“Actions speak louder than words. The aggressive moves (made by the New York Mets’ GM Brodie Van Wagenen) this offseason made it easier”. That from new Met infielder Jed Lowrie, uttered at a press conference to introduce him Wednesday at Citi Field, as a main reason he chose to become the newest Met.
Obviously, the confidence and bravado of Van Wagenen is reaching far beyond the Metropolitan Area. Heck, it reached all the way to Oakland to help snag the Mets’ fifth All-Star they have acquired this winter in Lowrie.
After the formal press conference ended, Van Wagenen spoke to reporters at some length. His aggressive and confident style did not change. This most noteworthy comment was this, “I look forward to showing people that we’re a team to be reckoned with. Let’s not be shy on wanting to be the best and I fully expect us to be competitive, to be a winning team. Our goal is to win a championship and it starts with the division. So come get us.”
He added later, “I think we are a good team. I think we’re a complete team. I think we’re a balanced team. We’ve get veterans. We’ve got youth. We’ve got a hunger and a desire to win. And I look forward to showing people that we’re a team to be reckoned with.”
Both of the remarks above are typical Van Wagenen style of being self-assured and even a little brazen. However, his comments can come back to haunt him if the Mets don’t have a good year or several years. It’s also hard to call the Mets a complete team with unknowns at center field, potentially first base depending on the growth of Peter Alonso and the back of the starting rotation to name a few.
Furthermore, the strength of the Mets own division is increasing and may get even stronger if Bryce Harper and/or Manny Machado decide to sign in the NL East. The Philadelphia Phillies have expressed interest in both players and their owner, John Middleton, has made it clear he is willing to spend money in droves this winter even if it is “a little bit stupid”.
Van Wagenen was asked by reporters about the possibility of obtaining either of this season’s top free agents and here he was a little bit more discreet, mentioning neither Harper or Machado by name. With regard to Harper, Van Wagenen noted, “When we set out to build this team we wanted to identify what our needs were and that we could accomplish all of those needs as we went forward in the offseason. Let’s be candid: The outfield is probably not our top priority at this point.”
The fact that the outfield is not a top priority raised some eyebrows both in the press and on social media. His rationale was, “with (Jeff) McNeil going out to the outfield, he gives us another good weapon to be in the lineup on a potentially everyday basis.” That plus the recent acquisition of Keon Broxton gives the Mets more “coverage, protection and competition for (Juan) Lagares out there.”
So the Mets will head to Port St. Lucie next month with Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, Lagares, McNeil, and Broxton in the outfield mix as Yoenis Cespedes continues rehabilitation on both heels that could sideline him for at least half of the season. Certainly, this is a good outfield with good players but another power bat, especially in center, certainly wouldn’t be the worse things the Mets could do.
As for Machado, Van Wagenen simply said, “I think from a fit standpoint, both in the infield and outfield, I think we’re in a pretty good position.” A little nebulous to say the least.
But in typical Van Wagenen fashion, he did not completely close the door to any free agent acquisition. He remarked, “…if other opportunities present themselves down the road, we’ll be open to them. But I think we feel really good about what we have right now.”
The prospect of Harper and Machado landing in his division did not seem to bother Van Wagenen in his chat with reporters. He remained focused on his team, noting, “we want to win the pennant, and after that the World Series, so I am less concerned about what teams in our own division are doing….”
Finally, Van Wagenen gave Met fans a little more of what to expect:
“There are a lot of good teams.I am excited about what the National League East can be. I think it creates good baseball…and I hope (the teams in our division) get better, because we’ll go slug it out with them everyday…we’ll make decisions that are right for our roster…(and) won’t be consumed with what other people are doing.”
In his last introductory press conference to introduce Wilson Ramos, Van Wagenen said, “Internally, we can argue we’re the favorites in the division right now. At the Lowrie presser, he said boldly, “Come get us.” I wonder what he’ll do at the next gathering, guarantee a division title?
There’s little doubt with the retirement of David Wright, Brodie Van Wagenen has become the face of the franchise. He is a bright, polished, well-spoken man who has transformed a team that won 77 games last year to perhaps the precipice of a wild-card spot or even more. He is a confident man who has given the New York fan base some much needed hope.
I have had the privilege of covering three of Van Wagenen’s press conferences since he was hired as GM and I have always felt he was the right choice for the job. I hope though as time goes on he doesn’t confuse confidence with over-confidence. While it is admirable to state to his fellow GMs in the National League to ‘come get us’ he has to be careful not to be brazen. Neil Armstrong once remarked, “…I (try) very hard not to be overconfident, because when you get overconfident, that’s when something snaps up and bites you.”
Mets fans have been bitten enough. Let’s hope our new GM remains committed to his beliefs and yes, even if he’s a little cocky while doing so, builds the Mets to greatness.
