New York Mets COO Jeff Wilpon, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and ace pitcher Jacob deGrom had a short but informative press conference on Wednesday to discuss the machinations of deGrom’s just signed megadeal with the Mets.
Van Wagenen summed things up nicely when he said ‘you build a championship team around guys like deGrom’ and later a highly motivated Wilpon said the parties would not get on the plane to leave Florida until a deal was done.
The press conference began with opening statements from the three participants with Van Wagenen wasting no time in setting the tone when he introduced deGrom as “Major League’s Baseball’s best pitcher”. He added that “you build business plans off guys like Jacob deGrom” stressing his importance to the organization.
BVW then proceeded to give credit to those involved in making this deal happen starting with the man who sat beside him, Jeff Wilpon. Van Wagenen noted that Wilpon was “as motivated for this partnership as anybody”.
Van Wagenen then added the role of David Wright, and apparently, it was a big role. Calling him the “most valuable special adviser in baseball history”, BVW stated that Wright was instrumental in getting the deal done using his “creative deal structure” abilities.
David Wright would become a central theme of this press conference.
Jeff Wilpon spoke next and stated his role was a small one. He thanked Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and said he couldn’t be happier for Mets fans.
Jacob deGrom opened with sincere thanks to Wilpon and Van Wagenen and mentioned that he wants to be a part of the Mets future and become a “lifelong Met.” Later deGrom spoke of the genesis of this deal noting “there was dialogue all the way through spring training…I’m just super-excited to be here long-term.”
Reporter’s questions focused on how the deal came about, clarification of Wright’s role, and what the deal means to the organization and the Met fan base. BVW was asked why he felt there was a need to do the deal now.
Van Wagenen corrected the reporter by saying there wasn’t a need to get the deal done, rather we “wanted” to get it done. He said both sides wanted a long-term relationship and added, “when two sides want the same thing, the challenge is on us from a deal-making standpoint to make that a reality.”
Another reporter wanted to know more about the role of David Wright. Wilpon called him “our secret weapon” in these negotiations. Wright crafted different variations of the deal including one of the final deal structures. Wright was a mentor of deGrom’s and understood deal-making by using examples from his own career.
Later in an interview with Steve Gelbs, Van Wagenen said Wright gave perspective on what it is like to be a homegrown guy and its importance to a career. BVW further praised Wright by predicting he would become “a leader in the executive world.” Finally, he said that “David Wright…gave us the confidence to make this kind of commitment”. Wright’s role in these negotiations cannot be overstated.
Jeff Wilpon seemed extremely motivated to get this deal done. The parties basically locked themselves in a conference room on Monday and talked for hours eschewing even meals. At one point, Van Wagenen was dispatched to 7-Eleven to get some tacos and taquitos so that little time would be wasted.
Wilpon made it clear that he wanted a deal done on Monday and that he would hold “Jacob” hostage until they had a handshake. After the handshake, Wilpon proudly proclaimed, “we locked up the best pitcher in baseball.”
De Grom was asked why he accepted so much deferred money in the deal. He responded by saying he took it because “(he) wants to be here…(and) play in New York.” Later when asked of the role of Noah Syndergaard he simply added, “we (all) want to win here–we have each other’s back.”
DeGrom concluded his remarks by saying that his new windfall will not change him as a pitcher and will try to win each time he pitches and give 100 percent to attain that goal.
Finally, Van Wagenen reiterated his role as the general manager of the Mets and he continued his frank and at times brash nature, remarking how talented the Mets are.
When asked of this he simply said, “we haven’t been shy about our agenda. We haven’t been shy about who we want to be and how we want to get to that place. There’s risks with saying what you want out loud…We have a team that can and should win…If you believe in something, why be afraid to say it?” His brashness and confidence were in full bloom when he stated in conclusion:
“Our team, our clubhouse now has a leader that can carry us into the 2019 season starting with tomorrow and will help us host champion parades in NYC for years to come.”
