Reese Kaplan -- Did Jeff See in Brodie the Man He Wants to Be?

In an online discussion elsewhere, a longtime friend, John, made a very astute observation and even suggested that it formed the basis of a column for me.  I have to agree.  Thanks, mi amigo…

Anyway, the subject that led up to John’s suggestion was Brodie Van Wagenen and how he fared vs. previous general managers.  As conversations take twists and turns, that led us down the rabbit hole of wondering aloud how exactly did BVW land this gig with no experience on his resume on this side of the desk when it came to building winning ball clubs. 

So here is where John threw his oratorical curveball (assuming it’s fair to call written words oratory).  He posited that the reason Jeff Wilpon gave Brodie the job is that his golfing buddy represents everything Jeffy is not – he’s a handsome, self-made success who is confident, bold, brash and willing to take risks.  He further suggested that Sandy Alderson did not have the same freedom to act that BVW apparently has been granted by his putting green cohort. 

Wow, there’s an interesting theory there.  Let’s take them one at a time.  Yes, Brodie Van Wagenen is indeed GQ Magazine handsome and nattily attired.  Jeff Wilpon has a kind of opossum-face look going for him. 

Brodie built his business by wooing both clients and general managers to believe not only in his vision but also in his price.  He became a multi-millionaire not by birthright but through creativity and hard work.  Jeff, by contrast, didn’t finish college and arguably is only employed due to Daddy’s largesse. 

Whether you agree or disagree with the moves Brodie made during his rookie season in the big chair in the front office, no one can dispute he was indeed bold and brash.  Some criticized him for targeting his former clients to be paid huge sums of Wilpon money in BVW’s attempt to remake the team from also-ran into contender.  Some felt he was mortgaging the future in an ill-fated attempt to win now. 

By contrast, Sandy Alderson often operated as if the draft and the scrap heap were the primary means at his disposal to try to extricate the Mets from the basement, eschewing trades and avoiding the top tier free agent market entirely.  He also was stubbornly married to what had worked in in the past, often bidding against himself for players like Yoenis Cespedes when no one was clamoring for his services and then used this approach as an excuse to avoid spending on anything else.

BVW viewed the farm system as chips to trade to try to strengthen the team now.  All of the peddled players were from the Alderson regime.  Other clubs felt they had value, so you have to tip your cap to the former GM for setting up the new one for his relatively successful first year. 

Finally we get to the issue of freedom of movement.  Think what Brodie Van Wagenen did in his first season in charge.  He unloaded a few contracts that were not considered working for the Mets, including Jay Bruce and Anthony Swarzak.  He got Seattle to pay down Robinson Cano’s contract as well and that enabled him to land the reigning Fireman of the Year in Edwin Diaz, a close to minimum wage closer with years of team control left.

Now you can’t fault BVW for what Diaz did on the field.  On paper that looked like a rock-solid acquisition.  If you want to quibble about that deal, pick on the next four years of Cano’s presence which is a high price to pay for the twilight of someone’s career.  Then when he got off to a horrendous first half with time spend on the IL multiple times, the whispers turned into screams that it was a bad deal.  Of course, it didn’t help that Jared Kelenic started off like a house afire when both of the former Mariners were pooping the bed.

Somewhat lost in the things that didn’t work was the revamping of the front office, the new emphasis on performance metrics and the identification of undervalued assets worth acquiring.  You need look no further than JD Davis to see why he traded three prospects to obtain him. 

It seemed at times that at times Sandy Alderson stubbornness in adhering to his long-term strategy of building from within was his downfall.  I’ve pointed out on numerous occasions with incredulity the year of 2016 into 2017 when the Mets chose not to add a single major league player to the team, instead sitting on their pennant-losing laurels that all would continue to produce and evolve.  It didn’t. 

So what do you think was Jeff Wilpon’s motivation for hiring Brodie Van Wagenen?  Was it a kind of nepotism, bringing a family friend into the front office?  Was he really the best option available?  Or was it Fred finally acquiesce to the influence of the Billy Carter of his family as a means of showing us he’s indeed stepping further into the background and letting Jeffy take a more prominent role?   

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Let's take a moment to salute the modern-day Anthony Young who was working on a multi-season 0-14 record, Paul Sewald, who last night FINALLY got his first major league win.  That's 1-14 for your big league career, Paul...and probably winning it in the bottom of the 11th after Brandon Nimmo's walk-off base on balls drove in the winning run made it even sweeter.