Reyes unfazed of talk of move to second base news to shortstop
October 31, 2003 - Some published reports continue to paint a picture that depicts the Mets as possibly moving Jose Reyes from shortstop should the right player come along.
Jose ReyesWhen Reyes, who has been working on rehabbing his severely sprained ankle in Port St. Lucie, was asked about switching positions Friday morning at the Thomas J. White complex he didn't seem at all concerned by either Matsui, Tejada or anyone else.
"I haven't heard anything like that," Reyes said. "And the talk doesn't bother me anyway. The Mets have told me I am their shortstop of the future. So I don't let anything else around me bother me."
Reyes will be back in New York on Wednesday for a final checkup with team physician Dr. Andrew Rokito before flying to the Dominican Republic on Saturday.
Whether he will be playing Winter Ball anytime soon, however, is unlikely. Though he's been taking grounders -- only at shortstop, not at second or third base -- he's not yet 100 percent after severely injuring his ankle at the end of August.
He's been working out only with the training staff at St. Lucie -- not coaches.
Right-hander Jae Weong Seo has also been there throwing as has Neal Musser, one of the club's top pitching prospects.
Japan's Kaz Matsui files for free agency
October 28, 2003 - Kazuo Matsui of the Seibu Lions in Japan's Pacific League has filed for free agency, paving the way for him to play in the Major Leagues next season.
Kazuo MatsuiA switch-hitting shortstop, the man known as "Little Matsui" in Japan could become the third major Japanese position player since 2000 to leave Nippon Professional Baseball, following the exodus of Ichiro Suzuki to the Seattle Mariners and Hideki Matsui to the New York Yankees.
"He's one of the top players still over there," Hideki Matsui said this season about Kazuo Matsui, to whom he is not related. "He has a lot of speed. He's very good at defense and has a strong arm. He's not a true power hitter, but he has pop and puts the ball in play."
The 27-year-old Kazuo Matsui, who hit .305 with 33 homers and 84 RBIs this season for the Lions, has been coveted by the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Anaheim Angels, New York Yankees and Mets, who all scouted him extensively in Japan this season.
But Little Matsui goes into a market that will be flooded with high-profile shortstops, including San Francisco's Rich Aurilia and Oakland's Miguel Tejada.
Hopefully Jim Duquette won't be as bad as Steve Phillips.October 27, 2003 - Fred Wilpon, the principal owner of the Mets, flirted with some old friends for a few weeks as he conducted a search for a permanent general manager.
While those flirtations brought to light his desire to add a whole other layer of management to his franchise, they did little to dissuade him from what was clearly his objective all along -- remove the interim tag from Jim Duquette's title.
Duquette was officially introduced as the club's 10th general manager in a press conference Tuesday at Shea Stadium.
He's done enough in the last four months, however, to show that his claim to the job was never in doubt. Duquette, who took over as the interim on June 12 when Steve Phillips was dismissed, never viewed the second half of the 2003 season as an audition and neither did ownership.
Duquette, however, certainly helped his cause this summer by trimming payroll and getting the Mets under the luxury tax threshold.
He traded away high-priced and unproductive veterans such as Roberto Alomar, Armando Benitez and Jeromy Burnitz, restocking the New York farm system in the process.
Duquette also proved to be decisive, showing he wasn't afraid to promote prospects and sacrifice what would have been a mediocre present for what he hopes will be a bright future.
Minaya declines offer from Mets
October 26, 2003 - After lengthy discussions, general manager Omar Minaya has decided to turn down what he described as an "advisory-type of position" with the New York Mets.
Minaya did not elaborate on the negotiation, saying simply that "things didn't work out." He thanked Mets principal owner Fred Wilpon and chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon for asking him him to consider a return to the Mets.
Minaya was the assistant general manager with the Mets in 1997 before they promoted him the next year as a senior assistant general manager. That job lasted until 2002, when he became GM with the Expos.
Minaya's contract with the Expos expires on Oct. 31, and he did not rule out the possibility of moving to another organization thereafter. He has already interviewed for general manager positions in Cincinnati and Seattle but told MLB.com that he does not expect to be offered the position with the Reds. He would not comment on the situation with the Mariners.
Several weeks ago, Minaya expressed how much he enjoys working for the Expos. "I love my job with the Expos," he said, "[but] I'm going to consider other options if they become available."
Minaya also expressed concern that the Expos have not been scouting in Latin America in the last three years. The organization's amateur scouting has been limited to the United States.
When asked back then how important is it to look at players in Latin America, Minaya said, "It's huge. In its history, it's the backbone of [the Expos] organization. I think we need to have more than just the U.S. draft."
Expos manager Frank Robinson, who is in Arizona managing Team USA, said he hopes to work with Minaya for another year. The Expos hired Minaya and Robinson on the same day, Feb. 12, 2002.
"It's been a good two-year run," the skipper said. "I was hoping that, for him, he would get another general manager's job at another place where it is more stable, with more security."
Valentine may return to Japan
Bobby Valentine lost an internal struggle with then general manager Steve Phillips and was replaced by Art Howe.Valentine said he probably will travel next week to Chiba City, 30 minutes east of Tokyo, to sign the contract.
"I'll probably sign it, but I just want to be clear in my mind that it's the right thing to do," said Valentine, who was at Pro Player Stadium this week for the World Series games between the Marlins and Yankees.
Valentine, who was dismissed by the Mets after the 2002 season, has spent the last year working as a baseball analyst for ESPN.
At 53, he has 15 seasons of managerial experience behind him -- eight for the Texas Rangers from 1985 to 1992 and nearly seven more with the Mets, from Aug. 26, 1996, when he replaced Dallas Green, to the end the 2002 season.
Valentine has a cumulative 1,117-1,072 record with the two teams and took the Mets into the 1999 and 2000 National League playoffs as the Wild Card team both seasons. In 2000, his Mets lost a Subway World Series to the Yankees in five games.
Last year, Valentine lost an internal struggle with then general manager Steve Phillips and was replaced by Art Howe. When the Mets continued to flounder this past season, Phillips was let go.
During his first tenure with Chiba Lotte, Valentine also lost a power struggle with the general manager, Tatsuro Hirooka, who claimed that the manager should have won the Pacific League pennant during the 1995 season. That squad had former Major Leaguers Julio Franco and Pete Incaviglia -- two players Valentine managed in Texas.
Valentine's dismissal was unpopular with Chiba Lotte fans. The Marines had finished 55-77 the year before Valentine was hired and sunk to fifth place the season after he left, causing Hirooka to be dismissed.
Valentine said that he has enjoyed his year working as an analyst, but wants to get back to the field.
"Managing, I just miss it," Valentine said.
Valentine was the first former Major League manager hired to head a Japan league team in 1995. His Mets and the Cubs were the first MLB teams to open the season in Tokyo, playing a pair of games in the Tokyo Dome to open the 2000 season.
Hunsicker out of Mets running
October 16, 2003 - The odds of Jim Duquette being named as the general manager of the Mets increased significantly on Thursday after the Houston Astros extended the contract of their own general manager, Gerry Hunsicker.
Hunsicker had been involved in preliminary discussions with the Mets and was believed to be talking with principal owner Fred Wilpon about the club's vacant general manager as well as a possible vice president of baseball operations position.
The two sides had a conversation last week in Florida while took Wilpon and his son, Jeff, the club's chief operating officer, were busy conducting the Mets' organizational meetings.
But Astros owner Drayton McLane met with Hunsicker on Thursday morning, and the two reached an agreement to keep Hunsicker in Houston for at least another season. Hunsicker's teams have won four division titles in his eight years as general manager.
Astros GM Hunsicker interviews with Mets
October 10, 2003 - Houston Astros general manager Gerry Hunsicker interviewed Thursday night for the vacant GM position with the New York Mets.
Gerry HunsickerHunsicker spent the past week in Kissimmee, Fla., where he observed the Astros' Instructional League squad and met with members of the Astros' scouting and player development staff.
Hunsicker met with Mets officials in Florida, possibly Port St. Lucie, where the Mets are conducting their organizational meetings.
New York's principal owner Fred Wilpon and his son, Jeff, the club's chief operating officer, were part of the Mets contigent in Florida and likely led the sit-down with Hunsicker.
Hunsicker recently completed his eighth season as the Astros GM. He was named to his current post in 1995 after spending seven years with the Mets, first as director of their minor league operations (1988-91) and then as assistant GM (1991-95).
Jim Duquette is currently the Mets interim GM, having taken over after Steve Phillips was fired in June.
While management has been pleased with the job he has done -- Duquette shed several high salaries while restocking the farm system -- Wilpon made it clear from the outset that he would go through a search process soon.
Scutaro, Watson claimed by A's
October 9, 2003 - The Mets lost a pair of players off their 40-man roster on Thursday when infielder Marco Scutaro and outfielder Matt Watson were claimed off waivers by Oakland.
Matt Watson
Marco ScutaroNeither player figured into New York's plans next season. Scutaro, 27, was on and off the 40-man roster this year, splitting time between the parent club and Triple-A Norfolk.
He appeared in 48 games for the Mets, hitting .231 with two homers and six RBIs. He hit .311 with nine homers and 32 RBIs in 70 games for the Tides.
Watson, 25, was a September callup who spent most of the season at Norfolk. He also spent time with Double-A Binghamton, and Class A Brooklyn and Port St. Lucie on rehab assignments.
Watson has potential at the plate but is oft injured, as evidenced by the two oblique strains he suffered this season. He hit .174 with two RBIs in 23 at-bats in 2003.
The Mets 40-man roster now stands at 36.