The Mets’ new regime has been widely praised for turning the franchise around, with Steve Cohen, Billy Eppler, and Buck Showalter changing the culture, and, in turn, the team’s standing in the National League for the better.
But what about those who were around before the turnaround?
One caller suggested that former GM Brodie Van Wagenen deserves credit for the current state of the Mets, so Boomer and Gio revisited some of Van Wagenen’s moves as general manager to determine if credit is deserved.
Of course, the starting point is the big trade that brought Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano over from Seattle, which was initially seen as an astronomical disaster before Diaz completely turned himself around. Cano never did, but Gio says landing Diaz does deserve some kudos.
“There’s one guy who stands out big time that he deserves credit for,” Gio said, referencing Diaz. “Jared Kelenic hasn’t done a damn thing and Edwin Diaz is the best closer in baseball.
“Outside of that?”
“I don’t know what else he did,” Boomer replied.
But Gio did throw another move out there, the signing of Jacob deGrom to a five-year extension prior to the 2019 season. DeGrom won another Cy Young in 2019, then was on a historic pace last season before injuries cropped up.
But Boomer is still giving Van Wagenen a gold star for that signing.
“Absolutely,” Boomer said. “I don’t know if he’s necessarily lived up to it just because of all the injuries, it’s a reasonable contract given what some guys are making and what he’s probably going to opt out and ask for.”
There have been GMs in the past that made their mark before moving on or being let go, but in the end, Boomer and Gio don’t think Van Wagenen is one of them.
“It has happened before…you talked many times about the things Garth Snow did before Lou [Lamoriello] came in, and all the players that ended up blossoming, and all of a sudden you’ve got a team,” Gio said, referencing the Islanders. “But with Brodie? He’s just not one of those guys.”
Boomer agrees.
“It just feels like it’s such a better organization,” Boomer said. “They finally got professionals in every aspect of the organization all tied together.”
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