Padres Hire Former Mets GM Omar Minaya

It’s official, the Padres’ front office is expanding. Omar Minaya has been hired as an advisor to Padres GM Josh Byrnes. He will likely help Byrnes with Latin American player development.

The Minaya hiring will likely get a mixed reaction. He was not terribly successful in his career as a GM, but building a front office tailored specifically to the team’s goals is smart. One of those goals is the development of international talent. Minaya figures to have some connections with the Latin American countries, should be able to help attract players to the Padres’ baseball academies, and can act as an additional international scout.

Generally speaking, a front office signing comes a lot cheaper than a player signing. So this could be a low risk, high reward hire for the club. The Rays, the Red Sox, and now the Cubs are changing the way we look at a team’s front office. No longer is a good GM sufficient in bringing a team success. Those general managers need supporting talent around them.

The Padres were building toward an All-Star front office before Hoyer left and took Jason McLeod. Omar Minaya’s hiring is a step toward building a strong front office again.