Mets on verge of potentially reckless deal. Here's a better Plan B

New Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen could come out looking like a genius in adding Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz -- or it could backfire spectacularly. Stephen Brashear/Getty Images

What distinguishes the newest generation of baseball executives from their peers is their devotion to risk management. This is largely how we've gotten to a place where the sport is getting younger, and the biggest contracts aren't quite as big as they used to be.

The Mets' proposed deal with the Mariners for infielder Robinson Cano and closer Edwin Diaz runs counter to those trends. Rather than veering around risk, they are steering into it.

If the deal is finished and it works out, and the Mets make the playoffs and perhaps the World Series, new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen should be hailed for his aggressiveness, his willingness to take chances. He would be a candidate for Executive of the Year in his first year as an executive, no small feat.

But if this goes badly, this trade will look like reckless madness.