Mets hire Expos' Minaya as general manager

NEW YORK (AP) -- Omar Minaya grew up a few blocks from Shea Stadium and realizes the task ahead of him.

"We know as New Yorkers nobody wants to hear excuses. Get it done. That's it," he said Thursday. "I have this dream of someday winning the World Series here in New York ... and having a parade down Broadway."

A year after he turned down the Mets' offer to share power with Jim Duquette, the reeling team lured Minaya from the Expos with a five-year contract and the title general manager and executive vice president of baseball operations. The way owner Fred Wilpon explained it, Minaya might as well have Harry Truman's "The Buck Stops Here" sign on his desk.

"Omar will have the authority and the autonomy in the baseball department," Wilpon said. "He will make the final decisions."

Duquette, who succeeded Steve Phillips as GM on an interim basis in June 2003 and was given the job last October, was demoted to senior vice president of baseball operations and will report to Minaya, who made his reputation as a talent evaluator. Minaya is good friends with Duquette, who has two years remaining on his contract and will get to keep the same salary he had as GM.

"I was extremely disappointed in this decision," said Duquette, an administrator rather than a talent evaluator. "Having said that, I understand why they did what they did."

Minaya, the first Hispanic general manager in the major leagues, will hire the replacement for manager Art Howe, fired midway through a $9.4 million, four-year contract. While Jim Fregosi has been mentioned as a candidate, Minaya's hiring could lead the Mets to consider bringing back Bobby Valentine, who battled Phillips and was fired after the 2002 season.

Minaya's arrival also could lead to a turnover in the Mets' clubhouse. Pitchers John Franco and Al Leiter could be jettisoned, and Mike Piazza could be dealt to an AL team and become a designated hitter.

New York, heading to its third straight losing season, is 70-89 and fourth in the five-team NL East following consecutive last-place finishes. The Mets were 44-41 on the weekend before the All-Star break, then slid as they failed to overcome injuries.

"The first half was a step forward. and then it was probably two steps back in the second half," said Jeff Wilpon, the owner's son and the team's chief operating officer. "I don't want to lose. That's not what we're here for."

Following Wilpon's buyout of partner Nelson Doubleday two years ago, Jeff Wilpon has taken on a more visible role. The Wilpons denied that ownership had interfered with baseball decisions.

"There's no question the perception is there," Fred Wilpon said. "I don't think it's the reality."

New York was criticized for a pair of trades on July 30. The Mets acquired Victor Zambrano from Tampa Bay for prospect Scott Kazmir, a left-hander who has struck out 35 in 27 1-3 innings for the Devil Rays. New York also obtained pitcher Kris Benson, who is eligible for free agency, from Pittsburgh for Ty Wigginton and prospects.

"It's too early to tell," Jeff Wilpon said of the deals. "These trades were not for this year."

A turnaround next year is especially important, Fred Wilpon said, because the Mets' television contract expires after the 2005 season. He said Minaya will have enough money to go after top players.

"It's not for having not spent money that we have not succeeded, we haven't had the right players," Wilpon said.

Minaya, 45, who recalled sneaking into Shea Stadium in his youth, grew up in a Dominican family in Queens, where his mother worked in a plastics factory. His father worked on the Brooklyn docks.

After a brief and undistinguished professional playing career in the minor leagues, he worked for the Texas Rangers from 1985-95, then was hired by the Mets two years later as an assistant general manager. He was promoted to senior assistant GM in 1998, then in 2002 was hired by the commissioner's office as Montreal's general manager.

Having taken over the Expos just after Jeffrey Loria sold the team and stripped the front office, Minaya remembered there were only half a dozen employees left when he arrived. He choked up when discussing Wednesday night's game, the last in Montreal for the Expos, who are being moved to Washington, D.C.

Minaya, responsible for signing Sammy Sosa and Jose Reyes, wants to continue the emphasis on pitching, defense and athleticism that the Mets said they began to emphasize last year.

Notes: Wilpon said the Mets hope to know during the offseason whether they will be able to use their own revenue to finance a new ballpark, similar to the plan the Yankees are considering.