This morning, our own Joe Spector wrote a great piece based on information from an article by Joel Sherman on how Jeff Wilpon has become a sort of stumbling block in the front office.
This afternoon, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports, corroborates much of what was said in the Sherman piece and writes,
If ever a team needed a GM with vision, it’s this one. Ownership needs to make the right choice to replace Omar Minaya, and then allow that choice to implement a long-term plan.
Rival executives say that ownership — specifically, COO Jeff Wilpon — is too involved in baseball matters. But perhaps Wilpon would back off, as he did in the early years of Minaya’s tenure, if he had greater trust in his GM.
This is now the third source from mainstream media that has quoted sources regarding how intertwined Jeff Wilpon has become in running the Mets, almost as if he is the one pulling all the strings and the GM is simply his marionette.
Where there’s smoke there’s fire.
If this is truly the case, the Mets may not consider pursuing a general manager who may want full autonomy, but one who is okay with running every every move by Jeff Wilpon for final approval as things seem to be now.
A further indication of how impotent the role of GM has become on the Mets, is the news that some front office people are saying that they may pursue the Red Sox’ Jacoby Ellsbury this offseason. So basically, a plan and vision is already in the works, even before a new GM has been named.
