New York Mets looking to the future with Brodie Van Wagenen

The New York Mets decision to name Brodie Van Wagenen as their new general manager could pay tremendous dividends in the future.

The New York Mets have reportedly made a very curious move in naming Brodie Van Wagenen as their new general manager. He was a surprise finalist, along with Rays executive Chaim Bloom, as one of the two contenders for the vacant role. In the end, the Mets are turning to the soon to be former agent to attempt to rebuild the franchise.

This is, in a lot of ways, a puzzling move. Van Wagenen has zero front office experience, or any experience regarding scouting or player development. Meanwhile, he represents a large portion of the Mets roster, including players like Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Yoenis Cespedes, and Brandon Nimmo. He also represents the most famous minor leaguer in baseball – Tim Tebow.

And yet, that may be exactly why the Mets made this decision. The franchise is currently in a state of flux, the disappointment of 2018 still fresh in the minds of ownership. Even without jumping to the other side of the table, Van Wagenen would play a key part in the future, given the number of players he represents on the Mets roster.

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It is that future that the Mets need to find a way to protect. Van Wagenene, in his role as an agent, had been vocal about the Mets need to extend deGrom, or trade him to a team that would do so. He had also made headlines during free agency last year, when he made accusations of collusion, and stated that those frozen out free agents could boycott the coming season.

With ownership looking to contend next season, and beyond, Van Wagenen’s former clients will be a key part. Both deGrom and Syndergaard will be counted on to front the rotation for the next couple of years, if not longer. Van Wagenen could make that happen.

Of course, this is a slippery slope that the Mets are on. There are plenty of pitfalls, where teams could scream collusion. Should deGrom, Syndergaard, or any of his former clients sign a team friendly extension, those cries will only get louder.

Let us not forget the last time an agent moved into the front office either. Dave Stewart went from representing players to taking over the Arizona Diamondbacks. A series of disastrous moves led to his ouster after two seasons. However, Stewart had experience as a coach and an assistant GM prior to his time as an agent, something that Van Wagenen does not have.

The New York Mets future is tied to several of Brodie Van Wagenen’s clients. Bringing him in as general manager could pay off in that regard in the coming years.