Former New York Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen Joins Jay-Z Roc Nation Sports as COO

Former New York Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen was hired as COO of Roc Nation Sports on Wednesday, returning to the representation business two years after his unconventional jump to a front office at baseball.

Van Wagenen, 46, had previously worked with Roc Nation when he was co-director of the baseball division of the Creative Artists Agency, helping to negotiate nine-figure contracts for Robinson Cano and Yoenis Cespedes.

The Mets fired Van Wagenen as part of a major overhaul of their baseball operations department when Steve Cohen bought the team in November. Roc Nation, owned by Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and directed by Juan Perez, has offered a role that includes head of strategy and business development titles.

“We believed in the vision Jay and Juan had in 2013,” Van Wagenen said. “We stayed in constant contact with them. It was a natural return.”

Van Wagenen, whose clients included Cano, Cespedes, Jacob deGrom and Tim Tebow, said he would focus on more general issues rather than the day-to-day work of his past as a baseball agent, but that he would remain active in the world of baseball.

“Brodie’s knowledge of the business is beyond dispute and unprecedented,” Carter said in a statement. “Since we first worked with Brodie, we’ve realized the shared commitment to athletes on and off the field. He’s always been an extended family and now it’s official.”

Van Wagenen’s tenure with the Mets began with a successful trade that sent top prospect Jarred Kelenic to the Seattle Mariners for Cano and closer All-Star Edwin Diaz. Although the Mets improved to 86-76 in Van Wagenen’s first year, they did not make the playoffs. After the team fought for a fourth place finish in 2020, Cohen emptied the front office.