MMO Roundtable: Should Brodie Van Wagenen and Luis Rojas Stay?
Since the Steve Cohen sale has become official, we here at Metsmerized have already shared with you what his first move as owner should be. One common theme was Brodie Van Wagenen’s name popping up in quite a few of the responses.
But now let’s take it a bit further and discuss — should Cohen keep both Van Wagenen and Luis Rojas?
Rich Sparago
I think you can answer this question two ways. First, will Brodie and Rojas stay? I say no, they will not. In most businesses, when there’s a change at the top, the next layer down is cleared out so the new “boss” can have his or her lieutenants in place, the people he/she trusts most. With Cohen’s being a businessman, I absolutely see him taking this action when he owns the Mets. He will likely bring in his choice of direct reports, including a new GM or VP of Baseball Operations. Then, this new person will take the same action, and replace Rojas with a trusted person. The next question is whether or not Brodie and Rojas should go. Once again, the answer, in my opinion, is yes to both.
Brodie has made a lot of moves, and most of them have not worked out. In some cases (Cano), he has saddled the organization with bad debt, that is a black eye for him regardless of whether or not he can “buy away” the debt. Brodie has also left the farm system in bad shape. His tenure has to be labeled a failure. Regarding Rojas, yes, it was a short season and yes, he lost Syndergaard and Stroman. These are valid reasons why the Mets did not live up to expectations. Beyond results, the team has looked flat, unprepared, and basically played sloppy baseball for two months. Rojoas’ in-game decisions (bullpen use, staying with Ramos too long) have also been suspect. Therefore, in the areas that he can control, he has not done well and will likely go. Remember, Cohen was a part owner. He’s not new around here. He sees what has been happening, and he cannot be happy. They will both go.
Marissa Credle
I think Rojas should stay but BVW shouldn’t. I think in the case of Rojas, a 60-game season in which he lost many players to injuries and opt-outs is not the fairest of assessments. At the end of the day, Mickey Callaway even got two full seasons. On top of that, I think when it comes to bringing in a new owner, player input should be considered when deciding on a manager, and Rojas is a very player-friendly manager. On the other hand, BVW has had many opportunities to prove he knows what he is doing when it comes to free agent signings and trades, yet nearly all of them haven’t worked out in the Mets’ favor. I also think that it’s crucial for an owner to have the GM he wants, so by no means do I think he BVW should stay next season.
I have written in this space that my fondest wish with new ownership is to change the culture, so often negative, around the Mets. Cohen is a Mets fan and I’m sure not blind to the stigma of the team under the Wilpons. He made a large investment to acquire this franchise and it is most likely that he will start fresh, with his people, in all area of Mets’ operations. Given his circumstances, I would not hesitate to do the same.
Therefore, though Rojas hasn’t had much of chance, I would release him from his duties and start a managerial search right after a new GM is found. So yes, Van Wagenen must go too. He does have a track record and it isn’t entirely pretty. I think that though he is intelligent, the job may be too much for him or beyond his skill set. Unfortunately for the many dozens of employees of the Mets who have families and need the income, I fear that many of them will be going as well. But this is not unusual in large acquisitions. The Mets have been laughed at, scoffed at, and dismissed as a dysfunctional franchise. If nothing more, this MUST change. Regretfully, the GM and the manager must be replaced so the slate can begin to get cleaned.
For me, removing Brodie Van Wagenen is an easy decision. BVW traded away numerous valuable prospects, and yet, the Mets are on their way to missing the playoffs for the second-straight season. Beyond that, one of the most important things for Cohen is creating his own Mets culture and replacing that of the Wilpons, and we all know Brodie’s relationship with Jeff is a big reason why the agent got a GM’s job.
Keeping Brodie around would send a terrible message to the fan base and to people that Cohen is hoping to bring in to be a part of the new Mets organization.
As for Luis Rojas, under most circumstances I would say 100% he should stay. It’s impossible to judge a manager that was given the job late then had to deal with the pandemic.
That being said, I don’t want to hamstring the new GM/president of OPS by telling them they are stuck with Rojas as their manager. If they decide to go with another manager though, they would be wise to keep Rojas in the organization in some capacity.
The question of whether or not Brodie Van Wagenen should stay in his current position as general manager isn’t all that hard to answer: he should not only be removed from that post, but if at all possible, he should also be sent elsewhere in exchange for a veteran outfielder – just to give him a taste of his own medicine. In all seriousness, I wouldn’t be entirely opposed to keeping him at a diminished role as a player liaison, given how adeptly he’s managed to work out contracts with nearly everyone his office has drafted. But once we get into personnel/scouting matters, he and Jared Banner can both stay far away. As for Rojas, I’d be more willing to wait and see, especially with a more intelligently constructed roster and a bit more free rein than a 60-game season provides, but he’s definitely on borrowed time. If the same problems continue revealing themselves within the pitching staff and the Mets continue to fall victim to the little things, it’d probably be best that the new front office shuffle the deck.
As I said in the last roundtable, “new owner, new start” and I think that should include both Van Wagenen and Rojas. The organization needs a fresh start, and they are not going to get it with the same GM doing the same things (and not making the moves that the team truly needs). In terms of Rojas, it is a bit more difficult, since his first season as manager was a shortened, and plain ‘ole weird, one. But, I do think Cohen should be able to put in who he wants to in both of these positions (and more). He needs to do what’s best for the team. And hanging out to people in charge who have not fully proved themselves is not the way to go.
Ryan Finkelstein
Before I respond to this question, I want to make it known that I have been one of Brodie Van Wagenen’s harshest critiques both on MMO and on my podcast dating back to when he was hired over Chaim Bloom. There is no sugar-coating how bad his tenure has been up to this point. Like everyone else in this roundtable, I believe he should be let go. But since no one has advocated for his job, I will play the role of devil’s advocate (And the man that cost us a decade of Jarred Kelenic may be the devil).
We still don’t know how Steve Cohen will run the Mets, but he has recently been quoted saying he would prefer adding baseball people to the organization rather than letting people go. I can see a circumstance where the first hire the organization makes is a President of Baseball Operations and then they let things play out for a year. My biggest problem with analyzing Brodie’s performance is the Jeff Wilpon-sized anchor that has been around his neck.
Without Wilpon and with a president above him making the final decisions, there could be some value that Brodie brings to the Mets, namely courting his former client J.T. Realmuto in free agency. I still want to see him let go, but if Cohen decides to keep BVW for a year, I remain optimistic that Jeff Wilpon was the problem all along.
