Report: Mets to give GM Minaya four-year extension
Sports Network | September 23, 2008
New York, NY (Sports Network) - New York Mets general manager Omar Minaya will reportedly receive a four-year extension, but the team will wait until after the season to make the announcement.
According to Newsday, team ownership has been "extremely pleased" with the direction of the team under Minaya. The extension will lock him up through 2013, as he originally signed a five-year contract that runs through 2009.
Since taking over the Mets in 2005, Minaya has taken the team to the National League Championship Series in 2006 and signed some marquee free agents, including Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran. He has also added current Mets players Billy Wagner, Carlos Delgado and Endy Chavez during his tenure.
Despite going to the NLCS in 2006, the team collapsed at the end of 2007, blowing a seven-game advantage in its last 17 games. In the following offseason, Minaya worked a trade with the Twins for two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana.
The 2008 season has not come without controversy, however, as Minaya made the decision to fire manager Willie Randolph, as the team was mired in third place despite the second-highest payroll in baseball. The team promptly went on a surge under interim manager Jerry Manuel and currently sits in second place in the NL East and first in the NL wild card standings.
Before coming to the Mets, the 49-year-old was the general manager for the former Montreal Expos from 2002-2004. Despite being owned by the other 29 major league baseball teams and having a limited payroll, Minaya was able to lead the team to two 83-79 records before the team moved to Washington.
After his playing career ended, Minaya served as a scout for the Texas Rangers from 1985 until the mid-1990s, when he joined the Mets' staff. He worked himself all the way up to assistant general manager behind Steve Phillips before leaving in 2002 to take the GM job with Montreal.
