The 64-year-old Minaya served as the general manager in Montreal from 2002-04 before being hired by the Mets (where he’d previously worked as an assistant GM) as the general manager in Queens. He held that role from 2005-10 before being replaced by Sandy Alderson. Minaya would go on to spend five years as the vice president of baseball operations with the Padres, where he was also part of an interim GM committee in 2014 when the Padres dismissed Josh Byrnes midseason and waited until after the year to tab current president of baseball ops A.J. Preller as his replacement. Minaya served as the Padres’ point person for trade-related matters in the summer of 2014.

Minaya has spent nearly 40 years in baseball operations, holding various scouting and executive roles with the Rangers, Mets, Expos, Padres and in the league’s central office. The YES Network’s Jack Curry, who first reported that the Yankees were set to announce the hiring of Minaya, tweets that the addition of veteran execs like Minaya and Sabean is part of an effort by the Yankees to create more of a balance between traditional scouting wisdom and more modern, data-driven approaches to player evaluation.

“Omar is a highly respected figure across our sport who will help shape our future initiatives in the amateur space,” commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement within today’s press release. “We are pleased that he will provide his scouting expertise and experience as a senior executive with multiple MLB Clubs. We welcome Omar and look forward to his contributions.”

Minaya, 63, broke into baseball operations as a scout with the Rangers in the mid-1980s. Most notably, he served as GM in Montreal from 2002-04 before rejoining the Mets (where he’d been an assistant GM) as their general manager from 2004-10. From there, he’d go on to work as a senior vice president of baseball operations with the Padres and eventually as a senior advisor to MLBPA executive director Tony Clark. Most recently, Minaya has again been working with the Mets — first as a special assistant to Sandy Alderson and then in an ambassadorship role.

“For four decades, scouting has been a true passion of mine,” Minaya said in a statement of his own. “It is an honor for me to assist Major League Baseball to ensure the scouting industry remains the lifeblood of this game. As baseball evolves, scouting has changed, and I’m excited to be part of how the industry moves forward in scouting players.”

• The Nationals responded today with a statement to recent cuts made by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. The Nats’ years-long headache over MASN – the local sports network co-owned by the Nationals and Orioles, but controlled by the Orioles – took another turn this week as on-air personalities Dan Kolko, Bo Porter, and Alex Chappell were let go without prior notice being given to the Nats, per Ben Strauss and Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. In the Nationals’ statement, provided by the Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli (via Twitter), they wrote, “…To say that we are incredibly disappointed and upset by MASN’s decisions would be a gross understatement. To be clear – these decisions were made by MASN and against our wishes…” Porter, of course, was a coach with the Nationals from 2011 to 2012 and later managed the Astros for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He has teamed with Kolko on pre- and postgame shows since 2019, during which time Chappell has served as a dugout reporter.
• Omar Minaya will accept an ambassadorship with the Mets to be a public presence for the organization, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). Minaya’s relationship with the Mets dates back to childhood, but his professional career began drawing notice during his time as an assistant general manager from 1998 to 2001. He became the Mets’ general manager from 2004 until 2010, when he was succeeded by Sandy Alderson. After four years with the Padres and some time working for the MLBPA, Minaya returned to serve as one of Alderson’s lieutenants in 2017. He stayed on with the team through the Brodie Van Wagenen era, but he was let go as part of the housecleaning under the new ownership of Steve Cohen. Minaya now returns for his fourth stint with the team. It does not sound as if Minaya will have any impact on baseball operations.

New owner Steve Cohen had already confirmed he’d bring in Sandy Alderson to lead baseball and business operations once his purchase of the franchise became official. That made it seem likely Van Wagenen, the outgoing Wilpon family’s choice to lead baseball operations, might find himself on the outs. His departure mere hours after Cohen officially assumed control of the organization isn’t a huge surprise.

Nevertheless, it comes as quite the shock that four other high-ranking Mets’ officials will follow him out the door immediately. It’s not uncommon for incoming ownership groups to bring in a new baseball operations leader who gradually reshapes the composition of the front office. Wholesale changes of this magnitude at the top of a baseball operations department, though, are unheard of.

Alderson will now go to work on constructing the front office in his own vision. He’ll seemingly have full support from Cohen in hand-picking a staff. As Marc Carig of the Athletic points out (via Twitter), longtime Mets executive John Ricco survived the initial round of departures. Ricco and Alderson built a strong relationship during Alderson’s previous tenure leading the Mets’ baseball ops department, Craig notes, perhaps portending that he’ll again take on a significant role with Alderson running the show.

There’s also no indication as of now that the job of manager Luis Rojas is in any jeopardy. Rojas was a Van Wagenen hire for that position, getting the managerial chair last offseason. But the 39-year-old has been a coach in the Mets’ minor-league system for the better part of two decades, completely overlapping with Alderson’s 2010-18 stint as GM. It’s possible that past relationship gives him a better opportunity at coming back for a second year as New York’s skipper.

As for Van Wagenen, this officially brings to an end his two-year tenure atop the front office. He orchestrated the infamous Edwin Díaz and Robinson Canó trade, parting with top prospect Jarred Kelenic and acquiring a sizable portion of Canó’s rather hefty contract. To Van Wagenen’s credit, both Díaz and Canó performed at a high level this past season after disappointing in 2019. Nevertheless, that looks like an obvious miscue that might haunt the organization for a while. His acquisition of Marcus Stroman midseason in 2019 also didn’t work out the way the club hoped, although that move was always made with a 2020 playoff push in mind. No one could’ve foreseen last summer that the 2020 season would play out the way it did.

To his credit, Van Wagenen did buy low on an everyday-caliber player when he acquired J.D. Davis from the Astros in 2018. His signing of Wilson Ramos to a two-year free agent contract also had its high points, particularly in 2019. The greatest feather in his cap, though, is probably the contract extension the Mets brokered with Jacob deGrom in May 2019, keeping arguably the best pitcher in the sport in Queens for the long-term.

A two-year span is quite a short amount of time to judge any executive’s body of work, and it stands to reason other clubs could have interest in Van Wagenen for some other front office position, assuming that’s what he desires. Van Wagenen made the atypical jump from Creative Artists Agency to the head of a team’s front office. He renounced all ties to his previous clients (deGrom among them) when he joined the Mets, but it’s possible he might now look to return to the other side of the negotiating table.

For the moment, all that’s known for certain is that one notable figure — former Mets GM Omar Minaya — will remain on hand to assist Van Wagenen. Andy Martino of SNY.tv recently tweeted that Minaya, who re-joined the organization last year as a special assistant to the GM, would stay on in some capacity. Minaya’s specific role and job title aren’t yet known, but Mike Puma of the New York Post tweets that he will be a “top adviser” to Van Wagenen.

Two other top baseball executives, assistant GM John Ricco and special adviser J.P. Ricciardi, are still in limbo. However, the team has advised both that “they are wanted back,” as Puma puts it. Whether they’ll choose to stay with the team, and if so in what capacity, isn’t known. Puma noted recently (on Twitter) that Ricciardi “has multiple years remaining on his contract.” Neither has spoken personally on the matter.

In his most recent report, Martino does note that, while some turnover is expected, morale within the Mets front office was good yesterday, and there may be less turnover among lower-level staffers than originally expected. In the meantime, Van Wagenen is beginning to look around the league for potential assistant GM candidates. He will also look to expand the Mets analytics department, but as of right now no personnel decisions have been made.

Adding context to the Mets’ peculiar new situation, The Athletic’s Tim Britton explores how the specific responsibilities might shake out by speaking with three NBA GMs who made a similar transition – though none is a perfect analog for Van Wagenen. Still, the Mets’ new front office picture is beginning to take shape. In his introductory press conference yesterday, Van Wagenen made it crystal clear that the Mets will be looking to “win now.”

Meanwhile, yesterday was the final day of Sandy Alderson’s contract with the Mets, as Martino observes. The veteran baseball executive had remained at least loosely involved with the organization despite stepping down from daily GM duties owing to medical needs.

Now, Alderson is moving on as the team turns the position over to Van Wagenen. Fortunately, Martino writes, Alderson has a “good” prognosis in his cancer recovery. Whether or not he has any intention of aligning with another team isn’t clear, but Alderson does “plan[s] to continue to work in baseball in some capacity,” per the report.

There have been multiple reports that owner Fred Wilpon is eyeing a more traditional general manager with scouting-based acumen (an “old school” type of executive, to use a broad description), while his son, COO Jeff Wilpon, is more focused on hiring an analytically-inclined executive that more closely aligns with recent industry trends. Per Jon Heyman of Fancred, the Mets are leaving some candidates with the sense that the new hire won’t quite enjoy a full slate of baseball ops power. As he puts it, the impression is that Omar Minaya or one of the other existing assistant GMs could retain control over player development functions. Team sources that spoke with Heyman denied that was the case, however.

As we’ve done with some recent managerial searches, we’ll track the majority of the updates in the Mets’ GM search here as they navigate the early phases of the process.

Latest Update — 10/20

• Doug Melvin and agent Brodie Van Wagenen are the favorites to land the job, per Mike Puma of the New York Post.
• Ng and Bloom are still being considered for the position, per Puma.
• Littlefield, if not already eliminated, is considered a “long shot” at this juncture.
• Close and former Mets GM Omar Minaya can’t “completely be ruled out” at this time, per Puma and Joel Sherman.

Latest Update — 10/19

• It seems that agent Casey Close is also still in the mix. Martino tweets that he, Van Wagenen, Bloom, Ng, and Melvin appear to make up the finalists.
• LaRocque is no longer under consideration, Marc Carig of The Athletic reports (Twitter link).
• Agent Brodie Van Wagenen is still in the picture after receiving an initial interview, per Carig (via Twitter). (Carig initially tweeted the opposite, but amended his report.)
• The Mets only consider Littlefield a “fringe” contender to land the position, per Mike Puma of the New York Post.
• DiComo now tweets that Watson did not receive a call for a second interview and is no longer in the running for the position.

Earlier Updates — 10/19

• The Mets have interviewed six to eight candidates and will enter the second round of interviews next week, per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo (Twitter link). Fred Wilpon will join the interview process in place of John Ricco for the second wave of sitdowns. DiComo notes that Littlefield, Bloom, LaRocque, Watson, Melvin and Ng are the six known candidates to date.
• It’s not fully clear whether all six to eight candidates who’ve interviewed are ticketed for a followup session, though. Andy Martino f SNY.tv writes that the Mets have not yet determined which of the first round interviewees will be spoken with next week. Interestingly, Puma tweets that the Mets plan to make each finalist available to the media after his or her second interview is completed, so it seems as though there’ll be some transparency in the latter stages of the process.

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The Mets would like to hire a new general manager in time for the GM meetings in November, but that’s not a necessity, per Wilpon. He also revealed that the team will consider a president/GM or executive VP/GM power structure, James Wagner of the New York Times reports. On the role Alderson’s replacement will have in building the team, Wilpon said, “They will know that their final recommendation will go through me, but it’s not something where I am in the mix of picking the players.”

• It’s possible the Mets’ coaching staff will also see changes heading into next season. First-year manager Mickey Callaway said he expects his whole staff to return in 2019 (per Healey), but he may not be even be safe. Callaway’s fate “will depend on the new GM’s thoughts,” Wagner tweets. Wilpon did praise Callaway & Co. on Sunday, saying (via Healey): “Mickey and the staff did a nice job not letting anybody quit and keeping them moving forward, which was certainly something that could have happened. We saw it with other teams in our division, where they had a great first half and fell apart.” While crediting his own team’s coaches, Wilpon jabbed at the NL East rival Phillies, who collapsed in the second half of the season.
• Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will undergo the second of two scheduled heel surgeries on Oct. 23, Tim Britton of The Athletic was among those to tweet. Cespedes expects to resume baseball activities roughly four months later, but he still won’t be able to run, Britton adds. The soon-to-be 33-year-old underwent his first heel surgery in late July, which ended his season and could keep him out for a sizable portion of 2019.
• Meanwhile, one of Cespedes’ teammates – infielder Jose Reyes – told reporters that Sunday’s game will be his last with the Mets, Wagner relays. The 35-year-old Reyes, a Met from 2003-11 and again since 2016, has managed a meager .583 OPS in 250 plate appearances this season. Reyes hasn’t decided on whether he’ll try to play again in 2019, but considering his output this year, he may not generate any interest as a free agent.

Here’s the latest on their search…

• Mike Puma of the New York Post writes that there’s a disconnect between owner Fred Wilpon and his son, COO Jeff Wilpon, as to what type of executive should be hired to lead the charge. Fred’s preference, according to Puma, would be to hire an experienced front office veteran with roots in scouting and player development, while the younger Wilpon feels the team needs a more analytically inclined mind atop its baseball ops hierarchy. Additionally, it seems that former Mets manager Terry Collins, currently a special assistant, could take on a larger role next season, though he won’t be considered for the actual GM vacancy.
• The Post’s Joel Sherman, meanwhile, wrote recently that the goal for the Mets is to have a list of 10 to 12 candidates by month’s end and to have a new GM in place by the time the annual GM Meetings begin on Nov. 4. Sherman runs through a host of potential names and references the same disconnect as Puma. Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro, former Red Sox GM Ben Cherington (a current Jays exec) and Cardinals director of player development Gary Larocque are a few of names prominently connected to the job. Sherman notes that whoever is ultimately named GM will be hired with the understanding that Minaya will maintain a fair bit of power in terms of player personnel decisions. That, along with the general dysfunction that is largely synonymous with the Wilpon name at this point, will complicate the hiring process.
• Shapiro, for what it’s worth, has downplayed reports connecting him to the Mets and expressed that he remains committed to the Blue Jays organization. SNY’s Andy Martino, though, wrote this morning that in spite of Shapiro’s comments, “people around the team continue to point to” Shapiro as a potential candidate. It’s worth noting that Sherman’s column makes mention of tension between Shapiro and Jays ownership at Rogers Communications, though he’d also be an expensive hire for the Mets. Martino, too, lists Cherington as a name to watch, and he also adds current Orioles GM Dan Duquette to the pile. Duquette, notably, is in the final season of his contract in Baltimore, and there’s been previous speculation as to whether he’ll remain with the club.
• Royals assistant GM Scott Sharp has also had his name come up in numerous reports over the past week (Twitter link via ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick). He’s been with the Royals for more than a decade and has some background in scouting, analytics and business, which could make him somewhat of a compromise between the Wilpons’ disparate preferences, though certainly other candidates would be able to bring a similar combination to the table for the Mets as well.

• Yankees outfielder Clint Frazier likely won’t be able to return this season after suffering a setback in his efforts to return from a concussion, manager Aaron Boone told reporters including Marc Carig of The Athletic (Twitter link). The timing is poor for Frazier, who turns 24 today. With Aaron Judge still working his way back to health, this might have been a prime chance for Frazier to receive an extended opportunity. He has only appeared in 15 MLB games this year but seems in line for more after producing an excellent .311/.389/.574 slash with ten home runs in his 216 plate appearances at Triple-A.
• Red Sox prospect Trey Ball is moving from the mound to the batter’s box, as Greg Levinsky of the Boston Globe notes on Twitter. The Globe’s Alex Speier recently examined the subject, explaining that the 2013 first-rounder was seen as a two-way prospect as a high-school outfielder. With his pitching career fizzling out — he has struggled in consecutive Double-A seasons, despite repeating the level and converting to a relief role — the 24-year-old Ball will now take a second shot at carving out a MLB career.
• As we touched upon earlier tonight, the Martin Prado contract has been an exceedingly poor investment for the Marlins. That’s due mostly to the veteran’s injury and performance struggles, though the contract has also simply failed to line up with the team’s competitive timeline. Of course, that’s due in large part to the stunning death of former star pitcher Jose Fernandez, which occurred not long before the Prado deal was announced and drastically changed the organization’s outlook. Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald tweets, in fact, that the club considered halting negotiations with Prado, which had advanced to the point that terms were “in place” (but the contract un-signed) when Fernandez suddenly and tragically passed away. Instead, writes Spencer, the Marlins decided to go through with the deal that they had negotiated.

More from Olney as the deadline draws closer:

• With deGrom and Syndergaard unlikely to go anywhere, Blue Jays left-hander J.A. Happ may end up as the best starter moved this month, Olney observes. The Jays have attached “a high asking price” to Happ, Olney writes, which isn’t surprising given his strong track record – including a 3.62 ERA and a career-high 9.84 K/9 in 97 innings this year. Meanwhile, Toronto’s discussing fellow starter Marco Estrada with other teams, Olney reports. Estrada, like Happ, is set to hit free agency at year’s end. MLBTR’s Jeff Todd and Steve Adams examined his trade value earlier this week.
• The Indians hope to acquire at least one quality reliever who’s under control past this season, per Olney. Although Cleveland’s a shoo-in to win the AL Central, the team’s bullpen has been a disaster, as its relievers rank 28th in both ERA and fWAR. Further, the Indians could lose their top two relievers, Cody Allen and Andrew Miller, to free agency after the season, so adding someone who’s signed beyond this year would help cover for their departures.
• The Red Sox and Braves are among other contenders that could be in the market for bullpen help, according to Olney. In Boston’s case, Olney notes that it may take on a high-priced reliever from another team in a salary dump, thanks to its thin farm system. The Braves, meanwhile, don’t have the spending ability of clubs like the Red Sox and division-rival Phillies, but they are set to act as buyers as they seek their first playoff berth since 2013. Philadelphia, which hasn’t clinched a playoff berth since 2011, will also buy, Olney relays. Entering Sunday, the Braves (47-34) lead the Phillies (44-37) by three games for the NL East lead, but the latter is in possession of a wild-card spot at the moment.

The Post’s Mike Puma tweets that in the interim, there’s an expectation that Ricco will serve as the de facto point man, with Minaya and Ricciardi serving as experienced advisers and sounding boards. It’s been reported on multiple occasions in the past that the organization views Ricco as something of an heir apparent to Alderson anyhow, and the coming months could serve as an audition of sorts for the longtime AGM.

3:12pm: Mets GM Sandy Alderson will take a leave of absence to address a recurrence of cancer, the organization announced. Tim Britton of The Athletic (Twitter links) was among those to cover the news.

Alderson, 70, previously took a leave of absence in December of 2015 owing to a cancer diagnosis. He was later able to resume his duties as the top baseball decisionmaker, a role he has held since the end of the 2010 season.

In Alderson’s absence, top lieutenants John Ricco, J.P. Ricciardi, and Omar Minaya will run the baseball operations department. That group brings decades of baseball operations experience to the table. Ricco has been an assistant GM with the Mets since 2006, while Minaya is a former Mets GM himself. Ricciardi, meanwhile, was once the general manager of the Blue Jays.

It is not known at this time how long Alderson will be away, but he says that he will likely undergo surgery later this summer. Fortunately, the veteran executive says that the prognosis is good. MLBTR joins those around the game in sending its best wishes for a rapid and full recovery.

9:15am: The Mets announced Friday that they’ve named Omar Minaya a special assistant to general manager Sandy Alderson. Minaya, of course, served as the Mets’ GM himself from 2004-10 before being replaced in that role by Alderson.

“Omar has a long history with the Mets,” said Alderson in a statement announcing the move. “He has served the club well in many different areas. Omar will be a resource on scouting and player development, will consult on player acquisitions and will serve as a community ambassador. We are very happy to have him back in the organization.”

After departing the Mets, Minaya spent four years as the Padres’ vice president of baseball operations before taking a job with the Major League Baseball Players Association, where he served as a senior advisor to executive director Tony Clark. He’ll now rejoin the organization and help evaluate young talent as the Mets look to build up a minor league system that has grown increasingly thin in recent years.

“I’m excited to return to an organization that I love,” Minaya said in his own statement. “I’m thrilled I can return to scouting and developing young talent. I look forward to working for Sandy and his staff.”

Here’s more from the NL East…

• The Marlins are playing for more than pride and third place in the NL East, writes MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro. Though the playoffs, of course, are not a possibility for Miami, the team’s performance over the final 16 games could help shape the front office and owner Jeffrey Loria’s course of action this offseason. Frisaro notes that it’s “no secret” that the club is willing to trade Marcell Ozuna, but a dismal finish to the year could potentially leave the front office convinced that further changes are required and thusly place even more players on the trade block.
• Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com spoke with Baseball America’s John Manuel about the pitchers that could be waiting for the Phillies at the top of next year’s June draft. As Salisbury notes, incoming president Andy MacPhail is known as a “pitching guy” and has in the past been quoted as saying, “Buy the bats. Grow the arms.” Manuel tells Salisbury that among single-digit picks in next year’s draft (i.e. those chosen picks 1 through 9), pitching is a strength. Florida left-hander A.J. Puk, high school lefty Jason Groome and high school right-hander Riley Pint make up the top three arms in next year’s draft class, Manuel tells Salisbury. Those interested in the Phillies and in next year’s draft will surely want to give the column a lengthier look.
• Drew Storen expressed regret to reporters, including MLB.com’s Ben Raby, over his actions that led to a fractured thumb that will end his season. The displaced Nationals closer Storen broke the finger when slamming a locker door after surrendering a two-run homer to Yoenis Cespedes. “Obviously, I was a little frustrated with my outing, but I had no intention [of causing harm],” said Storen. “I’m not the type of guy to punch a wall or do something like that. It’s not what I was aiming for.” Storen dismissed the notion that he may have played his final game for the Nats, writes Raby — he’s been mentioned as a speculative trade candidate this offseason — instead stating that his focus is on getting healthy and supporting his Nationals teammates in the season’s final few weeks. Storen will be arb-eligible for the final time this offseason and due a raise on his $5.7MM salary. He’ll be a free agent following the 2016 season.

With the MLBPA, Minaya will focus on international affairs and game development in the United States, per the Associated Press. Clark stressed the importance of having the Dominican-born Minaya join the union’s ranks as the number of Latin American players in the game continues to increase. Minaya may also play a part in determining the structure of a potential international draft, which the league is eyeing upon the completion of the current collective bargaining agreement at the end of the 2016 season.

In a statement within the press release, Minaya said he feels that players “provide the sport with its heart and soul.” The former Mets GM continued: “I share the Players’ and Tony’s views on the state of the game, especially as they relate to what active and inactive Players are doing to help develop the game, widen its appeal and excite the next generation of players, while ensuring the integrity of the competition on the field is maintained.”

More from the AL East…

• Mike Napoli has dealt with injuries to his finger, back and toe, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, but despite all of those issues he’ll be undergoing surgery for a different procedure on Nov. 4 . Napoli will undergo Bimaxillary Advancement surgery in an attempt to end a career-long battle with sleep apnea. “I’ve tried numerous things and none of them worked,” Napoli told Bradford via text. “Dental mouth piece, CPAP machine, medicines … It’s just gotten to the point where I have to get this done.”
• The Yankees have had serious dialogue about hiring Padres senior VP of baseball operations and former Mets GM Omar Minaya, multiple sources tell Newsday’s Erik Boland. Andy Martino of the New York Daily News tweets that the team would be interested in Minaya in a scouting or advisory role — not as a replacement for farm director Mark Newman. As Boland notes, GM Brian Cashman has brought former GMs into the fold before, hiring Kevin Towers as a special assignment scout in 2009 and hiring Jim Hendry to fill the same role since 2012.
• Recently fired Yankees hitting coach Kevin Long is generating quite a bit of interest from other clubs, reports Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News (Twitter links). To this point, Long has already spoken with the Mets, Braves and Blue Jays, including a meeting with Mets GM Sandy Alderson. The D’Backs, Brewers and Pirates are all possibilities as well, per Feinsand.