Hedge fund billionaire Steve Cohen has an agreement in place to buy the New York Mets‘ franchise from the Wilpons. And while the deal is pending the approval of the other 29 ownership groups in MLB, there shouldn’t be too many roadblocks for Cohen to take over in the near future.
A new era is set to begin for the New York Mets, and it is unclear if general manager Brodie Van Wagenen is part of that future. According to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com, the two men have had only one “real talk” but the GM knows more will be in the horizon.
“There are still a few i’s to dot and t’s to cross before it will become official,†Van Wagenen said. “At this point my collaboration is still among the senior leaders in my department and then communication with Jeff and Fred [Wilpon], and then from there we’ll continue to go forward. But at this point, right now, our transactions are focused on today, tonight and tomorrow to try to get us through this regular season.â€
Speaking of, navigating the regular season has been rough for Van Wagenen and the Mets, who currently hold a 23-28 record and will have to win most of their nine remaining games to have an outside shot at making the playoffs. From a roster standpoint, the pitching depth was mostly lost with so many injuries, opt outs and ineffectiveness, and that has really affected the club’s chances.
The Mets’ current task is winning
Those remarks represented the first time that Van Wagenen has spoken publicly since Cohen’s agreement was announced. However, he declined to make specific comments about his winter plans, even though he is under contract through the 2022 season.
“In terms of my own job security, I’ve said it many times: I don’t think about that,†Van Wagenen said. “I don’t give it any thought, because my task is to win today.â€
Before thinking about the future, it is clear that the New York Mets need to focus on the present, which brings too many on-field challenges to even entertain other things or scenarios.