Mets Officially Fire Jerry Manuel; Omar Minaya 'Relieved of Duties' as GM

The Omar Minaya-Jerry Manuel era is officially over in Queens. The Mets announced Monday morning that Manuel's 2011 contract option would not be picked up and and Minaya had been "relieved of his duties" as general manager.

Both moves had been expected for some time. Mets officials were set to hold a news conference at 1:30 p.m. ET to discuss the changes. Assistant general manager John Ricco will handle baseball operations until a permanent GM is named, the team said in a news release.

"We are extremely disappointed in this year's results and the failures of the past four seasons," Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said in the release. "We need to hire a new general manager with a fresh perspective who will transform this club into a winner that we want and our fans deserve."

The Mets finished 79-83 and in fourth place in the NL East. Manuel went 204-213 in about 2 1/2 seasons at the helm after taking over for the fired Willie Randolph in June 2008.

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Minaya is under contract through 2012 at about $1 million annually, and there has been some speculation that he would be reassigned within the team's front office. He said Monday that he was no longer with the organization but would be willing to return if there was a fit with the new GM.

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