Mets Hire Krivsky

In an under-the-radar move, the Mets have added Wayne Krivsky to the organization as a “Major League Scout”. Presumably, that means he will be scouting the players on other teams. A great addition to the Mets, as Krivsky is highly regarded throughout baseball as an astute talent evaluator.

But don’t be fooled … and Tony Bernazard, you better watch your back.

Krivsky was unceremoniously — and perhaps too hastily — relieved of his GM duties by the Reds earlier this season. He had been hired in February 2006, and did a credible job of completely overhauling the Cincinnati roster. His worst deal was also the most glaring — a deadline deal with the Nationals that sent two lineup starters (Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez) in exchange for sore-armed Gary Majewski and enigma Bill Bray. In his defense, Krivsky was not aware of the seriousness of Majewski’s shoulder issue, and in fact the Reds began a lawsuit against the Nats over the deal.

Looking beyond that bad deal, Krivsky made some very good, creative moves during his helm. He acquired Bronson Arroyo for Wily Mo Pena, picked up Brandon Phillips for a bag of balls, picked up closer Eddie Guardado in return for a nondescript minor leaguer, stole Jeff Keppinger for a non-prospect, gave up nothing other than cash for Josh Hamilton in a slick Rule 5 Draft deal, then turned Hamilton over a year later for Edinson Volquez in what is being celebrated as the trade of the winter.

Before taking the Reds GM job, Krivsky spent a long career in scouting, player development, and as an assistant GM — a career which began in 1977. He played a key role as Terry Ryan’s right-hand man with the Twins, and I think we can all agree that Minnesota has had a pretty damn good system going for the past 25 years. Oh, and he was always at the table when it came to labor relations, contract negotiations, and arbitration hearings. His full bio can be found here.

So, while Krivsky might be scouting for the Mets right now, part of his hiring likely was with the idea that he’d eventually move to the front office — likely as Omar Minaya’s “special assistant”.

Who knows, maybe the Mets are preparing for the exit of Tony Bernazard, who is rumored to be a candidate for the Seattle Mariners’ GM job (insiders say there are more than a few people in the Mets’ organization “rooting” for him to get that position). Or, dare I say, maybe Omar himself needs to be looking over his shoulder.

Whatever the case, Krivsky brings exactly the type of professionalism, experience, and skillset the Mets need right now.