A look at Brodie Van Wagenen’s best and worst moves during his tenure as Mets GM that ended on Friday:
Hit
Jacob deGrom: Van Wagenen as GM oversaw the five-year extension worth $ 137.5 million his former CAA client received prior to the start of the 2019 season. DeGrom had announced that negotiations would end early in the season, but the sides reached an agreement on the last day of spring training. Compared to the $ 324 million seven-year deal free agent Gerrit Cole received from the Yankees after the season, deGrom is a steal for the Mets.
JD Davis: With a push from GM assistant Adam Guttridge, the Mets landed Davis, then an unknown quantity, from Houston in December 2018 without giving up any significant talent. Davis grew into an everyday gamer and a more than respectable right-handed man.
Pete Alonso: The rookie first baseman was added to the opening day roster in 2019 as Van Wagenen avoided the tactic of manipulating service time. Alonso set an MLB rookie record with 53 homers and a new level of trust may have been established between the organization’s young players and the front office.
The design: Under Van Wagenen, the Mets implemented a strategy to draw players with higher uptrends who were at risk of not signing. Van Wagenen scored both times, with pitchers Matt Allan and JT Ginn receiving over-slot deals backing the 2019 and 2020 drafts.
Missing
Robinson Cano / Edwin Diaz: The organization’s best prospect, Jarred Kelenic, was given to the Mariners as part of a deal for Cano and Diaz. Both were disappointments in 2019 before recovering last season. Cano, a former Van Wagenen CAA customer, has put a salary of $ 100 million on the Mets’ payroll over a five-year period.
Jed Lowrie: Van Wagenen signed a two-year contract worth $ 20 million to his former client, for which the Mets received a total of eight record appearances over two seasons from the veteran infielder, who was struggling with various injuries. The Mets remained evasive of Lowrie’s diagnosis and prognosis almost until his deal was closed.
Marcus Stroman: Van Wagenen anticipated Zack Wheeler’s exit through the free agency and swapped pitching prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson for the Blue Jays for Stroman, who signed off this past season after starting eleven games for the Mets in 2019. The right-hander recently received a qualifying offer from the Mets that, according to a source, is likely to be turned down in order to seek a multi-year deal in the open market.
Rick Porcello / Michael Wacha: Van Wagenen, in need of rotation assistance, signed both free agents at last year’s winter meetings and watched them both flop in 2020.
Carlos Beltran: Van Wagenen hired the former Mets star as a manager and persuaded him to step down just 77 days later after Beltran’s role in the Astro’s illegal sign theft program was exposed. One may wonder if Van Wagenen has properly checked Beltran.
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