With aging players, barren farm system, Omar Minaya's rule a reign of error

You are watching the painfully slow demise of The New Mets, the vision Omar Minaya articulated four years ago but built as a house of cards. Since being introduced as GM during the final week of the 2004 season, Minaya has upped the annual payroll roughly $55 million, to nearly $140 million. But as the Mets open a home stand Tuesday against the NL West-leading Diamondbacks, they sit two games under .500 and 7-1/2 games behind the first-place Phillies. Continue