Why are the Mets passing on Manny Ramirez?

While the Yankees’ front office may be moving today, there are plenty of free agents out there who haven’t moved to a new team. And Manny Ramirez, of course, is the biggest name.

So where will he end up? I still think – and hope – he’ll be a Yankee this year. But it looks like the Mets’ David Wright has a “Man crush,” as the New York Post calls it, on Manny. He told this to the media yesterday after his poignant visit to a children’s hospital:

“I know what (Ramirez) has done on the field, and that’s impressive,” Wright said. “When you can single-handedly take a team and carry it into the postseason, and then once you get into the postseason the numbers speak for themselves, that’s impressive.

“I would be on board with Manny 100 percent, assuming that he comes in and puts the team first and wants to be part of this thing and wants to win.”

But the Mets’ Jeff Wilpon quickly threw cold water on the idea of Ramirez as a Met, telling Bloomberg News:

“I know the perception out there again is that ownership said no,” Wilpon said yesterday at Citi Field, the Mets’ new ballpark. “I don’t have the opportunity to say no because Omar hasn’t brought it to me as an option. Omar and the baseball staff aren’t interested.”

And this, Squawker Jon, is why your Mets will always play second fiddle to the Yanks. Omar Minaya has openly coveted Manny Ramirez for years. And now that he’s available, all of a sudden Omar’s not interested? What, Fernando Tatis was just too good to take out of left field for Manny? Gimme a break.

Jon, you can criticize the Yankees for overspending, but at least they’re willing to do what it takes to assemble the best team. Both teams have shiny new ballparks, and cable networks, yet while the Yanks signed three top free agents this year, your team is picking up the likes of Alex Cora, Tim Redding and Freddy Garcia, and passing on Derek Lowe.

In fact, the only big-name free agent the Mets have picked up was Francisco Rodriguez, and that was back in early December, before the Bernie Madoff scandal broke. (The J.J. Putz trade was before Madoff as well.) Heck, your team hasn’t even re-signed Oliver Perez.

So how much money, exactly, did the Wilpons lose with Madoff? No wonder they’re hanging on to that CitiField sponsorship for dear life!

Where do you think Manny Ramirez will end up? Leave us a comment!