It happened without much fanfare. It was nothing more than a ho-hum hiring to some. But to many astute Met fans, the hiring of Wayne Krivsky as an Assistant GM is huge. This is a hiring that could have a drastic effect on the organization down the road. Don't discount this move by the Mets. This is one hiring, that may very well change the face of the Mets moving forward. So, I ask the following questions: Who, what, when, where, and why?

Who hired Krivsky?
Despite what the involved parties say, who wanted Krivsky to join the Mets? Despite Minaya's claim that Willie Randolph's firing was his call, we know that is not the case, so we can no longer believe Minaya when he says that hiring Krivsky was his call. Granted, he and Krivsky have a past relationship, but this move has Jeff Wilpon written all over it. If it was the Jeff Wilpon's call, then Krivsky was hired to put a scare into Minaya and/or Tony Bernazard. Krivsky may very well be the next Mets GM in the not too distant future.

What does this mean for the Mets?
What duties will Krivsky take on? We know his duties have been described as "scouting". The fact is that the Mets have plenty of scouts, and they don't need another. Then again, what exactly have the Mets scouts been doing? The results would suggest they're not doing much of anything.

When was the decision made to hire Krivsky?
This wasn't done overnight. Was the decision to hire Krivsky made before Randolph's firing? Was it made after Minaya made the Mets look like bush leaguers with the way Randolph was fired?

Where will Krivsky fit in with Tony Bernazard already being groomed for a GM job?
Where exactly is Krivsky on the depth chart? Is he ahead, or behind Tony Bernazard?

Why was Krivsky brought in?
Ah, the $64,000 question. Perhaps the most difficult question since "Who wrote Swanee River?" (if you're not a Honeymooners fan, ignore that last line). Why exactly was he hired? The possible scenarios are the following:
* Tony Bernazard is about to become GM of the Seattle Mariners.
* Tony Bernazard is about to be fired.
* Omar Minaya is in danger, and the Wilpons took it upon themselves to hire Krivsky to take over for Minaya following the season. It's no secret that the Mets took a terrible PR hit following Randolph's firing, and it was pretty much all on Minaya. The Wilpons may be realizing that Minaya is in over his head as the Mets General Manager. In addition, you have to wonder which free agents will want to come to the Mets knowing how Minaya has been handling this team? That's where Krivsky will make an impact.
* The Wilpons hired Krivsky to knock Bernazard off his pedestal. Despite negative reports about his involvement in Randolph's firing, Bernazard denies the accusations, and he continues to strut around as if he owns the Mets.
* The Wilpons realized that this team has too much of a Latin flavor, and the culture needs some adjustments. Following Randolph's firing, we heard for the first time, how the predominantly Latino clubhouse was a cause for Randolph's failures. Let's face it, if the American-born players need to discuss an issue involving a Latino player, who are they going to speak to...the bat boy?
* The Mets want Adam Dunn, and they felt Krivsky would help secure his services (I know it's a stretch, but hey...we're talking about the Mets here).

And so now, we wait and watch the soap opera continue. You'd have to think Krivsky could have waited for a GM position to become available. His resume isn't too shabby with the future of the Reds looking awfully bright, in part because of his deals and refusal to part with minor leaguers. He could have been patient and waited for a GM opportunity (Seattle and possibly Toronto), but he chose to join the Mets as an assistant. I'm not buying this as being just an average run-of-the-mill hiring. Something is up in Metville. Only time will tell. Who, what, when, where, and why? I don't know....oh wait, he's on third. So go the Mets.



Court Adjourned!