On Tuesday, the New York Mets officially introduced Brodie Van Wagenen as general manager in a press conference at Citi Field. The Mets are only the second MLB franchise to hire an agent as their general manager. The Arizona Diamondbacks employed Joe Garagiola Jr. as their first agent prior to the 1998 season and hired Dave Stewart following the 2014 season. 

The former co-head of baseball at Creative Artists Agency represented several current Mets, including Jacob deGrom, Yoenis Cespedes, Noah Syndergaard, Todd Frazier and Tim Tebow. Van Wagenen made $25 million in commissions last year, according to Forbes. Van Wagenen told the media in attendance at his press conference that he will make the players the priority going forward. 

Van Wagenen said he discussed this move with deGrom and his other clients before accepting the Mets' general manager job. He also said he has divested from CAA and future contract commissions.

Jeff Wilpon, the Mets' COO, said there are provisions in Van Wagenen's contract to deal with conflicts of interest. That could result in Van Wagenen recusing himself from certain negotiations, such as with Jacob deGrom. But Van Wagenen would help provide direction.