Boldness won Brodie Van Wagenen the job of Mets general manager, and lost the season.
The Wilpons wanted to hear the word “rebuild” as much as “Madoff,” and Van Wagenen sold ownership that the Mets had a core for contention now and in the future. His vision was that the team could and should go for it aggressively, simultaneously helping ownership shed the reputation it most hates — of being too frugal when it comes to investing in the product.
Turns out Van Wagenen was correct: There was the core of a contender. But the best way to augment for today and tomorrow was not to try to win back pages in November and December or to try and remake the Wilpons’ image in a hail of eye-catching transactions and “team to beat” boasts.