New York Mets: Brodie Van Wagenen melts down on coaching staff

Another week, another sideshow in the New York Mets circus.

Remember back when general manager Brodie Van Wagenen called the New York Mets the team to beat in the NL East? While that statement made some people raise an eyebrow, one could understand the optimism surrounding the club. The Braves had essentially done little in free agency, while the Nationals took a step back. There were questions about the Phillies rotation, and the Marlins? Well, the Mets had a legitimate chance to come away with a playoff berth.

That optimism has long since faded, leaving the Mets on life support. Those struggles are getting to everyone, including their neophyte general manager. Van Wagenen threw a chair during a meeting with the coaching staff, and sent manager Mickey Callaway out of the room to conduct his press conference.

At this point, there is seemingly a new sideshow to the Mets three ring circus every week. Meetings with the coaching staff have become commonplace. Callaway seemingly has a foot out the door, with his bags already packed to head home. 82 year old Phil Regan was brought in as the pitching coach. The players may well have quit on the team, and Callaway thinks that it would take a miracle for the Mets to contend.

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The Mets vaunted offseason acquisitions have not lived up to expectations either. Wilson Ramos has been solid, but the lineup needs him to produce more than a 107 OPS+ with nine homers. New York has gone through backup outfielders the way people go through socks. Jeurys Familia has been a disaster since being brought back as a free agent.

While those players have disappointed, the biggest misstep may be the deal that provided the most optimism. The Mets appeared to have figured out their bullpen by acquiring Edwin Diaz, along with solidifying second base with Robinson Cano. Instead, that has been a disaster.

Cano, instead of looking like the player he had been with the Yankees, simply looks old. The 36 year old has a meager .244/.292/.368 batting line, with only four homers and 17 doubles in 250 plate appearances. Cano is also one of those players that seem to have given up on the season, showing a lack of hustle at times.

Although some slippage could have been expected from Cano, the implosion of Diaz hurts the most. A year after putting together one of the more dominant seasons of any relief pitcher, he has seemingly lost his confidence. Heading into Saturday, he had posted a 5.67 ERA and a 1.470 WHiP, leaving him in danger of losing his role as closer.

So, why not throw a chair? The normally mild mannered Van Wagenen needs to find some way to wake the team up, after all. He had already tried shaking up the bullpen and the bench, and made a move to the coaching staff, all to no avail. Maybe channeling his inner Bobby Knight will make a difference.

Or it could simply be that the New York Mets have the wrong person running the operation. Whether that is on the bench or in the front office is another topic for discussion.