The Mets have done a lot of business in recent years with Brodie Van Wagenen, a prominent agent who has worked for Mets players such as Jacob deGrom, Yoenis Cespedes, Brandon Nimmo and Todd Frazier.
Now the Mets are negotiating with Van Wagenen in a different and unorthodox way: to have him fill their general manager vacancy. After a search that came down to two finalists, Van Wagenen has become the leading candidate, according to three people familiar with the negotiations who were not authorized to speak publicly because a deal had not been finalized.
Because Van Wagenen, 44, has no experience as a team executive, the other finalist, Chaim Bloom, 35, the senior vice president of baseball operations for the Tampa Bay Rays, had seemed like a safer bet.