Mets GM Criticizes Rob Manfred, Potential Protest Plan in Leaked Video
Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen appeared to be caught on video Thursday criticizing MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and a potential plan for the Mets and Marlins to show their support for the ongoing social justice movement while also playing games as scheduled.
While the source of the video is unclear, the Mets GM appears to be talking to at least one colleague about a potential protest plan ahead of Thursday's game.
"Baseball's trying to come up with a solution to say, you know what would be super powerful—three of us here, can't leave this room—you know what would be really great, if you just have 'em all take the field and leave the field and then they come back and play at 8:10," Van Wagenen said. "And I was like, 'What?'"
He went on to say that the aforementioned plan is "Rob's instinct."
"He just doesn't get it," Van Wagenen was heard saying of Manfred.
Van Wagenen spoke earlier Thursday about systemic racism across the United States. He also touched on the emotional postgame comments from Mets first baseman Dominic Smith.
"We're going to take the pulse of our players and give them an opportunity to have a voice, and we want to empower them to have a voice," Van Wagenen said on WFAN. "But what's going on is upsetting. What I saw from Dom Smith yesterday upsets me that he's feeling that pain. That Black people across the country are feeling the pain. It's outrageous. It really is. And the fact that we're still facing these situations at this point in our society is upsetting."
Later Thursday, Van Wagenen released a statement saying the idea for the Mets to play an hour later was owner Jeff Wilpon's, and that Van Wagenen had misunderstood that the idea came from Manfred. He then apologized for his remarks.
"My frustration with the Commissioner was wrong and unfounded," Van Wagenen wrote. "I apologize to the Commissioner for my disrespectful comments and poor judgment in inaccurately describing the contents of his private conversation with Jeff Wilpon.”
Manfred later released a statement on the situation.
"I have said both publicly and privately that I respect those decisions and support the need to address social justice," Manfred said of clubs not playing games. "I have not attempted in any way to prevent players from expressing themselves by not playing, nor have I suggested any alternative form of protest to any Club personnel or any player. Any suggestion to the contrary is wrong."
Both Jeff and Fred Wilpon released statements Thursday night, defending Manfred while being critical of Van Wagenen.
“I am very stressed and disappointed to learn tonight that our General Manager, Brodie Van Wagenen, made disrespectful and inaccurate comments about our Commissioner, a long-time close friend of mine," Fred Wilpon wrote. "I hold Rob in the highest regard and in no way are Brody’s (sic) remarks reflective of my views or the organization’s. Rob continues to be a great leader of Major League Baseball. I apologize for any harm this incident has cause Rob.”
The Mets entered Thursday 13-16 and in fourth place in the NL East.
At just after 7 p.m. ET, the Mets took the field led by Smith and outfielder Billy Hamilton. Both teams came out of their dugouts and observed a 42-second moment of silence to honor Jackie Robinson. Marlins Lewis Brinson, the only Black player on Miami's roster, was set to bat leadoff but instead placed a Black Lives Matter shirt on home plate before both teams walked off the field.
A number of games around MLB have been postponed on Wednesday and Thursday after players pushed for their delay. The NBA's Milwaukee Bucks were the first professional team to decide to sit out of their game as a sign of protest following the recent Jacob Blake shooting.
