CLOCK'S TICKING
A new Mets owner could mean time's up for Van Wagenen's reign
You ask, we answer. The Post is fielding questions from readers about New York’s biggest pro sports teams and getting our beat writers to answer them in a series of regularly published mailbags. In today’s installment: the Mets.
What are the odds Brodie Van Wagenen will be replaced as GM with the ownership change?
— @goredstorm
Just as Van Wagenen at the end of last season saw an opportunity to hire his own manager, the likelihood is strong that a new owner will want a handpicked GM, especially given that Van Wagenen isn’t established in the mold of a Brian Cashman or Theo Epstein.
But there are variables that would have an effect on such a potential change.
For instance, if a deal to sell the team isn’t finalized before the start of the offseason, would they really want to overhaul the front office and conduct a GM search at a time the Mets will be focused on addressing the roster? Also, if the Mets were to make a run deep into the postseason, would that give a new owner pause in instituting changes upon arrival?
There is also this factor to consider: The Mets’ power structure, as presently constituted, has Van Wagenen reporting directly to Fred and Jeff Wilpon. A new owner could very well decide to add another layer, with a team president who would oversee the entire organization and decide on the GM.
Van Wagenen will only be halfway through his four-year contract after this season. But a new owner paying upwards of $2 billion for the franchise likely isn’t going to worry about a potential buyout settlement.
I know I’m looking way ahead, but if Yoenis Cespedes is healthy and the DH is here to stay would the Mets bring him back? — @ChaseMonkey1
Cespedes has already returned to the Mets twice after he had opportunities to depart, so I wouldn’t rule out anything. But the Mets have so many options to fill that DH role — starting with Robinson Cano, who will be paid through 2023 — that the team might be better served using the possibilities already signed or under club control. J.D. Davis and Dominic Smith are two other bats that could factor into a future DH role. And if the Mets pick up Wilson Ramos’ option (or sign J.T. Realmuto) they would probably want to have that DH spot available once or twice weekly to keep the catcher fresh.
Let’s get a little dark for a minute. Who on this team has the potential to be the next Justin Turner or Jeff Kent?
— @TheGHThree The Mets didn’t realize what they had in Turner or Kent, both of whom were late bloomers. You could probably add Daniel Murphy to that list, although his 2015 postseason was an indicator that team brass ignored during his free agency.
On this roster, I can envision Dominic Smith getting lost in the shuffle, buried behind Pete Alonso and miscast somewhat as a corner outfielder. If the Mets traded him to a team that could give him 500 atbats in a season, it would be interesting to see the final product. But the Mets are certainly more aware of Smith’s potential than what they had in players such as Turner and Kent.
What is the Mets’ ideal batting order?
— Calvin Hill Beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to constructing lineups. In a vacuum, I would go Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, Yoenis Cespedes, J.D. Davis, Robinson Cano, Wilson Ramos, Brandon Nimmo and Amed Rosario. But the information the Mets have on pitchers will likely play a significant role in Luis Rojas’ daily decisions.
Has Brodie Van Wagenen mentioned anything about the state of the Mets’ farm system?
— @jonjy36 Van Wagenen is bullish on the farm system, but his optimism mainly stems from the lower levels and the players who have entered the organization over the last two seasons. The Mets believe they hit the jackpot in the last two amateur drafts, adding higher-end players in Matt Allan, Brett Baty, Pete CrowArmstrong and JT Ginn, but it’s early. Top prospect Ronny Mauricio is still probably two or three years away. Van Wagenen traded Jarred Kelenic, Justin Dunn, Anthony Kay and Simeon WoodsRichardson to address the present, but is still waiting for those deals to bear fruit.
A decade later, Melky Cabrera is back in New York City — under wildly different circumstances.
He’s 35, fighting for a job amid a global pandemic, hoping to prove to the Mets he warrants a spot on their 30-man roster. It’s far different than when he was here last, as a major part of the 2009 World Series champion Yankees.
“With the opportunity I have, I’m able to bring veteran leadership and also with the versatility I have of being a switch hitter, any position you put me in I think I can help the team,” he said on Sunday on a Zoom call at Citi Field.
If Cabrera does make the Mets, it would be as a reserve, barring something unforeseen. But the Mets have talked about trying to find a role for him, potentially as a part-time designed hitter and even as a backup first baseman, despite the abundance of such players on the roster. Cabrera, an outfielder his entire career, has never played first base in the major leagues, but he has seen time at the position in winter ball.
“I’m just here to give my all and help the team any way that I can,” he said.
The Mets are Cabrera’s ninth team. Last season, he hit .280/.330/ .399 with seven home runs and 47 RBIs in 133 games with the Pirates. He was a free agent until the Mets picked him up June 29, reuniting him with close friend and former Yankees teammate Robinson Cano.
➤ Manager Luis Rojas was encouraged by what he saw from Dellin Betances in Saturday’s intrasquad game. The right-handed reliever, coming off a torn Achilles’ tendon that ended his 2019 season, retired all three batters he faced, and his fastball got up to the mid-90s, an improvement from where he was last clocked, in the 92-93 mph range.
“The zip on his fastball is there. His breaking balls, they’re nasty,” Rojas said.