As everyone already knows, the 2019 New York Mets have been a dumpster fire. The blame? Everyone. From the Wilpons, to Brodie Van Wagnen, to Mickey Callaway and even the players. However, the issue starts at the top and created the domino effect that possibly destroyed this team for years to come.
Coming off of another disappointing season in 2018, the Wilpons faced the challenge of appointing their next general manager and more importantly, choosing the direction of the team going forward. After passing up on candidates such as Rays senior vice president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom and Cardinals director of player development Gary LaRocque, the Wilpons decided to hire Player agent Brodie Van Wagnen. The problem? Not only did Wagnen not have have any experience in baseball operations, but the Mets had too much to lose.
While their record may not have shown it, the 2018 Mets had young talent that could be built around. Michael Conforto while disappointing, was still a potential all star, Ahmed Rosario was just coming off his first full season and showed flashes that he could still be a very productive shortstop. Brandon Nimmo turned a corner and was 4th in the league in on base percentage. Jeff McNeil showed promise by hitting .329 in 63 games. Fans were optimistic about the future at first base with Pete Alonso. Not to mention, Zach Wheeler finally became the pitcher he was supposed to be and the Mets pitching rotation was still considered one of the best in baseball.
The Wilpons entrusted a potential future core with a man who has zero experience building a baseball team. Too many major decisions were to be made, such as whether or not to rebuild and look to deal the expiring contracts of their big 3 in the rotation (DeGrom, Syndergaard, Wheeler), or should they attempt to contend by tightening the bullpen and using free agency to build the lineup.
This is where this season and possibly the the future issues of this organization becomes Brodie Van Wagnen’s fault. Instead of evaluating the team and their situation as every other new and first time GM would do, he made moves that has now probably hurt this team for years to come. His philosophy to try and “win now” was nothing short of ignorant. The Braves were one of the best teams in the NL, the Phillies were up and coming and were on the verge of landing Bryce Harper, and the nationals had a just as good if not better pitching rotation with the addition of Patrick Corbin in the off season. Trying to patch a few holes was NOT going to win the division. Anybody else hired for the position would have calculated that fairly quickly.
We all know the result of Brodie Van Wagnen’s roster moves to win now. The Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz trade has real potential to go down as the worst trade in the history of the organization considering how well Kelenic and Dunn are progressing.
What is most bothersome, is that the team could theoretically be in the hunt and be buyers at the deadline if Brodie Van Wagnen made only minor acquisitions this off season. If this major trade never happened, Jay Bruce could have added 24 homers and 57 RBI’s to the lineup. Anthony Swarzak would have been the answer that the Mets were looking for regarding the bullpen with a 2.45 ERA. The Mets wouldn’t be committed to Cano for 24 million dollars year and most importantly, the Mets would’ve still had Jared Kelenic and Justin Dunn.
Unfortunately, the worst isn’t over. Only half way through the season, the fate of the organization is still in the hands of Brodie Van Wagnen. After his catastrophic roster moves, his continued backing of Mickey Callaway (who is a complete mess), and throwing chairs because of the problems that HE caused. I don’t understand how the Wilpons are going to allow him to make such important decisions at the deadline regarding Zach Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard.
The best decision the Wilpons can make right now is admit they made a mistake ASAP. They do not need more time to evaluate his performance as the General Manager of the New York Mets. They need to quit before they fall even further behind. Brodie said “Come get us” and they got him. His time is up.
The Jackpot 