In news that will surprise only newborn babies and people who have been trapped in an underground cave for the past 12 months, Jon Heyman of SI.com is reporting that Mets’ manager Jerry Manuel and GM Omar Minaya will not return to the club next season.

The Mets are planning to go outside the organization for the GM position and are thought to be considering several people, including former Diamondbacks GM Josh Byrnes, White Sox assistant GM Rick Hahn and former A’s GM Sandy Alderson. Rangers GM Jon Daniels, a Bayside, Queens product, could be an intriguing option as he has an “out” in his Texas contract, but the new Rangers ownership group led by Chuck Greenberg has made it clear they want to retain him. Respected assistant GM John Ricco is expected to stay in his current role, but is said by people to fully understand the intention to go outside the organization for the GM position following a second straight losing season. The Mets are 77-82, an improvement from their 70-92 mark a year ago, but not enough to satisfy the club-owning Wilpons. They have missed the playoffs four straight seasons.

According to Heyman, the Mets may retain Minaya as a scout, which may or may not be a good thing. If someone has a skill, teams would be wise to retain that skill. But assuming he is relieved of his general manager duties, how would that work with him taking a lesser role? It would be like Michael Scott losing his branch manager position at Dunder Mifflin and returning to sales. Sure it could work, but would that create the best environment for all parties involved?

I also doubt the new GM would want Minaya hanging around, so maybe the best thing for the Mets would be if he just moved on. It’s been a tumultuous few years in New York and everyone needs a fresh start.

Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse is reporting that the Mets will rid themselves of not only manager Jerry Manuel by the end of the season, but general manager Omar Minaya as well.

There has been little doubt for a while the Mets will not bring back Jerry Manuel as manager, and a source confirmed reports that general manager Omar Minaya is likely out as well. Ownership seems to be leaning toward hiring an experienced GM, as they are not inclined to promote assistant GM John Ricco, and Wally Backman — a popular ex-Met who was nearly manager of the Diamondbacks before the team discovered some off-field issues he didn’t disclose — as manager.

Manuel is 197-203 (.461) in New York since first taking over as the interim manager in 2008. Under Manuel, the Mets went from being a second place finisher in the NL East to a fourth place finisher last year and as it currently stands, a fourth place finisher this year as well.

Minaya’s best season with the club came in 2006 when the Mets lost to the Cardinals in the NLCS, but outside of that he’s been the man in charge of putting together a roster of underachievers. Injuries have played a part in that, but enough is enough.

It’s time for the Mets to move in another direction.

Even though Ryan Church is now a member of the Braves, he’s still reminded of how frustrating it was to play for the Mets and manager Jerry Manuel.

When Church’s former teammate David Wright suffered a concussion after he was hit in the head with a fastball by Giants starter Matt Cain in a game last weekend, Manuel said Wright was a “different animal” than Church when it comes to missing time due to a concussion. (Church missed much of last season after suffering two concussions.)

According to a report by ESPN.com, Church was upset with Manuel’s “different animal” comment.

“It just felt like a low blow,” Church said. “I saw it. I wasn’t happy. If he had a problem with me or anything like that, you’d think he’d tell it to my face. I had plenty of opportunity to talk while I was wearing that uniform. It just was like, all right, now that I’m wearing another one, why would he come out and say that?”

When he met with reporters before Tuesday night’s series opener against the Braves, Manuel was told that Church called the comments a “cheap shot.”

But Manuel said he meant no disrespect. He said he was simply trying to explain that the players involved were different, just like the concussions.

“There’s no ill intent,” Manuel said. “I don’t mean to take a shot at him. If that’s how he felt, I apologize to him. I like Ryan Church.”

Manuel and Church had bad blood before this incident and I don’t blame Church for feeling like Manuel took a cheap shot. Manuel wasn’t sensitive to Church’s injuries last year (the entire Mets’ staff mismanaged Church’s two concussions by making him available to pinch hitting him two days after the first injury and then putting him on a freaking plane to Colorado with post-concussion symptoms shorty after that) and isn’t being sensitive now in his comments. Because Church is in Atlanta now, Manuel probably feels as though he can take swipes at his former player without facing any repercussions.

Granted, the Mets have suffered an unusual amount of injuries this season, which have nothing to do with Manuel. But that doesn’t mean he deserves a mulligan for what has transpired this season. He’s a lousy manager and I would be shocked if the Mets didn’t fire him in the offseason.

For those Mets fans that were hoping either manager Jerry Manuel or GM Omar Minaya (or both) would be fired after yet another disappointing season in NY, think again.

With nine players on the disabled list, including three members of the Mets’ core, it became apparent early on that neither Jerry Manuel nor Omar Minaya was going to take the fall for the team’s dismal performance this season.

Manuel is signed through 2010, and Minaya’s three-year contract extension doesn’t even begin until next season. So it wasn’t surprising that a source confirmed today that COO Jeff Wilpon already has assured both Manuel and Minaya that their jobs are safe. The story was first reported by SI.com.

There’s no question that injuries have played a huge role in the demise of the Mets this year. So maybe Manuel and Minaya do deserve a mulligan for this season.

But regardless of injuries, this year has been an utter disaster for the Mets in terms of the most basic things in baseball. They can’t field pop ups, the outfielders don’t communicate on fly balls, the team struggles on a whole running the bases properly, etc. Those things have nothing to do with injuries – those are basic fundamentals of the game.

Now, is all of that Manuel and Minaya’s fault? Maybe not. But they both have had a hand in how poorly this club has played this year – injuries or no injuries.

Following a loss in which the young outfielder missed third base when scoring what could have eventually been the game-winning run, Mets’ manager Jerry Manuel said he could have strangled Ryan Chuch following New York’s loss to the Dodgers on Monday night. And apparently the rift between Manuel and Church started well before Monday night’s base running gaff.

It started in spring training when Manuel suggested Church, not the young Daniel Murphy, could end up in a platoon with Fernando Tatis, saying Murphy was a better hitter.

It continued when Manuel voiced his support for the Mets’ signing of Gary Sheffield just before the start of the regular season, a move that threatened to cut into Church’s playing time more than anyone else’s. And it did, even as Church got off to a scorching start at the plate.

When Manuel didn’t even bother walking out to ask the umpire what happened Monday, let alone argue on Church’s behalf, then called him out afterward, it only fueled the perception that already existed.

Manuel said he didn’t need an explanation because third-base coach Razor Shines told him Church didn’t step on the bag, and said he was only being honest in his post-game remarks.
When asked Tuesday if he was angry with Church, Manuel said, “Oh, you doggone right I was mad at him. I could have strangled him.” But he said it was not something that carried over into the next day.

It has to be tough being Manuel these days, knowing you have one of the most talented teams in the NL but they can’t even do the little things right. The media tends to overreact when a manager gets upset with a player, but what manager wouldn’t be upset with a player when they can’t touch third base when they’re heading home? It’s little league-type stuff and Manuel has to be beyond tired of it.

Based on his comments in the article, it seems like Church is handling everything in stride though. He knows he’s a professional and being a young hitter he is going to be ridden more by the manager. We’ll see how he (and the rest of the Mets for that matter) respond.