Pelfrey in the first round, then snagged SP Jon Niese in the seventh round, and RP Bobby Parnell in ninth round.  He also stole catching prospect Josh Thole in the 13th round.  Result:  Big Win

5.)  Traded OF Mike Cameron to the Padres for OF Xavier Nady.  Cameron wasn't happy having to play RF in New York, and the Mets got younger.  Result:  Win

6.)  Traded 1B Mike Jacobs and minor league SP Yusmerio Petit to Florida for Carlos Delgado.  Result:  A Big Win - Jacobs is a borderline major leaguer, and Petit won one game for Florida. 

7.)  Signed free agent RP Billy Wagner.  This one could go either way, but signing a 34- year-old pitcher to a four-year deal just isn't smart, and Wagner did what you would expect - he got hurt halfway through the deal.  The $10 million the Mets have wasted on Wagner this season could have been well used.  Result:  Loss

8.)  Traded SP Gaby Hernandez to Florida for C Paul LoDuca.  LoDuca did a good job for the Mets, and Hernandez has yet to smell the big leagues.  Result:  Win

9.)  Signed 1B Julio Franco to a two-year deal.  What a surprise - signing a 47-year-old player to a multi-year deal didn't work out.  Result - Loss

10.)  Signed free agents Chad Bradford and Endy Chavez.  These signings really had a lot to do with the Mets making the playoffs in '06.  Bradford was amazing in the pen down the stretch in '06, and Chavez seemed to always be in the middle of late inning heroics off the bench.  The Catch.  That's all I have to say.  Result - Win

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