Manuel Motivated – Minaya Next?
So far, the Mets are making good on their promise to overhaul the entire organization, from top to bottom.
It is no coincidence that a number of former managers — such as Bob Melvin and Eric Wedge — were considered for Jerry Manuel’s coaching staff, nor that at least two possible replacements for Manuel (Wally Backman, Terry Collins) have been hired for ancillary positions in the organization.
Such moves and considerations make it crystal clear that Manuel is on the hot seat, and will be under a magnifying glass from the beginning of spring training. Some might call it “motivation”.
But Manuel is not the only one on the hot seat — his boss Omar Minaya may be similarly “motivated”.
Not long after they were relieved of their duties, we speculated here that either Kevin Towers or J.P. Ricciardi could draw interest from the Mets. Several other pundits had the same thought — and Omar Minaya supposedly reached out to him — and now it’s been reported that Towers will be meeting with the Mets (among others) during the winter meetings. Though, Towers admits he’s more inclined to join a winning organization and/or an American League club. Since the Mets meet neither of those descriptors, perhaps Towers won’t be working in Flushing anytime soon.
But still, if the Mets are holding court with Towers, they must be interested in “upgrading” their front office. Towers may be one of several former GMs they speak to this winter — assuming they are looking to “motivate” Omar Minaya in the same way they appear to be “motivating” Jerry Manuel.
Of course, that’s assuming Minaya really IS the Mets’ GM.
About the Author
Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers.
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