Why Does Brodie Van Wagenen Deserve A Chance To Turn Around The Mets?
One of the oddest general manager hires in the last few years was when the New York Mets decided to hire an agent by name of Brodie Van Wagenen. The first move out of the gate that BVW made, may end up going down as one of the worst trades in a long time. The Mets went all in for Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano in a trade with the Mariners. Given the way that trade has aged, why does Brodie deserve a chance to turn around the mess that he created?
The Robinson Cano – Edwin Diaz trade is a disaster. The problem is there is no way to turn things around either. Even if Edwin Diaz turns things around and returns to form, BWV significantly overpaid. It was a dumb trade at the time and is still a dumb trade. There are 3 looming bombs hanging over the franchise. It’s only a matter of time before the fuse runs out. The Mets are in big trouble.
The first is Edwin Diaz. He went from being one of the best closers in the sport to the downright worst. Diaz sported a 1.96 ERA in 2018 and a 5.59 ERA in 2019. He went from dominant to unplayable. That’s not even the point. Even if Diaz repeated his performance, this was still a bad trade. The scary part is that his K/9 rate was actually better in 2019 which was a much worse year. BVW didn’t play the stock market rate. He paid a premium for a player who probably was just on a really nice run. Diaz was never a heralded prospect either.
Second, the Jarred Kelenic nightmare it coming. The Mets gave up Kelenic in the trade who was the 6th overall pick in the 2018 MLB Draft. I’m not saying the MLB Draft delivers sure things all the time but giving up the 6th pick in the draft for a guy who pitches 70 innings a year while eating a disgusting contract never made any sense. Kelenic, 20, has done nothing except tear the cover off the ball and is on the fast track to the majors. He has the potential to be an All-Star-caliber player. Brodie Van Wagenen gave that up for a failed trade package. That’s not even including Justin Dunn who included in the deal that could also make an impact at the MLB level.
Then there’s the Robinson Cano factor. Cano is owed $24 million through the 2024 season which would be his age 40 campaign. Cano is already shot. He was a 0.3 WAR player in 2020 and has stopped hustling altogether. Cano posted an OPS+ of 96. NOT GOOD. Here’s the best news of all! Robinson Cano is only going to keep getting worse as he ages.
There is no other way to slice it. A 4-year-old wouldn’t make this trade. Why are we allowing Brodie Van Wagenen to continue to try to fix the mess that he created? Noah Syndergaard having Tommy John isn’t his fault. Picking up JD Davis was a big hit. Still, BVW hasn’t done enough to improve the club. A club he proclaimed as division favorites. The one big splash he made was a complete disaster and things are only going to get worse.
