New York Mets: David Wright says advisory role fits him perfectly

A year and a half passed since David Wright’s last game with the New York Mets. He used to hang around the clubhouse, the dugout and the field showing the talents that made him such a high-impact player, but now, he took his time to report this year for his advisory work, flying to Florida last Sunday.

Now, he walks around the facilities in khakis and a polo shirt. He hangs with former teammates, general manager Brodie Van Wagenen and chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon. After the journey, he gets to return home to his family every day.

“For what I’m looking for at this stage, it’s perfect for me,” Wright said to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “Brodie and his staff have been outstanding in kind of allowing me to kind of come and go as my schedule dictates, which I’m appreciative of. But coming down here gets the juices flowing again. It’s like I’m away for enough time to really start missing it.”

He claims he is away long enough to “miss it.” After all, he played with the Mets for 14 seasons and is the franchise’s all-time leader in hits, doubles, runs and RBI. Back, shoulder and neck issues that started in 2015 ended up ruining the end of his career.

Giving advice to the Mets’ decision-makers

From his role, Wright is there to offer advice on free agent signings, trade scenarios, and other baseball-related stuff. He was one of the minds behind the Jacob deGrom five-year, $137.5 million contract extension. He also, as he did on Wednesday, talks with minor league players and coaches.

“It just brought back that competitive fire that you miss when you’re away from it,” Wright said of that experience. “Just when you really start really, really missing it, you get to come back and be around the guys and talk baseball, which I love.”

The best thing of the role is coming and going at his convenience. He has spurned other assignments and positions in order to spend the most possible time with his family and his daughters. He is the coach his three-year-old’s baseball team.

“I get a taste of it, and then I get to go be a dad,” Wright said. “And then once I really start missing it, I get a chance to kind of come back and whet the appetite.”