In a twist, Brodie Van Wagenen expected be named the next Mets GM

Over the past few seasons, baseball has transformed into an analytics game. Several general managers praise the philosophy, using numbers in order to calculate a teams success. Others have used an old-school approach, using what they know to put things into perspective. In their search for a GM, the Mets have found someone that fits neither of those distinctions.

It is being reported that the Mets will name agent Brodie Van Wagenen as their next general manager. The announcement is expected to be official after the World Series.

Confirmed: The Mets have agreed to terms with Brodie Van Wagenen to become their next general manager. The t's are crossed and the i's are dotted.

It will become official at a Citi Field press conference this week, as soon as the World Series ends.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) October 28, 2018

Surprisingly, the Mets favored Van Wagenen over young analytics guru Chaim Bloom, who has spent over 14 seasons with the Rays. The former has no true major league experience, minus the fact that he is the agent of several players on the Mets. Among those on the team, Brodie represents Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Brandon Nimmo and Todd Frazier. Other players in MLB that he works with include Robinson Cano and Ryan Zimmerman.

Of course, Van Wagenen will have to cut ties with CAA, even while he has been negotiating a deal with deGrom and the Mets for years. Some still consider everything about the move a conflict of interest, even current agents.

It appears the Mets wanted Van Wagenen all along, although they weren’t really given much of a choice. Several potential candidates rejected interviews with the Mets based off of the environment. It was known that the Wilpon’s and Sandy Alderson did not have the best of relationships. Sandy left the role earlier this year due to medical reasons.

The hiring has its positives and negatives. For one, as an agent, Brodie Van Wagenen has been known to negotiate deals for his clients, getting the numbers in place to make moves he found fair. While doing so, however, he was known for holding up medical records. While the role as GM is almost like a game of chess, Van Wagenen is inexperienced when talking about the inner workings of the baseball world. Some in the baseball community have pointed this out.

Outside of baseball, the Golden State Warriors have thrived with an agent as a GM. How the 44-year-old will be able to handle baseball’s toughest role is unknown. What is known is that this move is a polarizing any way you look at it.