New Mets GM vows to bring winning culture
New Mets General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen vowed to bring a winning culture of positivity to the club.
NEW YORK >> At first, the New York Mets reached out to Brodie Van Wagenen simply for recommendations.
Preparing to begin a general manager search last summer, Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon already had a long relationship with Van Wagenen and figured the powerful player agent could offer some quality candidates thanks to his vast network of contacts developed during nearly two decades of negotiations.
Turned out, the more they talked, Wilpon started to think Van Wagenen himself was the right man for the job — despite his unorthodox background.
And when Wilpon late in the season suggested Van Wagenen switch sides at the bargaining table to take over
the Mets’ baseball operations, Van Wagenen was intrigued. They discussed all the parameters over a private breakfast, and an atypical idea soon became a reality.
“I recognize I am not the path of least resistance,” Van Wagenen said Tuesday.
At a crowded news conference in a sprawling club area on the fifth floor of Citi Field, the 44-year-old Van Wagenen was introduced as the 13th general manager in Mets history. Given a fouryear contract, he vowed to bring a winning culture of positivity to a stumbling organization coming off consecutive losing seasons.
“I intend for players to be the priority of this franchise going forward,” Van Wagenen said, wearing a necktie in Mets blue and orange. “We have a lot of work to do in the coming days and weeks to build a championship roster and to put a good process in place for good decision-making. But I want to assure all Mets fans that every person in this organization will be fearless and relentless in our pursuit of greatness. Everyone will be working together in this effort.”
Wilpon called the GM search exhausting. He said it began with a list of about 40 names that was narrowed to 10-12 candidates and then three finalists. And he detailed why he and his father, Mets owner Fred Wilpon, chose Van Wagenen to replace Sandy Alderson and build a “sustainable” winner.