20 Questions for Brodie Van Waganen

With his introductory press conference out of the way and the 2018 season in the books, new Mets GM will step into his office faced with a lot of questions to answer and some of them will need to be addressed immediately. Here comes an incomplete list:

1. How much freedom does the new Mets GM really have? What decisions will need ownership approval?
2. Do Omar Minaya, John Ricco and J.P. Ricciardi remain in the front office? If yes, how might their roles change and what is the pecking order?
3. As Van Waganen delegates responsibilities – scouting, player development, analytics, etc., who else will be brought on board?
4. It is expected that manager Mickey Callaway will be back for a second year, but what about his coaching staff? Will Dave Eiland, Pat Roessler, Gary Disarcina, et al all be back or will there be changes?
5. Are the right people in place at the minor league levels?
6. Who can we bring in or what can we focus on in spring training to improve some areas of deficiency?
7. Sandy Alderson placed a big focus on power hitting and on base percentage at the cost of speed and defense. How much will this philosophy change and how?
8. The Mets began last season with a payroll of roughly $150mm, slightly down from the previous season. Is ownership willing to increase payroll or is this the number Van Waganen and company have to work with?
9. The Mets have four pending free agents – relievers AJ Ramos and Jerry Blevins, infielder Jose Reyes, and outfielder Austin Jackson. Do any of them figure in the plans for 2019?
10. Nine Mets are slated for arbitration and will be due substantial pay raises. Starting pitchers Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler are no brainers, as is franchise player Michael Conforto and the still inexpensive, first-time arbitration eligible Kevin Plawecki. Are the other three worth retaining? It may be wise to cut bait with the first time eligible Rafael Montero, who’s been both disappointing and injury prone and now slated to miss most if not all of the coming season after Tommy John surgery. Fan favorite Wilmer Flores is entering his last year of arbitration and will see a raise on his $3.4 million 2018 salary. Likewise, the human china doll Travis d’Arnaud. It may be time to move on from these two as well.
11. Which players nearing free agency should we consider locking up to long-term deals? Does it make sense to negotiate with the agents for our core starting pitchers?
12. Are we considering trading any of the big four?
13. If the team is preparing to win now as Van Waganen states, does that mean some of our top prospects are eligible to be traded?
14. Who, if anyone on our 40-man roster is “off the table” in trade discussions?
15. Which teams might we match up well with in a trade? Which GMs should Van Waganen be calling first?
16. What is the top area in need of improvement this off-season? Is it catcher, bulllpen, bench, or a right-handed power bat. Will payroll flexibility allow for all areas to be addressed or will priorities have to be set?
17. Is free agency the best way to address these needs? If so, are we shopping for steak or TV dinners? Are we positioned to offer long-term contracts, short-term contracts with high annual value or neither?
18. Are we going to enter the sweepstakes for Manny Machado or Bryce Harper?
19. With four first baseman in the mix, do we have our 2019 answer or do we need an outside talent?
20. Attendance has been down the past two seasons. What can be done to bring fans back to Citi Field?