While the Mets and Marlins players participated in a moving statement on the field before deciding to postpone tonight’s game, a bizarre incident took place behind the scenes, resulting in public statements issued by, separately, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen, Mets CEO and owner Fred Wilpon, his son and Mets COO Jeff Wilpon, and competition commissioner Rob Manfred.
Less than two hours prior to playing time, when it was still publicly unclear whether or not the teams would play, a video with Van Wagenen accidentally streamed some off-the-record comments to the Mets’ official website. Van Wagenen said the Mets would not play, and expressed disbelief over an apparent suggestion from Manfred’s office through Jeff Wilpon that the Mets and Marlins make their protest as planned, but then return to the field an hour later to play the game. . “And I said, ‘Jeff, that’s not happening. These guys are not playing. ‘… But that’s Rob’s instinct and Rob … at leadership level, he does not understand. He just does not understand it, ”Van Wagenen said on the video.
Details about how the video was uploaded by mistake (or maybe leaked, if) Tim Healey of Newsday noted that the 70-minute video was blank other than a few minutes that included Van Wagenen’s comments) remain scarce, although they naturally send a storm of controversy across the baseball world. Shortly after the Mets and Marlins left the field, the general manager issued a statement saying he was missing in thinking the idea came from Manfred. Van Wagenen’s full statement:
“Jeff Wilpon called Commissioner Manfred this afternoon to inform him that our players voted not to play. They discussed the challenges of re-planning the game. Jeff suggested an idea to play the game an hour later. I misunderstood that this was the Commissioner’s idea. In fact, this was Jeff’s suggestion. The players had already made their decision, so I felt that the suggestion was not helpful. My frustration with the Commissioner was wrong and unfounded. I apologize to the commissioner for my disrespectful remarks and bad judgment in the invalid description of the content of his private conversation with Jeff Wilpon. ”
In a later interview with the New York Post and other media, Van Wagenen extended his apology to include the Mets players. “This conversation is about the players who make a statement, ”Said Van Wagenen. “This conversation is about recognizing the pain and anguish that black people experience every day in this country. The fact that I have put myself and this organization in the conversation in a way that detracts from the real point, I am disappointed in myself … and I accept responsibility for that.”
For his part, Manfred later published his own statement, with the Commissioner saying:
“Over the past two days, players at a number of clubs have decided not to play games. I have said both publicly and privately that I respect those decisions and support the need to tackle social injustice. I have not in any way tried to prevent players from expressing themselves by not playing, nor have I proposed any alternative form of protest for club staff as a player. Any suggestion against the opposite is wrong.“
In addition to the surrealistic nature of the hot mic incident, there were a few statements from the Wilpons, each containing spelling mistakes of Van Wagenen’s first name.
From Fred Wilpon: “I am very stressed and disappointed to learn last night that our General Manager, Brodie Van Wagenen, made disrespectful and inaccurate remarks about our Commissioner, a long time friend of mine. I hold Rob in the utmost respect and in no way are Brody’s comments reflective of my views as the organization. Rob remains a great leader of Major League Baseball. I apologize for any damage this incident has caused Rob. ”
From Jeff Wilpon: “To clear up any misunderstandings, it was my suggestion to potentially look into playing the game later due to scheduling issues. Brody’s misunderstanding of a private conversation was and is inexcusable. We fully respect our players and the decision of the Marlins players not to play tonight and appreciate the sincerity of all those who want to draw attention to social injustice and racial inequality that needs to be addressed. The entire Mets organization continues to be committed to making meaningful change in our society.”
This situation has only intensified speculation that Van Wagenen’s days can be counted in the GM role, even with New York still in the NL wild card race with a 13-16 record. Van Wagenen’s contract runs through the 2022 season, although his future is uncertain, given that the Wilpon family is preparing to sell the franchise (final bids must be paid on Monday) and a new group of owners may very well prefer their own choose the job of general manager. The Mets had a solid 86-76 record in 2019, Van Wagenen’s first season running for the Mets ‘front office, but his tenure is marked by the off-the-field drama that came to define the team under the Wilpons’ ownership. .
