By WFAN.com
Brodie Van Wagenen fully recognizes how unorthodox a general manager hire he is.
The former player agent made that much clear as he was formally introduced as the Mets' new GM on Tuesday at Citi Field.
"I recognize I am not the path of least resistance," Van Wagenen said. "But I'm confident that Mets fans will understand and believe that this will be a great partnership going forward and that we can bring a championship not only now but in years to come."
The 44-year-old's move from one side of the bargaining table to the other was the focus of nearly every question asked by reporters. Van Wagenen's client list as co-head of CAA's baseball division included Mets Yoenis Cespedes, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Todd Frazier and minor leaguer Tim Tebow.
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Some in the industry, including super agent Scott Boras, have expressed concerns that Van Wagenen could use sensitive, personal information entrusted to him as an agent against a player while acting in the best interest of the organization he now runs.
The Mets obviously took that under advisement. Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon said the organization consulted Commissioner Rob Manfred and Major League Baseball Players Association Executive Director Tony Clark before writing provisions into Van Wagenen's contract to address potential conflicts of interest. Wilpon did not provide details.
Van Wagenen said he spoke to a number of his clients before taking the job.
"There was a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, a tremendous amount of support, and I think a belief that I may be able to bring some fresh perspectives to the team side," he said.
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In July, Van Wagenen said publicly the Mets should trade deGrom, their Cy Young candidate, or sign him to a long-term contract. Now Van Wagenen is deGrom's boss and in position to give him the lucrative deal he insisted months ago the 30-year-old right-hander deserves.
Asked about deGrom's future Tuesday, Van Wagenen said he hopes "to keep him for a long time."
"Jacob deGrom clearly has established himself as the best pitcher in baseball," the new GM said. "Hopefully in a couple of weeks, he'll be awarded with that (Cy Young) trophy. As I said earlier, I think that you want to identify the best players and you want to keep them for as long as possible."
Van Wagenen said he plans to invest in scouting, player development, health and wellness, and analytics. He added that he fully supports manager Mickey Callaway, who went 77-85 in his first season.
Van Wagenen also shared his mission statement: "We will win now. As Jeff (Wilpon) said, we will win in the future. We're going to develop a winning culture and a winning mindset, and we will deliver this city and this fan base a team they can be proud of."
Wilpon said the Mets considered about 40 candidates before selecting a dozen for interviews. The three finalists included Van Wagenen, former Rangers and Brewers general manager Doug Melvin and Rays Vice President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom.
"What stood out was some of the bright ideas he had," Wilpon said of Van Wagenen. "He was excellent in his collaborative approach that he wants to take with our front office. We want to get this franchise to where the fans want it to be, which is ... sustainable years of winning going forward.
"He's going to bring some excitement. He's going to bring a different look at things than we've had from traditional GMs."
