A look at Brodie Van Wagenen’s best and worst moves during his tenure as Mets GM, which ended Friday:
Hits
Jacob deGrom: Van Wagenen as GM oversaw the five-year extension worth $137.5 million his former CAA client received before the start of the 2019 season. DeGrom had said he would end negotiations once the season started, but the sides reached agreement on the final day of spring training. In comparison to the seven-year contract worth $324 million that free agent Gerrit Cole received from the Yankees after the season, deGrom is a steal for the Mets.
J.D. Davis: With a push from assistant GM Adam Guttridge, the Mets landed Davis, then an unknown quantity, from Houston in December 2018 without surrendering significant talent. Davis blossomed into an everyday player and more than respectable right-handed bat.
Pete Alonso: The rookie first baseman was placed on the Opening Day roster in 2019, as Van Wagenen avoided the tactic of trying to manipulate service time. Alonso set a MLB rookie record with 53 homers, and a new trust level was perhaps established between the organization’s young players and the front office.
The draft: Under Van Wagenen, the Mets implemented a strategy of drafting higher-upside players who were a risk not to sign. Van Wagenen hit both times, with pitchers Matt Allan and JT Ginn receiving over-slot deals that bolstered the 2019 and 2020 drafts.
Misses
Robinson Cano/Edwin Diaz: The organization’s top prospect, Jarred Kelenic, was dealt to the Mariners as part of a trade for Cano and Diaz. Both were disappointments in 2019 before rebounding last season. Cano, a former CAA client of Van Wagenen’s, added $100 million in salary over five years to the Mets’ payroll.
Jed Lowrie: Van Wagenen gave his former client a two-year contract worth $20 million, for which the Mets received a total of eight plate appearances over two seasons from the veteran infielder, who battled various injuries. The Mets remained evasive about Lowrie’s diagnosis and prognosis almost until the completion of his deal.
Marcus Stroman: Anticipating Zack Wheeler’s departure through free agency, Van Wagenen traded pitching prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods Richardson to the Blue Jays for Stroman, who opted out from this past season after starting 11 games for the Mets in 2019. The right-hander recently received a qualifying offer from the Mets, which a source indicated he is leaning toward rejecting to seek a multi-year deal on the open market.
Rick Porcello/Michael Wacha: In need of rotation help, Van Wagenen signed both free agents at last year’s winter meetings and watched both of them flop in 2020.
Carlos Beltran: Van Wagenen hired the former Mets star as manager and then persuaded him to step aside only 77 days later, after Beltran’s role in the Astros’ illegal sign-stealing scheme had been uncovered. It’s fair to wonder if Beltran had been vetted properly by Van Wagenen.
