http://view.picapp.com//JavaScripts/OTIjs.jsIf you’re a Mets fan and you’re not aware that the Mets have interviewed Allard Baird, Rick Hahn, Josh Byrnes, Sandy Alderson, and Logan White for the open GM position, you’ve been living under a rock. The Mets also were denied permission to speak to Tigers assistant GM Al Avila.
Before making any final decisions, the Wilpons should wait to talk to Jon Daniels, the current Texas Rangers GM. He’s only 33 years old and has been GM of the Rangers since 2005. Oh and by the way, he grew up in Queens as a Mets fan.
I’m not saying the Mets should hire him. But Daniels has an out clause in his contract if the Rangers are sold, which they were this season. So he can bail out on the Rangers at the end of the Rangers playoff run.
It took him five years to build a winner in Texas. So it’s not like he instantly changed the team there. But you could see that the Rangers were moving in the right direction with second place finishes in 2008 and 2009.
I certainly haven’t loved everything that I’ve seen from Daniels. He’s the GM that made that awful trade sending Chris Young and Adrian Gonzalez to the Padres for nothing in 2006. And in 2007 he sent John Danks to the White Sox for Brandon McCarthy. Another bad deal.
He’s had some good deals as well though. He got Neftali Feliz and Elvis Andrus from the Braves for Mark Teixeira. And he got Josh Hamilton from the Reds for Edinson Volquez. Most of his other trades have landed somewhere in the middle. But he did build the farm system into the number one rated system in 2008.
It’s been a mixed bag with Daniels, as it is with most GM’s when you look back at their trade histories. But it’s worth it for the Mets to postpone a decision to see if they can talk to Daniels. At worst, they’ll spark a bidding war with the Rangers for Daniels.
The Mets should bring in some people that have a personal connection to the organization. It isn’t a required attribute for a candidate but it would mean something to us as fans. I would love to see a combination of Daniels at GM and Wally Backman managing. That’s something that we all could get behind for the 2011 season.
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- Wilpon: GM hire may take ‘weeks’ after 5th interview (nypost.com)
The Mets Report 
Hi Dave ….
While Daniels would be an intriguing candidate, I'm not sure after helping build up Texas he'll want to go through the rebuilding process again. Nolan Ryan wants to keep him, and with the success the Rangers have had this season, I believe he'll do everything he wants to keep him. I still believe Sandy Alderson, with Selig's endorsement to the Wilpons, will get the job.-JD
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John, Thanks for the comment and I believe you're correct on all counts. However, I don't think the Mets are competing against any other team for Sandy Alderson. So there's no rush to sign him to a contract.
I think it's worth waiting for Texas to end their season to see if Daniels decides to opt out of his contract. And I'm not so sure that the Rangers could match up against the Mets for Daniels' services compensation-wise.
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