Omar Minaya’s shopping spree at catcher — a campaign that remains unfinished — is not just the general manager’s doing, but also the result of complaints from manager Jerry Manuel and Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen.
Manuel and especially Warthen were not happy with the ability of Omir Santos and, to a lesser extent, Brian Schneider to call a game and handle the Mets’ pitching staff last season.
Asked by The Post late in the year how he felt about the catchers’ defense and handling of the pitchers, Warthen pursed his lips and said: “Next question.”
That helps explain Minaya’s decision this week to sign veteran backup catchers Henry Blanco and Chris Coste and continue his pursuit of a veteran starter — most likely ex-Giant Bengie Molina — at the Winter Meetings next week in Indianapolis.
Schneider departed to the Phillies in free agency this week, and the Mets’ flurry of backstop moves coupled with the presence of catcher-in-waiting Josh Thole at the Triple-A level leave Santos the odd man out despite earning a spot on the prestigious Topps Rookie All-Star Team.
Santos, 28, always was unlikely to return as the Mets’ starting catcher, but the unhappiness within the coaching staff at his defensive abilities now appears to have the former Yankees farmhand ticketed back to the minors, or perhaps even out of the organization completely.
Mets catchers, combined, threw out 34 of 100 would-be base stealers, which ranked third in the NL, but Manuel and Warthen held them partially responsible for the staff’s 4.46 ERA — 12th in the league — and the whopping 616 walks that were just three shy the franchise record.
The 38-year-old Blanco is considered one of the better defensive backups in baseball, justifying his one-year, $1.5 million deal despite a career .228 batting average.
Blanco should make a nice pairing, at least in the Mets’ eyes, with Molina or another veteran starter for one season until Thole is ready in 2011.
* The Mets officially announced the return of Wayne Krivsky to their front office as special assistant to Minaya.
Krivsky had spent part of the 2008 season working for Minaya after being fired as Cincinnati’s general manager, then went to the Orioles for one season before being lured back to the Mets.
It’s no secret that Krivsky, widely respected for his skills at reviving farm systems, also is a potential Minaya successor if the Mets struggle again next season.