Omar Minaya says We Are Not Choke Artists

If you missed it, here is a recap from Omar Minanya who was a guest this morning on WFAN’s, Boomer and carton show.

On K-Rod – It’s always great when the player you are trying to sign is enthusiastic and willing to do anything to come and play for your team. He made it very clear to me and my staff that New York was where he wanted to pitch because he loved the energy in the stands whenever he pitched here. The reason we got K-Rod is because you guys (Carton and 19,400 Mets fans) came down here and chanted that you wanted K-Rod.

On J Putz – This guy is a competitor, he’s a winner, and he’s a team player. We will have a conversation with him and let him know how excited we are to have him on our team. In 2007, there was no better closer in baseball.

On Oliver Perez - We are about to get together and start ranking who we like and what kind of offers we are going to make. We are looking at bringing back Oliver Perez because we know him, and we like him. I sat down with Scott (Boras) at the winter meetings, and we discussed the parameters of a deal without getting specific. I’m not going to reveal who option “A” is, but lets just say Oliver Perez is at the top of the list.

On Starting Pitching – We are looking at some lower type pitchers, even though we are comfortable with Niese or Parnell in that fifth spot. That does not mean we are not looking for a second starter to come in and compete and win a job. In the ideal world it would be a good scenario to sign two veteran pitchers, especially so that we can allow the kids more time to grow. My goal is to come to camp with six or seven pitchers and have four pitchers all wanting to compete for the last rotation spot.

On Left Field – There’s no doubt Manny Ramirez is a great player, but we have to address the pitching first. I like Dan Murphy a lot and and also Fernando Tatis who was the comeback player of the year. Our priority is the starting pitching right now, and we are very comfortable with our outfield situation. If the need arises we can always add an outfielder in the middle of the year.

On Second Base – Right now, Luis Castillo will be our starting second baseman. I have the same Christmas wish list as you guys. (regarding Orlando Hudson.)  I talked to Castillo yesterday and he’s working out at our complex over there. The bottom line is he had a bad year. We expect him to come out and be the player he was once before.

On Choke Artists - I don’t agree with that assessment from Cole Hamels. I’m not one to dabble in those areas and pay a lot of attention to what other players say. We are not choke artists. The Phillies are a good team and they are the Champs and they played better than us. They got it done and we didn’t. If Hamel’s decides to say something like that about us, that shows the kind of guy he is. I’m proud of our guys and our team has class, and we don’t operate that way.