NewYork.Mets.com

By Kevin T. Czerwinski / MLB.com

Omar Minaya has reportedly offered a three-year deal to Pedro Martinez. (Mark Humphrey/AP)

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Take Al Leiter, for example. When the club decided not to offer him arbitration on Tuesday or sign him for the 2005 season, Minaya was clearly thinking with his head and not his heart. Though Leiter's departure -- he signed a one-year deal with Florida on Wednesday morning -- is the latest in a series of moves that have seen some of the club's elder statesmen depart, Minaya is confident that losing the veteran southpaw or relievers Mike Stanton and John Franco won't have an adverse impact on his team.

"I'm just trying to get, I want to say younger," Minaya said Wednesday afternoon, before heading out to Anaheim for the Winter Meetings. "At the end of the day, I have to make decisions where we will be a better team next year and at the end of the year. We have some young guys and we are in transition. But we would like to be as competitive as possible next year."

And in the long run, Minaya believes the club can be more competitive without Leiter. He has reportedly made a three-year offer to Pedro Martinez, who was offered arbitration by Boston on Tuesday, and is expected to talk some more with Martinez's representatives this weekend. The Mets, however, did not receive a counteroffer Wednesday from the Martinez camp as some suspected they would. While Minaya wouldn't comment on specific free agents, it's no secret he covets Martinez and would love to make him the final piece in New York's rotation.

That, more than anything else, was the impetus behind letting Leiter go.

"We got to a point where we tried to get a deal done and we were not able to agree on a deal," Minaya said of Leiter. "It was a tough decision on Al. We got past the 15th [of November] where we didn't pick up his option and he was able to speak with other clubs. At some point, after we agreed to each explore other options, he said he was interested in coming back.

"After that, though, I thought some things out, there were some potential deals out there. We agreed to explore other options and I owed it to use to explore some more. There were some things in the market, as a general manager of a club, that I had to explore and we're still exploring those things. I like Al Leiter a lot. I think he's done a lot and I've seen him in big games but it's time to move on."

Though Minaya didn't have a problem with how the Mets and Leiter parted company, Leiter seemed somewhat offended by how the negotiations were handled. He said during a conference call with writers on Wednesday that his initial preference was to stay in New York, and while he's viewing his experience with the Mets as a positive, the end was a sour.

"The only thing I'm disappointed about after all these years, knowing my place and who I am and what my experiences were, I would have been the dialogue would have been a little more direct and straight forward," Leiter said. "The dialogue I had with the Mets was very convoluted and fuzzy. It wasn't forthright. I can think of things to say badly, but I'm not."

Minaya wouldn't make any predictions about what would happen this weekend in Anaheim but he once again mentioned how trades and signings seem to have a domino effect. That much was evident by Leiter's signing with the Fish and Jon Lieber signing with the Phillies on Wednesday. Moves like those, Minaya believes, could get things snowballing.

A power bat, be it at first base or in the outfield, is on Minaya's shopping list as is a starting pitcher should Martinez not end up in Queens. Minaya said he wants to upgrade the defense as well, particularly at first. The club has an eye on Richie Sexson, whom despite published reports, has not received an offer from the Mets. Carlos Delgado and Troy Glaus are also on the free agent radar screen while Texas remains a possible shopping partner in the trade market with Mark Teixeira a target if the right match can be made.

"I'm far along in talking to clubs and agents and I hope to get something accomplished," he said. "But like I always say, Opening Day isn't until April 2. It's not like we have to do something right away. But I think some of the signings we saw today will have a domino effect that impacts all clubs."

Kevin Czerwinski is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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