Welcome Back Omar
By lefty
All season long, Mets owner Fred Wilpon has insisted that Jim Duquette has enjoyed autonomy in making all decisions regarding baseball. Well, today, in hiring Omar Minaya as the new Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations, those new duties will, on paper anyway, reside with Minaya. Duquette has agreed to step down to the position of Senior Vice President of baseball operations and answer directly to Minaya. Speaking as a Met fan, I hope this is the case.
Duquette worked as an assistant under Minaya when Steve Phillips was the Mets GM, so the men already have a working relationship. The fact that Duquette didn�t leave with this announcement says good things about their relationship. Unlike the Yankees, where Supreme Commander General George Steinbrenner makes all the final decisions, the Mets have been criticized for using a committee to make their decisions. Some have argued, and I�m one, that Wilpon's son, Jeff, who is the Mets' Chief Operating Officer, has way too much say over baseball decisions.
Minaya was offered the same job last year but turned it down because he would have had to share authority with Duquette. Lets hope he doesn�t now have to share baseball decisions with the Wilpons.
New York Daily News
New York Post
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