Brodie Van Wagenen
Photo courtesy of SNY

Brodie Van Wagenen feels that the New York Mets are a complete team and he’s already setting his expectations high for 2019.

Brodie Van Wagenen is making a statement in his first offseason as general manager of the New York Mets. The former agent has been active on the trade market and opportunistic with free agents.

Furthermore, the new architect of the Mets roster is setting his sights high. Van Wagenen is already talking about the eventual goal of winning a World Series.

“We want to win the pennant,” Van Wagenen said after Jed Lowrie’s signing was finalized on Wednesday. “And after that, we want to win the World Series. So I’m less concerned about what other teams in the division are doing, or what the Dodgers are doing, or what the Cubs are doing. There’s a lot of good teams. … And I hope that those guys continue to get themselves better because we’ll go slug it out with them every day.”

But Van Wagenen didn’t stop there, he went on to push the envelope. He doesn’t sound concerned with his own division and somehow, he seems to think that the Mets should be the favorites in the National League East (via SNY):

“I think that we’re a good team,” the GM said. “I think that we’re a complete team. I think that we’re a balanced team. We’ve got veterans. We’ve got youth. We’ve got a hunger and a desire to win. I look forward to showing people that we’re a team to be reckoned with, and let’s not be shy about wanting to be the best. I fully expect us to be competitive and to be a winning team. Our goal is to win a championship and it starts with the division. So come get us.”

It’s wonderful to have that type of confidence, but that type of brash talk can backfire in a hurry. Think back to Rex Ryan’s days as head coach of the New York Jets.

Talk is cheap. Fans want to see results more than anything. The acquisitions of Edwin Diaz, Robinson Cano, Jed Lowrie, and Wilson Ramos definitely make the roster better.

But the division should be as competitive as ever. The Atlanta Braves are looking to build on their breakout season last year, the Washington Nationals could still end up bringing back Bryce Harper, and the Philadelphia Phillies are sure to spend more money before free agency is over.

It’s hard to dislike the confidence from Van Wagenen, but New Yorkers have seen this type of talk backfire in the past.

 

NY/NJ hoops reporter (NBA/NCAA) & sports betting writer for XL Media. Never had the makings of a varsity athlete.