As new owner Steve Cohen took over the New York Mets last week, team president Sandy Alderson started to make tough decisions. Omar Minaya, a longtime executive of the club, will no longer be with the team. He said goodbye to the organization and to fans in a gracious way, wishing nothing but the best in the future.
“I want to congratulate Steve Cohen on becoming the owner of this historic franchise,†Minaya wrote, according to Nathalie Alonso of MLB.com. “Steve is a friend, and I know that this has been a lifelong dream of his. I am confident that Steve’s passion, competitiveness and commitment to excellence will make Mets fans proud.â€
Cohen bought the team for a reported $2.4 billion fee from the Wilpon and Katz families in a negotiation that lasted several months and had more than a few hiccups. It is now complete, though, and MLB owners already approved Cohen, who will be the league’s wealthiest owner.
Always involved with the Mets
Minaya’s birthday is today, which is coincidentally the date on which Cohen will be introduced as the New York Mets’ owner. Although he was born in the Dominican Republic, he started living in Queens since he was eight years old, “in the shadow of Shea Stadium†as he puts it.
He played some minor league ball and was a scout in the eigthties. In the mid-nineties, he joined the Mets. He started going up the ladder, first as an assistant general manager under Steve Phillips.
After a spell as the Montreal Expos’ GM in the early 2000s, he returned to the Mets in 2004 as GM until 2010. In 2017, he returned once again to the Mets to be Sandy Alderson’s special assistant. He stayed on that role until last week.
Here is Minaya’s full statement:
I would like to thank Jeff Wilpon, Saul Katz and Fred Wilpon for their friendship and the opportunity they have given me to be part of the New York Mets family.
Fred and I have had a father-son relationship for many years, and I am looking forward for that relationship to continue.
I want to congratulate Steve Cohen on becoming the owner of this historic franchise. Steve is a friend, and I know that this has been a lifelong dream of his. I am confident that Steve’s passion, competitiveness, and commitment to excellence will make Mets fans proud.
I also would like to congratulate Sandy Alderson on his new position. I’ve worked with Sandy and competed against him for many years, and I know that he is going to do all he can to bring this franchise a World Series championship.
I want to thank Brodie Van Wagenen, the Mets players and all the Mets baseball operations people, especially our scouts and player development staff who I worked with on a daily basis. I also would like to thank all the Mets stadium operations, grounds crew, security, ushers, clubhouse staff, trainers and doctors who for the past twenty years have made Shea Stadium and Citi Field a family environment.
Most importantly, I would like to thank the fans. There are no greater fans in baseball than New York Mets fans. As a kid who grew up in the shadow of Shea Stadium, it has been an honor to be part of this organization.
Let’s Go Mets,
Omar from Queens.