Brodie Van Wagenen vowed to “be in on every free agent, and if they fit our roster we’re going to go after him.” It was the kind of bold and promising statement expected at an introductory press conference to elicit enthusiasm and support from a fanbase.
It also was quickly dismissed with: He works for the Wilpons now, thus he won’t be in on every free agent.
So, let’s travel back to Van Wagenen’s last major encounter with a mass of New York reporters before landing the Mets’ GM job. He used the large media gathering on the Monday before the All-Star Game in Washington to demand the Mets extend Jacob deGrom or trade him.