After his stint as the general manager of the New York Mets ended once new owner Steve Cohen took control of the team, Brodie Van Wagenen spent a few weeks outside of the public eye and even far away from the news.
However, he now has found a new job, and it has a lot to do with what he did prior to being appointed as the Mets’ GM in 2018 under the Wilpons watch. Roc Nation Sports named him the COO and head of strategy and business development. According to a release, in his new role, Van Wagenen will “be developing and executing long-term organizational objectives.”
Per Justin Toscano, he will report directly to Jay-Z, the founder of the representation agency.
Earlier this year, A.J. Perez of Front Office Sports reported that Van Wagenen was returning to his sports agent roots.
According to Forbes, Roc Nation Sports “has been a power player since its founding in 2013.” Some of Roc Nation’s most valuable clients are NFL running backs Todd Gurley and Saquon Barkley, as well as Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving.
His time with the Mets was forgettable
Van Wagenen had a forgettable stint as the Mets’ general manager after replacing Sandy Alderson in 2018.
The Mets failed to make the postseason in both of his campaigns at the helm, and were considered a bitter disappointment in the shortened 2020 season, considering the organization’s roster and objectives.
Now, after Cohen was named the new owner, he brought Sandy Alderson back to make baseball decisions and separated Van Wagenen of his position.
Van Wagenen’s time with the Mets will likely be remembered for the trade he made with the Seattle Mariners, in which he traded uber-prospect Jarred Kelenic, pitcher Justin Dunn and other assets in exchange of reliever Edwin Diaz and Robinson Cano’s mammoth contract.
He managed, however, to sign Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom to a contract extension, in a five-year, $137.5 million commitment.