Mets Going Outside the Box to Hire Jessica Mendoza

One thing is certain about the New York Mets and General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen, they are not afraid to go outside the box, even if it ruffles the feathers of the Twitterverse.

From Van Wagenen’s very own hire by the Wilpon’s to be the team’s general manager after a career spent entirely as a sports agent, to the prolonged chronicles of former Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow, the Mets have defined and re-defined “Outside the Box.”

So it really should come as no surprise that the club was willing to tap into another high-profile celebrity in current ESPN baseball analyst Jessica Mendoza as an advisor to the front office.

 Mendoza has a connection to Van Wagenen. She is represented by Creative Artist Agency, the same firm Van Wagenen once worked for, setting yet another example of how far reaching Van Wagenen’s network of contacts can go.

Of course the announcement of Mendoza’s hiring sent Mets fans into a tizzy, many of whom ripped the hire.

The truth is women are more and more apart of the fabric that makes up baseball front office decisions.  Jean Afterman is Brian Cashman’s assistant GM at the Yankees, and Kim Ng, who also once worked at the Yankees, is currently the Vice President of Baseball Operations with Major League Baseball. Ng was even a candidate for the Mets GM job before Van Wagenen got it.

I personally believe one day we will see a woman play in Major League Baseball. As outlandish as that sounds to some, it’s probably closer to reality than one thinks. Major League Baseball and even other sports like the NBA are very progressive when it comes to broadening the workplace.

Had Mendoza not been of such a high profile celebrity, nobody would even talk about her addition. But this is the Mets, who are not afraid of a little extra attention.

The issue that many have pointed out with Mendoza and the Mets is the potential for a conflict of interest. She will remain at her post as a lead analyst for ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball, while still working for the Mets. According to the NY Post, she will have intimate knowledge of the Mets thinking, and will be a presence at GM meetings and future winter meetings. 

Her role is to advise on player evaluation and development. This could be a tricky road for both herself and Mets. By staying at ESPN, opposing managers (especially those in the NL East) are not going to want divulge too much.

Will Mendoza be removed from the broadcast booth when ESPN is broadcasting a Mets or Phillies game on Sunday Night this season? Reports indicate she will remain in the booth regardless.

And there is precedent on the side of Mendoza and the Mets too.

Alex Rodriguez already works both ESPN and the Yankees in a similar capacity. CC Sabathia, who hasn’t even retired yet, already inked a deal with ESPN to be an analyst this season while still playing. You also have managers who have left the broadcast booth for the dugout in Aaron Boone and Alex Cora.

Apparently nobody seems to care about conflicts of interest if they exist at all.

 When asked about the hire and Mendoza’s qualifications, Van Wagenen smiled, almost knowing full well what was to come his way and said:

“First, I was an outside-the-box hire and I have been a believer in getting new voices and fresh perspectives in the room, especially when you are making decisions,” Van Wagenen said at First Data Field in Port St. Lucie. “And Jessica has a very high baseball IQ. She has aptitude to learn anything. And she knows the game. Like Al Leiter, like David Wright, like John Franco, she’s a winner. She played the game at an extremely high level, an Olympic champion.”