New York Mets’ general manager Brodie Van Wagenen addressed the team’s media corps after Sunday’s altercation between manager Mickey Callaway, starter Jason Vargas, and Newsday beat writer Tim Healey.
Full reports on the fracas can be found here and here.
Van Wagenen told reporters “he wanted to make sure” he made himself available after speaking with both Callaway and Vargas about their respective roles in the dustup.
“We are committed to trying to create a healthy work environment for everybody that works in the game,” Van Wagenen said. “The altercation was disappointing. It was regrettable on many levels. And we hope that moving forward we can ensure that there is a respectful environment for both players and media.”
“We have taken action and we as an organization have decided to fine both [Callaway] and [Vargas] for their roles in the incident. At this point, we’re ready to move on and continue our focus on trying to win games.”
When asked how the team is expected to respond, Van Wagenen referred to his players as “professionals”, adding “they recognize they have jobs to do and their mission statement is to try and win games”.
Asked if Callaway and Vargas were “contrite” in their discussions with him, Van Wagenen stated that they “recognized their role in the event, they understood where their behavior could have and should have been different, and they accepted their fines.”
Van Wagenen declined to “weigh in” on what other potential penalties the Mets were considering for Callaway and Vargas, adding that commenting on the scope of the discussion would be “inappropriate given that we decided to take action, so I’ll let the action speak for itself”.
One reporter asked about the team taking possible preventative measures to avoid incidents like Sunday’s in the future, to which Van Wagenen stressed “ongoing communication” as a key component in “understanding what is acceptable” and to make sure the media “aren’t put in situations that are uncomfortable”.
We’ll keep you posted as more information becomes available.
