2024-07-23 21:35:01
The wife of 65-year-old former Mets general manager Omar Minaya was abruptly found dead at the couple’s New Jersey home Monday, authorities say, though they do not suspect any criminality at this time.
Minaya, who is currently with the Yankees in a front office role, was not at their Harrington Park home when his wife Rachel, 55, was found unconscious around 3:30 p.m. Saturday, according to police.
She was pronounced dead at a hospital about an hour later.
The Bergen County prosecutor says his office is investigating.
The circumstances involved do not appear suspicious, however a ruling on the cause and manner of death is pending, investigators say. They are releasing no further information at this time.
More information is expected to be released as it becomes available.
The Yankees organization said the Minaya family “is an extension of the baseball family, and this is a loss that is deeply felt among all of us.” Minaya is currently a senior advisor in the Yankees baseball operations department.
“The Yankees are devastated to learn of the passing of Rachel Minaya, the wife of Yankees Baseball Operations Senior Advisor Omar Minaya,” the Yankees said in a statement. “To those closest to her, she was a loving and compassionate mother and wife, and a huge supporter of her family and loved ones.”
Omar Minaya, 65, was with the Mets starting in the mid-1990s. He worked his way up to assistant general manager behind Steve Phillips and later became the first Latino to hold a general manager job in the MLB with the Expos. Then he went back to the Mets after the 2004 season and made notable signings, including Pedro Martinez and Carlos Beltran. After some organizational shakeups and a stint with the Padres, Minaya landed back with the Mets in 2017.
He was fired two hours after Steve Cohen bought the team. He joined with the Yankees as a senior advisor to baseball operations in January 2023.
“We were tremendously saddened to learn of Rachel Minaya’s passing,” Cohen and his wife, Alex, said in a statement. “Omar had a substantial impact on our organization and his wife, Rachel, was always by his side every step of the way. The Minayas have been dear friends of ours for years and we extend our deepest condolences to Omar’s entire family and loved ones.”
Minaya was drafted by the Athletics in the 1978 MLB Draft. He had a short-lived playing career.
