Omar Minaya Quotes from WFAN.

[nyboricua021]

Minaya had the following to say…

…on trading Kris Benson and Jae Seo…

"For Seo we were able to go out and get two young relievers – I call them zero-to-three guys. In Duaner Sanchez, we got a guy that is up-and-coming, a guy that can possibly pitch the eighth inning, who we control. I hated giving up Jae Seo, who was another zero-to-three starter, but … our game plan is to shorten the game up, and for me, what good is it if you can't get the ball to Billy Wagner in the ninth? At the end of the day, I didn't really want to trade Seo – but if you're gonna give me two young relievers, you know … and to me, pennants are won in the bullpen … so, to me, we got good prospects…

“Teams had been calling about Kris Benson … and when we saw the value of what we were getting back … I think it's fair to say that we felt that we had an opportunity to take Aaron Heilman into the rotation … and we were able to get a guy with 80-something saves, in Julio…

"It was not a salary dump at all…

"We didn't have to deal [Benson] … we like Benson … but we think Heilman has the potential to be as good as Benson…

…for what it's worth, omar could not keep a straight face when repeatedly asked whether anna benson had an impact on trading kris…he was smirking like a little kid who just swiped a brownie before supper…

…on the team's payroll…

"Right now we are under the payroll from what it was in 2005. That being said, I have the flexibility to go out and get players … either in spring training or during the season."…

…on the depth of the starting rotation…

"Right now we have Yusaku Iriki, Brian Bannister, we have John Maine, these are our extra starters."…

http://s13.invisionfree.com/Amazin_Mets

[kramer_47]

Omar Minaya Quotes from WFAN

I saw the interview he was lying through his teeth, I'm sick of Minaya already. Every trade he makes he trades away a gringo for a hispanic player, I don't mind if we get back a top quality guy but the last 2 trades don't make sense at all. Jay Seo was excellent last year but they never liked him starting with the pitching coach Peterson who had him sent to triple A and he came back and made them look like fools, I say give him a chance this year he proved himself, They got back 2 suspects for Seo.The Benson trade was all about Anna, I could care less about her we want the Mets to win and Kris was a good pitcher for us last year. I have to mention that i like and watch the Orioles in the American league and Jorge Julio is terrible he gave up 14 home runs in 71 innings and can't throw strikes, he hasn't done anything since 2002. Every Met fan is going to be very uneasy when he comes in games he is like Benitez but much worse. The icing on the cake was when it was annouced today that they passed over Wally Backman for Juan Samuel ( remember his great year with the Mets I think he batted .233 with 3 homers) to manage Binghamton.

[SeaverGooden]

I saw the interview he was lying through his teeth, I'm sick of Minaya already. Every trade he makes he trades away a gringo for a hispanic player, I don't mind if we get back a top quality guy but the last 2 trades don't make sense at all. Jay Seo was excellent last year but they never liked him starting with the pitching coach Peterson who had him sent to triple A and he came back and made them look like fools, I say give him a chance this year he proved himself, They got back 2 suspects for Seo.The Benson trade was all about Anna, I could care less about her we want the Mets to win and Kris was a good pitcher for us last year. I have to mention that i like and watch the Orioles in the American league and Jorge Julio is terrible he gave up 14 home runs in 71 innings and can't throw strikes, he hasn't done anything since 2002. Every Met fan is going to be very uneasy when he comes in games he is like Benitez but much worse. The icing on the cake was when it was annouced today that they passed over Wally Backman for Juan Samuel ( remember his great year with the Mets I think he batted .233 with 3 homers) to manage Binghamton.

What’s with the whole he trades a gringo for a Hispanic player thing? It's a fact most of the best ball players these days are Hispanic. So why is everyone complaining? Minaya could have signed a Hispanic catcher but instead he traded for Lo Duca who he felt was a better player for the money we're paying him. The Julio for Benson deal is being completely blown out of proportion. Benson is a sub .500 career starter with a big contract, and Julios been pitching all his home games in Camden Yards and the smaller AL parks. I guarantee Peterson will do a fine job fixing the mechanical problems with Julio, and he will be our 8th inning man this year., he will have no problem pitching in spacious Shea. The Seo trade I wasn't thrilled with, but why is this guy the next Greg Maddux all of a sudden? The teams in the league saw him once, the Mets collectively felt he preformed well from a lack of exposure to the hitters in the league, and his second and third time around that he wouldn't fair as well, and I agree. What does Jae Seo have that is going to keep his ERA in that sub 3 area, next season, or even sub 4 area? He got lucky, and he will prove it was luck when he gets shelled next year. I’m tired of this whole Metinos thing, it really needs to stop. Its been all over the radio (WFAN) and such for days now and I’m simply tired of it. If people want to get rid of Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Jose Reyes then be my guest, but those players along with David Wright and Billy Wagner will be the heart and soul of this club. A club by the way that has a chance to win 90 games and maybe even a World championship if healthy. I’m not Latino, and I’m sickened, and saddened to think that so many people could be so damn racial, as far as we’ve come in the civil rights movement and in race relations in the past 50 years, it is acts of stupidity like this that take the entire race movement seem as though it’s all a cover, and that people really are still bitter, hateful, and spiteful of one another because their skin is a few shades darker than your own.

[metsfan28]

seaver i cant agree with u more... but i guess everyones just gonna have to see how good the mets are gonna be this year i think they are gonna deff be a contender and there are many great hispanic players look at frank robinson ect

[kramer_47]

Omar Minaya Quotes from WFAN

Come on now Stengel-Seaver stop with this racial crap, in a baseball sense the last 2 trades we got robbed. I'm telling you I watched Julio over the last 4years and he is pretty bad, he has 95 mph fastball that he can't get over the plate when he takes something off to get it over they bang him around. I've been a diehard Mets fan since 1962 every year we have new hope some years we don't have alot of hope. I think this year is a year with alot of hope, but I think we were better off 2 weeks ago before these 2 bad trades. Hopefully all these players will jell despite Minaya who is doing things a little strangely to develop a winner in New York. You are right there are alot of good players that are hispanic, but there are also some not so good either, Minaya also brought his spanish brigade to Montreal it seems like a pattern for him. Maybe his tunnel vision will work for the Mets, we'll see this year, hopefully Pedro can go with his bad toe if not then boy does the Anna Benson trade look bad. We also need Beltran to step up and show he is more then the below average player he was last year, we know Floyd, Reyes, and Wright can stand the heat of New York but can Delgado take the heat. We will see in a few months if Minaya is the genius he thinks he is, so far the jury is out big time.