Mets Miss Chance – Again

Image Credit: Latino Sports

SOUTH BRONX, NY — Twenty-seven years ago on November 29, 1998, the New York Times published a letter I had written under the title “Mets Miss Chance.” In that letter, I criticized the Mets for failing to make history when they could have promoted their own Assistant General Manager, Omar Minaya, to Acting General Manager after Steve Phillips was suspended for sexual harassment allegations. Instead, the Mets reached into the past and brought Frank Cashen out of semiretirement.

At the time, we discussed this decision on our radio program, La Hora Deportiva, where countless callers—many of them loyal Mets fans—asked why the Mets would bypass a qualified Latino executive in Minaya. Was this a subtle form of discrimination? Had the Mets chosen Minaya, a Dominican, they would have made history by appointing the first Latino General Manager in Major League Baseball.

Instead, their General Counsel, David Cohen, told us that ownership wanted “more experience.” In other words, the “gray hairs” of Cashen were seen as more reassuring than giving Minaya the historic opportunity he had earned.

It is disheartening that twenty-seven years later, the Mets have once again missed their chance—this time in recognizing and celebrating Latino excellence on the field. In 2025, the Mets held the rare distinction of having both top winners of the LatinoMVP Awards: Francisco Lindor, the 2024 National League LatinoMVP, and Juan Soto, the 2024 American League LatinoMVP. This marked the first time in the 35-year history of our awards that the two premier Latino players of the year, from both leagues, were on the same team.

When the winners were announced in April, we immediately congratulated the Mets and offered to present the awards at Citi Field, as we have done with other organizations across Major League Baseball. We even suggested this could be incorporated into the Mets’ Hispanic Heritage Month activities—a perfect opportunity to celebrate their players while honoring the Latino community that makes up such a significant part of their fan base.

Other teams embraced the opportunity. They welcomed on-field ceremonies that allowed fans to join in celebrating their stars. Many describe our awards as the “Latin Grammys of Baseball,” and every organization treated them as such—except the Mets.

Despite multiple inquiries, the Mets offered only silence until September. Their eventual response shocked us: the awards could be given, but not on the field. Later, they added that the presentations could take place in the locker room. That proposal was deeply disrespectful—not only to the awards, but also to the players, fans, and the Latino community.

We reminded the Mets that, in the past, even when they did not hold on-field ceremonies, they found meaningful alternatives: press conferences, special luncheons, or Hispanic press gatherings. This time, however, the best they offered was “a wall with the Mets logo” in a hallway outside the locker room.

Ultimately, Lindor himself saved the moment. As he walked off the field from batting practice, he saw us and said, “Let’s do this now.” Soto, after being informed in the locker room, also came out to accept his award. Both players, proud of their second LatinoMVP honors, were gracious and appreciative. (Lindor first won in 2016 with Cleveland; Soto in 2021 with Washington.)

Each received a one-of-a-kind watercolor portrait by acclaimed artist James Fiorentino—our tradition instead of trophies or plaques.

And yet, we are left troubled. There was no Mets media representative. No photographer. No social media coverage. No acknowledgment of a historic moment where two of the game’s biggest Latino stars, both Mets—Lindor listed as the fifth most-popular selling jersey across MLB for the 2025 season while Soto ranked sixth—each received the oldest and most prestigious Latino award in MLB.

Once again, the Mets missed their chance. And once again, the Latino community is left asking: Why the disrespect?

We do not believe the Mets organization as a whole disregards Latinos—after all, their roster, coaching staff, and fan base proudly reflect the community. But it is clear that within their media and event departments, there exists a troubling lack of cultural sensitivity, organization, and respect.

For a franchise that could have stood proudly at the forefront of Latino recognition in baseball, the Mets instead chose to push history into a hallway.

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