Sandy Alderson exited with a mixed legacy as Mets general manager. He helped bring stability at the worst of the Wilpons’ Madoff crisis and forged rosters good enough to reach the playoffs in 2015-16, winning the NL pennant in 2015.
But he failed to make the good times last. Alderson’s free-agent gambles fizzled and he was unable to eradicate the negativity and dysfunction that so often swamps this organization. If that indeed starts at the top with ownership, perhaps no GM could consistently succeed.
As the latest to try, Brodie Van Wagenen has an unexpected asset — Alderson’s drafts are aging well.