The first mistake Brodie Van Wagenen made when he took over the Mets — and it is an error that suddenly sits in the middle of an ever-growing pile — was this: He had to make it a deal-breaker that he be able to hire his own guy as manager, or else.
In theory this shouldn’t have been a problem. As with many things related to the Mets, one of the appealing things about Mickey Callaway was that he was willing to work cheap. Jettisoning him would’ve cost a shade under $2 million. To most competent baseball owners, such is the cost of doing business.