N.Y. Mets: Brodie's Hopes On The Ropes

From the desk of:  HEAD-BUTTING MR. MET

Brodie's Narrative Already Falling on Deaf Ears

Brodie Van Wagenen's Revamped Mets Outpacing Last Year's March Toward Irrelevancy.

This whole charade of repackaging Jeff's defective product in a pretty box and branding it new and improved is unraveling before our eyes.

Right around this time last year the Mets were in the midst of getting swept by the Atalanta Braves and Colorado Rockies at Citi Field.  Those Mets would play 54 games before falling under .500 in June.

Exactly one year later Brodie Van Wagenen's new and improved Mets are swept in a series for the first time this season courtesy of the Milwaukee Brewers.  In that respect, the Mets appear right on schedule.  However, Saturday's 18-inning loss at Milwaukee means this year's version lasted a mere 32 games before dipping below the .500 mark.   That's 22 games faster than last year.

Happy Cinco de Mayo to you, too!

I've consistently accused the Wilpons - be it in this blog or podcast - of failing to venture outside their comfort level.  BVW's appointment strikes me no differently as he and Jeff Wilpon share a friendship that precedes his becoming general manager.  I never once thought Van Wagenen was coming here to spend ownership's money forthwith.  Wilpon money is as Wilpon money does - which for three years running remains at a relative standstill.  Nor was he coming into office intending to blow up the operation.  He wouldn't have been hired were that the case.  Look no further than Chiam Bloom.  Brodie's transactions to date bear this out.  Instead he turned to negotiating away the organization's higher profile albeit low level prospects in order to facilitate upheaval and change.  He also set out to stock the 40-man roster with major league ready depth.  But at no time did he noticeably impact payroll.  That's why for the more skeptical pundits - professional or imagined - Brodie is nothing more than a hired charlatan tasked with detracting attention from ownership's continued meddling and self imposed limitations.

On our most recent Metsian Podcast with Sam, Rich, and myself, I asked Mets beat writer Tim Healey of Newsday when does Brodie Van Wagenen's bold new narrative crash head on with ownership's impaired financial operating procedure?

His answer: "It already has."

My point precisely.