By Dalton Allison
Now that Billy Eppler is gone, and has etched his name into forgettable Mets lore, it might be just the perfect time to evaluate Brodie Van Wagenen’s performance as General Manager from October 2018 through November 2020. Yes, you read that right. While it is easy to judge a general manager in the immediate wake of their departure, it is important to look back at the decisions that they made during their tenure that are impacting the current team. Van Wagenen’s time will always be marked by the trade that netted the Mets Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano in exchange for Jarred Kelenic and Justin Dunn. While at first this seemed like a failed trade due to the projected impact of Kelenic and the initial shortcomings of Edwin Diaz in New York, the trade has panned out to be a clear Mets victory. This made me think, are there any other transactions or moves made by Van Wagenen that have a positive impact on this current Mets squad?
The Mets did not make the playoffs while he was in charge, even though the 2019 team finished 86-76 and three games out of a playoff spot. He fired Mickey Callaway after that 2019 season, and hired, then fired Carlos Beltran before landing on Luis Rojas to lead the team. Rojas would go on to have a lackluster tenure with the Mets as well, lasting only through the 2021 season. Suffice to say, Van Wagenen did have the opportunity to make that many management decisions, but he missed on his selection of Rojas.
No comments:
Post a Comment