Manuel Will Not Return To Mets, Minaya Will Not Be GM

According to reports, manager Jerry Manuel and GM Omar Minaya will not be returning to those roles next season. Jon Heyman of SI.com released the news.

This should not be to the surprise of anyone around baseball as the two men have been under fire last past two seasons. With yesterday’s loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, the Mets are assured a second straight losing season.

An official announcement by the Mets is expected to come before the Major League Baseball playoffs begin on Wednesday. The 2010 regular season ends Sunday.

The organization holds an option on Manuel’s contract and will not be picked up.

Minaya appears to have options. While he will not return as General Manager, Minaya is expected to be given an opportunity to take on a different role within the organization. Would anyone be surprised if that roles is something like Latin American Scout, or a general Scout?

Scouting has always been one of Minaya’s strengths.

Expect the team to take their time finding replacements for both the GM and Manager positions. The organization will look to make a splash and higher big names, in the hopes of helping ticket sales.

The Mets are expected to go outside the organization to fill the GM position. Names like Josh Byrnes, Sandy Alderson, and Rick Hahn have been mentioned as potential targets. All three are currently in GM roles for other team.

The new GM will likely have a big say in the hiring of a new manager, so it will take time before the Mets get to that point. Single-A manager, Wally Backman has been mentioned a lot as a potential candidate. Bobby Valentine and Joe Torre have also been rumored.

Which of those names would make Mets fans happy? Would any of them get the fan base excited for 2011?

The fans and media will follow the search closely. It’s up to Mets ownership to show they are committed to fielding a championship caliber team, starting with the front office and managerial roles.