Minaya Needs to Learn the Manager in GM
By Mike Silva ~ March 10th, 2010. Filed under: Mike Silva, New York Mets.
At this point it doesn’t matter what exactly was said by Jose Reyes, it appears he has an elevated thyroid level and the good news is it doesn’t seem serious. The bad news is the Mets suffered another embarrassing he said/he said with the media when it comes to medical information.
I have never questioned Omar Minaya’s baseball knowledge, but I have questioned his ability to run an organization. Just because you do know baseball doesn’t mean you are fit to be an executive. As Tim Marchman said in his SI column ranking baseball GM’s “a great deal of a general manager’s job is, well, managing, Minaya has to take a lot of the blame for that.”
Some may blame Reyes, who was probably well intentioned with his ESPN Deportes interview. The last thing the kid needs is more questions about his ability to get back on the field. Remember, this is the same guy that some in the organization said didn’t want to get back on the field last year. I am sure he remembers some of that. The organization should have a process in not only dealing with medical issues, but communicating it to the media. That includes asking players to not comment on it until everyone is on the same page. I doubt Reyes is guilty of breaking a chain of command that we all know doesn’t exist.
Omar Minaya needs to start to realize he is the General Manager of a baseball team. That includes more than just making deals and baseball. It includes the business and politics of running an organization. Perhaps the team doesn’t allow him the right environment to succeed in those areas, but the fact remains it’s his responsibility to find a way to make it work.
Until he realizes what “managing an organization” is all about I am afraid we will have more miscommunication between ownership, player and media. Ultimately I believe it will be Minaya’s undoing as a general manager in New York.
