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Brodie Van Wagenen, former New York Mets GM, joins Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports as COO

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Former New York Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen was hired as chief operating officer of Roc Nation Sports on Wednesday, returning to the representation business two years after his unconventional leap into a baseball front office.

Van Wagenen, 46, had worked in the past with Roc Nation when he was co-head of the Creative Artists Agency’s baseball division, helping negotiate nine-figure contracts for Robinson Cano and Yoenis Cespedes.

The Mets fired Van Wagenen as part of a broad overhaul of their baseball operations department when Steve Cohen purchased the team in November. Roc Nation, owned by Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and run by Juan Perez, offered a role that includes head of strategy and business development titles.

“We believed in the vision Jay and Juan had back in 2013,” Van Wagenen said. “We’ve stayed in constant contact with them. It was a natural homecoming.”

Van Wagenen, whose clients included Cano, Cespedes, Jacob deGrom and Tim Tebow, said that he will focus on bigger-picture issues rather than the day-to-day work of his past as a baseball agent but that he will remain active in the baseball world.

“Brodie’s knowledge of the business is indisputable and unparalleled,” Carter said in a statement. “Since we first worked with Brodie, we realized the shared commitment to athletes both on and off the field. He’s always been extended family and now it’s official.”

Van Wagenen’s tenure with the Mets started with a blockbuster trade that sent top prospect Jarred Kelenic to the Seattle Mariners for Cano and All-Star closer Edwin Diaz. Although the Mets improved to 86-76 in Van Wagenen’s first year, they fell short of the playoffs. After the team struggled to a fourth-place finish in 2020, Cohen emptied the front office.

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Hall of Fame shouldn’t change its rules for Schilling – The Athletic

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Curt Schilling doesn’t get to decide whether he stays on the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot. The Hall’s Board of Directors shouldn’t get to decide, either. Schilling needs to remain on the ballot for one simple reason: Because it says so right in the Hall’s rules.

The rules for the Baseball Writers’ Association of America election, listed on the Hall’s website, include the following passage regarding how a six-member screening committee of writers forms the ballot:

“The duty of the Screening Committee shall be to prepare a ballot listing in alphabetical order eligible candidates who (1) received a vote on a minimum of five percent (5%) of the ballots cast in the preceding election or (2) are eligible for the first time and are nominated by any two of the six members of the BBWAA Screening Committee.”

Nothing in the rules says the candidates or the Hall itself can override those two avenues, so the discussion…

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Andrelton Simmons, Twins agree to deal

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The Twins have reached an agreement with shortstop Andrelton Simmons on a one-year deal worth $10.5 million, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand on Tuesday night. The club has not confirmed the move.
Simmons will take over the Twins’ full-time shortstop job, while incumbent Jorge Polanco will move to a

The Twins have reached an agreement with shortstop Andrelton Simmons on a one-year deal worth $10.5 million, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand on Tuesday night. The club has not confirmed the move.

Simmons will take over the Twins’ full-time shortstop job, while incumbent Jorge Polanco will move to a utility role. Simmons was also reportedly the Phillies’ top target after they agreed to a deal with catcher J.T. Realmuto earlier on Tuesday.

Simmons, 31, ranks among the best defensive shortstops in recent history. He owns four Rawlings Gold Glove Awards and also took home the Platinum Glove Award (given to the best overall defender in each league) with the Braves in 2013. The Curaçao native was the Braves’ second-round pick in the 2010 MLB Draft and spent his first four Major League seasons in Atlanta before he was traded to the Angels after the ’15 season. Simmons earned his third and fourth career Gold Gloves with Los Angeles, and he finished as high as eighth in American League MVP Award voting in 2017.

Simmons has taken a step back at the plate since then, slashing .271/.318/.362 since the start of the 2019 season. He is a career .269/.317/.369 hitter with a 91 OPS+ over nine big league seasons. But Simmons does bring elite contact ability to the Twins’ powerful lineup, ranking within MLB’s top 10 percent of qualified players in both whiff rate and strikeout rate in each of the last two campaigns.

Matt Kelly is a reporter for MLB.com based in New York. Follow him on Twitter at @mattkellyMLB.



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My 2021 Hall of Fame ballot – The Athletic

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Hall of Fame voting seems easy — to everyone who doesn’t have a vote. But ask any of us who do. We could think of 1,000 adjectives to describe Hall of Fame voting. I guarantee “easy” wouldn’t make the top 1,000.

I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who tosses and turns at 4 a.m., thinking about my ballot. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who finds himself stuck on a name or two or three, for days and often for weeks.

I always try to be aware that when I cast one of these ballots, it’s a serious responsibility. So we all need to take it that seriously.

I also try to be aware that everyone who has even read this far cares deeply about the Hall of Fame. So I owe you this column. I owe you an explanation for everything about this ballot. That’s true whether you like it or you hate it.

If it didn’t matter to so many of you, there would be no reason to have a Hall of Fame. So…

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Quick Hits: MASN, – MLB Trade Rumors

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By TC Zencka | at

Justin Turner has four options on the table that would place him on a contender, with the Dodgers and Blue Jays two of the four, per MLB Insider Jon Heyman (via Twitter). Still, Heyman notes, the Dodgers are confident they will be able to bring Turner back to Chavez Ravine. The hold-up continues to be the length of the deal, as Los Angeles targets a two-year pact, while the 36-year-old seeks four years. Speculatively speaking, looking for other potential landing spots leads naturally to the NL East, where any of the Braves, Nationals, Mets, or Marlins could theoretically find room for Turner. Elsewhere…

  • The Nationals responded today with a statement to recent cuts made by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. The Nats’ years-long headache over MASN – the local sports network co-owned by the Nationals and Orioles, but controlled by the Orioles – took another turn this week as on-air personalities Dan Kolko, Bo Porter, and Alex Chappell were let go without prior notice being given to the Nats, per Ben Strauss and Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post. In the Nationals’ statement, provided by the Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli (via Twitter), they wrote, “…To say that we are incredibly disappointed and upset by MASN’s decisions would be a gross understatement. To be clear – these decisions were made by MASN and against our wishes…” Porter, of course, was a coach with the Nationals from 2011 to 2012 and later managed the Astros for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He has teamed with Kolko on pre- and postgame shows since 2019, during which time Chappell has served as a dugout reporter.
  • Omar Minaya will accept an ambassadorship with the Mets to be a public presence for the organization, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). Minaya’s relationship with the Mets dates back to childhood, but his professional career began drawing notice during his time as an assistant general manager from 1998 to 2001. He became the Mets’ general manager from 2004 until 2010, when he was succeeded by Sandy Alderson. After four years with the Padres and some time working for the MLBPA, Minaya returned to serve as one of Alderson’s lieutenants in 2017. He stayed on with the team through the Brodie Van Wagenen era, but he was let go as part of the housecleaning under the new ownership of Steve Cohen. Minaya now returns for his fourth stint with the team. It does not sound as if Minaya will have any impact on baseball operations.

 

Baltimore Orioles Bo Porter Justin Turner Los Angeles Dodgers New York Mets Notes Omar Minaya Toronto Blue Jays Washington Nationals

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Cactus League Informs MLB Of Desire To Delay Start Of Spring Training

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Less than a month before players are set to report to Spring Training, Arizona’s Cactus League has submitted a formal request to commissioner Rob Manfred asking that the start of Spring Training be delayed due to the Covid-19 infection rate in Maricopa County (Twitter link via Brahm Resnick of 12 News in Arizona). The Cactus League itself does not have the authority to delay the start of Spring Training, but its formal request figures to elicit a response from the commissioner’s office.

“Amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Cactus League has formed a task force to ensure that our 10 spring training facilities are prepared to host the 2021 spring training season in a manner that is safe for all involved,” executive director Bridget Binsbacher wrote in a letter co-signed by nine other key members of the Cactus League. “We stand ready to work with you on the final preparation and outcome to begin the season. … But in the view of the current state of the pandemic in Maricopa County — with one of the nation’s highest infection rates — we believe it wise to delay the start of spring training to allow for the Covid-19 situation to improve here.”

The county’s appeal, however, doesn’t figure to have an effect on policy unless the players change their position – and on this issue they have been clear. In response to the letter from the Cactus League, the MLBPA released its own statement, reiterating their desire (and insistence) to start on time. “Although we have not received any communication directly, the MLBPA is aware of a letter that has been distributed today by the Cactus League Association,” the letter begins. It goes on to say, “The letter correctly notes that MLB does not have the ability to unilaterally make this decision.”

In negotiating the rules and conditions for the 2021 season, the MLBPA has been staunch in their desire to play a full season, which logistically necessitates a regularly-scheduled spring session under most if not all scenarios under consideration. For there to be any movement on the players’ part, owners and the league would have to account for the money that players would lose by delaying and truncating the season. This may be the players’ greatest point of leverage, and it’s not one they appear willing to compromise without considerable concessions on the league’s part. For what it’s worth, the NHL is currently active in Glendale with fans in the stands, notes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Glendale was one of the cities to sign the letter sent to the league.

There are basically two scenarios that could result in a delayed Spring Training. The first would be the local health crisis growing dire enough such that health officials mandate restrictions that conflict with the league’s ability to open camps. Considering the already-dire nature of the crisis at present, this isn’t considered a particularly likely outcome. The other possibility is the MLB and the MLBPA deciding together that a delay of camp is the proper course of action.



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