Ring: The Mets, Brodie Van Wagenen, and when agents join front offices
From Sheryl Ring at FanGraphs on October 30, 2018:
According to Joel Sherman and Mark Feinsand, the next general manager of the New York Mets will be agent Brodie Van Wagenen.
Van Wagenen, who unlike most sports agents is not an attorney, is part of the sports division of Creative Artists Agency, which represents athletes, actors, and other artists. Van Wagenen, it should be noted, is co-head of CAA Sports, the agency’s athletic representation arm. But Van Wagenen is more than just an ordinary baseball agent; he negotiated Robinson Cano’s 10-year megadeal with the Seattle Mariners, Ryan Zimmerman’s nine-figure pact with Washington, and Yoenis Cespedes’ current deal with the Mets. In other words, Van Wagenen represents some of the sport’s biggest stars.
There’s little doubt that Van Wagenen’s experience negotiating some of the sport’s largest contracts gives him a significant amount of experience that will serve him well in his new role. Van Wagenen has also garnered a reputation as one of the most player-friendly voices in the industry, which makes this move perhaps all the more surprising. For instance, during the famously slow 2017-18 offseason, he accused MLB owners of collusion and threatened that players would boycott spring training. He also has demanded trades for players who don’t receive contract extensions.
Read the full article here: https://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-mets-brodie-van-wagenen-and-when-agents-join-front-offices/
Originally published: October 30, 2018. Last Updated: October 30, 2018.