Manny Ramirez

METS: The Mets big picture – the Omar & Jerry Relationship

David Lennon of Newsday links the SI preview of the Mets and has some frank words for the tenure of Omar Minaya. Its fair to believe that unless the Mets win a World Series during Minaya’s tenure, the Willie Randolph years will be a topic for discussion. Says Lennon:

But who blew it last season? Willie Randolph’s slow start? Omar Minaya’s reluctance to trade for Manny Ramirez at the deadline? Or a complete breakdown of the bullpen after Billy Wagner’s season-ending surgery?

If you believe this year’s team is a bona fide World Series contender, as many do, that essentially gives Minaya a pass. It’s the GM, with the backing of the ownership’s checkbook, that assembled this club over the winter. Tim Redding already is looking like a mistake at $2.25 million, but the bullpen apparently has been fixed, and that clearly was the Mets’ fatal flaw last season.

Jerry Manuel, signed to a two-year contract, is really the one who will be feeling the heat if the Mets get off to the same start as last season. I’m not saying that’s going to happen, but that deal doesn’t buy Manuel a lot of job security. With the expectations placed on this club, starting with this week’s SI cover, Manuel has never faced this type of pressure in the manager’s seat. Not in New York.

I believe Manuel is up to the task, but it’s just something to think about.

I have to agree with much of what Lennon says, and I fault Omar Minaya much more that I do Randolph for the failure during the manager’s tenure. The Tim Redding signing was curious to begin with as their were already pitchers on the 40 man roster who would have been able to fill Reddings role. Say Brian Stokes. But the signing itself was understandable as the Mets generally faltered when their fifth starter took the mound.

But it brings into question Minaya’s judgement on major league talent. Redding is now injured and will likley not provide support to the staff for some time. His acquisitions of the last few years – Brian Schneider, Ryan Church, Luis Castillo are not stars nor have they been particularly productive. Nevermind the disasterous signings of some aging latin stars which caused him some uncomfortable personal scrutiny.

But he’s been pretty good at the draft – Bobby Parnell, Mike Pelfrey, Daniel Murphy, Jon Niese and the promising Josh Thole are his. Players used to acquire current players Johan Santana and JJ Putz like Joe Smith and Kevin Mulvey were also drafted by the Minaya regime. The Mets current imvestment in its academies in the Caribbean also are proving fruitful.

It was Minaya’s hands-on approach and faith in his interpersonal skill which undermined Randolph’s credibilty with his players. The strange role that Tony Bernazard played behind the scenes with latin players was certainly unproductive and helped cause tension in the clubhouse.

Hopefully Jerry Manuel’s personality will command the respect that Randolph had bled away over the seasons. In the beginning, Minaya’s interpersonal skills had been seen by most observers – including this one – as a positive. He became the face of the franchise, but overreached into the psyche of individual players. More than anything else, Minaya and Bernazard’s meddling served to fuel the collapse of 2007 and the malaise at the beginning of last season.

Jerry Manuel halted the slide and began to install a swagger that the 2006 team had. This is Manuel’s team and not Minaya-Bernazrd’s. And it is a very good thing.

Today’s replay in the clubhouse of the seventh game in 2006 against the Cardinals was a bitter pill, but a good one to swallow again. It hardens and creates resolve of purpose.

Aside from Tim Redding, Minaya did a good job in the off season. If the new back end of the bullpen reminds of the 1990 Red’s Nasty Boys the Mets can win this thing. He added considerable major league depth and helped ready some young everyday talent in Murphy and Nick Evans. The Mets need their starters to stay healthy and one to emerge as a clear number two. These are not hard things in a grand picture. But Minaya-Bernazard will have to let it be Jerry Manuel’s clubhouse.