So, the 2020 Mets will have a new manager. Brodie Van Wagenen gets the cheese. But, where are we going with this, Brodie?
The 2020 Mets will have a new look. Brodie Van Wagenen gets his wish and he will appoint the third manager in as many years for the New York Mets. But there won’t be an exhaustive search among the many qualified candidates for the job.
And that’s because Van Wagenen had his mind made up about Mickey Callaway on the first day he took the job as General Manager. This leads me to believe Van Wagenen is already in deep discussions with someone whose name will come to the forefront in a matter of days – not weeks.
It’s the way things work in baseball and, generally, in any business. A President appoints his cabinet, in the same way, a CEO wants his man as his Chief Financial Officer. In that way, Brodie Van Wagenen has done nothing wrong.
Do You Trust Brodie Van Wagenen?
I’m not convinced, however, I should trust Van Wagenen’s baseball judgment to make a rational and unbiased choice that makes the Mets better.
All general managers in baseball have an oversized ego. Otherwise, they would not be fit for the stress and controversy that surrounds the job. But Brodie’s ego seems to not pass the stress test. He goes beyond and into a realm in which he appears to have an inkling to be Czar Brodie.
Name another General Manager who makes regular visits to the player’s haven– the clubhouse. There isn’t one, and there’s a good reason why.
I don’t know for sure yet, but I do know this much. Van Wagenen’s choice to replace Callaway will answer the question regarding his motives.
Will he appoint a patsy or a pro? Does he even know who Ned Yost is? Has he talked to team veterans and leaders like Jacob deGrom and Michael Conforto to get their input? Will he even bother to do so?
Will Van Wagenen permit his new manager the privilege of selecting his coaches, or will he insist on keeping his “eye in the dugout”, Jim Riggleman, to ensure he has an inside look at his manager?
You will not see a Joe Maddon or a Bruce Bochy if he wants to stay in the game after the success he had with the Giants. You won’t see a Joe Girardi either. Or, a Buck Showalter. You know why?
These men have a baseball pedigree. They are stars in their own right. They have an innate power they carry with them wherever they shall roam. In short, they are bigger than Van Wagenen – and he will do everything he can to avoid men like them.
This Was A Coup – And All About Power
The move to replace Mickey Callaway was not about the New York Mets. Because if it was about The Team, Callaway would still be the manager today. Moreover, Callaway would be given his choice of who he wants as his bench coach, someone he trusts to help with those in-game decisions that have gone awry in the past.
Mickey Callaway was never afforded that opportunity. Will Brodie follow the same path with his guy?
Any manager in baseball needs a team within a team. His coaches are invaluable, and the loyalty and trust between them are of paramount importance. Ask Dave Cash what he thinks of his Tampa Bay coaches. Ask the same of Craig Counsell, the manager of the Milwaukee Brewers.
No, this was an out-and-out power grab by Brodie Van Wagenen.
And because of that, I fear the worst for the Mets as a team on the cusp of greatness. I hope I’m wrong. We’ll know shortly…
If you can keep a straight face, this sounds like a press conference introducing Callaway as the Mets new manager…(Video)
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
