The New York Mets introduced new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen on Tuesday afternoon at Citi Field, the 13th in franchise history.
Van Wagenen officially steps in for Sandy Alderson, who left his post during the 2018 season due to cancer treatment. In his absence, the front office was run by the trio of J.P. Riccardi, John Ricco and Omar Minaya. All three have retained their roles in the Mets front office while Van Wagenen enters uncharted territory.
The 44-year-old has made a name for himself around Major League Baseball as a top representative of CAA, one of the game’s best agencies. He represented notable Mets such as Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Yoenis Cespedes and Todd Frazier.
“It’s a little different experience on this side of the podium,” Van Wagenen admitted. “I’m excited, this is a great opportunity and I’m looking forward to it… I don’t think Cespedes had this big of a crowd.”
Van Wagenen beat out a group of over 40 candidates for the job, including a final grouping that also included Doug Melvin and Chaim Bloom, according to Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. What put Van Wagenen over the top was his deep analytical and scouting background that will help with player development.
The word “player” was a focal point of Van Wagenen’s throughout his introduction as he laid the groundwork for his plan moving forward.
“I believe players should be celebrated, they should be a focal point of any good organization…they will be a priority of this franchise going forward,” Van Wagenen said. “If you provide players with the support, with the resources they need… they will be rewarded for their performances.”
One of those players, the Mets ace deGrom, was at the center of trade talks throughout the summer during his stellar 2018 campaign which will likely end up with the NL Cy Young Award. Van Wagenen implored the Mets to start negotiating a contract extension or begin searching for a trade.
Naturally, it was one of the first questions that Van Wagenen encountered as Mets GM.
“Clearly, he has established himself as the best pitcher in baseball… I think you want to try and identify the best players and keep them for as long as possible,” Van Wagenen said. “I believe Jacob deGrom is an incredible talent and I hope to keep him for a long time.”
Wilpon was quick to point out though that there are provisions in his contract that will deal with any conflicts of interest when it comes to negotiating new deals.
Van Wagenen will now be tasked with trying to turn around a Mets organization that has trudged through two losing seasons behind lack of spending on the market, poor player development and injuries.
Yet he doesn’t think it will be long before he puts together a contender.
“We will start with our major-league roster where we already have some of the best talents in the league…. we will infuse new talent… we will be creative,” Van Wagenen said. We will invest in analytics, scouting, and health and wellness.”
“We will win now, we will win in the future. We are going to develop a winning culture, winning mindset. We will deliver this city and this fanbase a team they can be proud of.”
