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The Mets have worked hard in recent years with Brodie Van Wagenen, an important agent who has worked for Mets players such as Jacob deGrom, Yoenis Cespedes, Brandon Nimmo and Todd Frazier.
Now the Mets are negotiating with Van Wagenen in a different and unorthodox way: letting him fill the position of general manager. After a search that resulted in two finalists, Van Wagenen became the lead candidate, according to three people familiar with the negotiations who were not allowed to speak in public because an agreement had not been finalized.
As Van Wagenen, 44, has no experience as a team leader, the other finalist, Chaim Bloom, 35, senior vice president of baseball operations for the Tampa Bay Rays, seemed safer. Van Wagenen should also overcome his concerns about conflicts of interest because the sensitive information that actors tend to share with their agents – including their lowest salary expectations in a negotiation.
"I would be confident in suggesting that the understanding and appreciation of the confidential information remains unchanged," said Tony Clark, Executive Director of the Players Union.
The Mets were not to introduce their new general manager until at least next week, after the end of the World Series, the Boston Red Sox lead on the Los Angeles Dodgers, 2-1.
Anyone who inherits Mets baseball will have a lot of work to do. After reaching the World Series in 2015 and returning to the playoffs in 2016, the team has gone through two consecutive losing seasons and changed director. Questions will also remain about the power that a new CEO will have given the owners, the Wilpon family, the reputation of being heavily involved in the team's operations.
Van Wagenen, who played baseball at Stanford University, negotiated nine-figure contracts for stars such as Ryan Zimmerman, Robinson Cano and Cespedes. This year, Forbes ranked Van Wagenen 25th among the most powerful sports agents. Thanks to his clients, he knows the inner workings of the Mets.
Van Wagenen would replace Sandy Alderson, who resigned in June after more than seven years due to a recurrence of cancer. In the meantime, the Mets were led by three members: Deputy Director General John Ricco and Special Assistants J. P. Ricciardi and Omar Minaya.
Agents moved into the wickets of baseball and other sports with mixed results. Dave Stewart, a former pitcher, left his agency to become the Arizona Diamondbacks general manager in 2014, but lasted only two seasons, losing both.
Rick Hahn and Dennis Gilbert both gave up their careers as agents to become executives with the Chicago White Sox; Hahn is now the general manager and Gilbert a special assistant.
In North America, Bob Myers has used his agent experience to turn the Golden State Warriors into a championship team. Rob Pelinka, another former agent, took over the Los Angeles Lakers last year and helped draw superstar LeBron James into the team this season.
The Mets have invited three candidates – Bloom, Van Wagenen and Doug Melvin, a former general manager of the Milwaukee Brewers and Texas Rangers – for a second interview this week. As media management is part of the CEO's responsibilities, the Mets asked everyone to speak to reporters during a teleconference.
Melvin, a senior Brewers consultant, followed, but because of their current roles, Van Wagenen and Bloom have instead chosen to issue statements through the Mets.
"In my role as agent, my solution is to create opportunities for players to succeed on and off the field," said Van Wagenen in his release. "By creating partnerships between players and teams, the interests of all parties can be aligned."
He added, referring to the Wilpons: "As Jeff and Fred continue their search for a new baseball operations manager, players, fans and the entire organization will be motivated to have a leader with the skills and the commitment to win. If the Wilpons believe that I am that person, we will have this conversation.
Van Wagenen had to leave his agency – he was one of the baseball executives for the powerful agency of creative artists – to become a team leader, but that could become thorny with his former clients of the Mets.
For example, DeGrom, who will be free agent after the 2020 season, has repeatedly stated that he would be open to an extension of contract to stay with the Mets. Van Wagenen and the Mets set aside discussions after initial discussions last winter. In July, Van Wagenen criticized the inertia of the Mets and suggested that deGrom should be traded if the team did not want to grant him an extension.
But if Van Wagenen is on the other side, deGrom might have reason to wonder how much the Mets would be aware of his bargaining position.
Scott Boras, another powerful agent, said he was concerned about protecting inside information.
"The reality is once you know, you know," Boras said. "If you want to serve the interests of your employer, how not to serve this dynamic by not telling him all this information? You are not legally obliged not to disclose it, which is not the case for agents. "
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