Mets Finally Dismiss Manager and GM After Season of Woe

The New York Mets finally have made it official. Manager Jerry Manuel was dismissed and General Manager Omar Minaya has been reassigned within the organization.

Apparently the Mets didn't feel that several sub-par seasons and questionable personnel choices were sufficient to give Minaya the boot.

Manuel got a well-deserved firing, but it came several months too late.

Minaya should have fired Manuel a week into the season when Manuel admitted that the Mets were unprepared to play the Washington Nationals and a former Met pitcher Livan Hernandez.

There was absolutely no excuse for being unprepared to play a week into the season. Minaya should take the blame for not firing Manuel, just as surely as he should be blamed for the string of personnel decisions that will continue to haunt the team for some time to come.

That includes a decision to give Johan Santana an extended contract. Santana has yet to play a complete season with the Mets - each of the past three years has ended with Santana on the disabled list for a long stretch of time.

Carlos Beltran is a shell of his former self and it is unlikely that he will ever regain his former glory in center field.


Jason Bay was a disaster, and it suggests that the Red Sox knew more than the Mets when it came to signing him.

The pitching staff has been a mess, but there are a few glimmers of hope. RA Dickey was a positive this year, but he's 35 years old and the chances that he can repeat his 2010 success is limited at best. John Maine and Ollie Perez were a mess.

Then, there was the implosion and criminal charges surrounding closer Francisco Rodriguez
.

About the only positive decision that can be attributed to Minaya was to give Jose Reyes a shorter contract than David Wright. Reyes has also been plagued by injuries and doesn't seem to show much in the way of maturity. There may be a few bright spots in the future for the likes of Ike Davis and Angel Pagan and the resurgence of David Wright who came off a bad year to post good numbers, but the pitching staff is abysmal.

The new managerial staff will have to cope with the mess left behind. Good luck to who ever it may be.

They're going to need it.