Mets Advisor Jessica Mendoza Talking Trades in Booth With Alex Rodriguez is a Wild Look for ESPN

How ESPN still maintains to have a shred of objectivity I'm not sure, especially considering two of the three commentators in their Sunday Night Baseball booth now have official MLB affiliations (and the other one, Matt Vasgersian, seems to be anti-baseball entirely).

The network that once ran out a Dan Shulman-Curt Schilling-Nomar booth during a Yankees-Red Sox Sunday Night game at Fenway has now outdone itself, featuring Alex Rodriguez, a Yankees advisor as of 2018 whose official relationship with the team was silently dissolved, and Jessica Mendoza, a Mets advisor, getting trade deadline narratives out there for their respective clubs.

A-Rod, one of Brian Cashman’s advisors, said he would try to bring in Trevor Bauer at the deadline. Says it’s “a risk worth taking” and the Yankees “don’t need nice players, they need winners.”
— Dan Federico (@DanJFederico) July 29, 2019

A-Rod not-so-subtly advocating for wild man Trevor Bauer in the Bronx is one thing, but Mendoza managed to one-up him by pushing a Mets centerpiece toward the Yankees' side of the table.

Interestingly enough, Jessica Mendoza, a special advisor to the Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen, said the Yankees should have Noah Syndergaard atop their trade deadline wish list
— Dan Federico (@DanJFederico) July 29, 2019

Though a Syndergaard-Yankees swap is unlikely to happen for a number of reasons, you must admit it's flat-out bizarre to watch a Mets employee advocate for it, in the presence of someone with the Yankees' ear, on national television under the guise of idle discussion.

Mendoza's role with the Mets (per the Mets!) involves roster construction, so this isn't a feckless worry.

When hired, the Mets said Mendoza will “provide insight to Brodie Van Wagenen and the entire Baseball Operations Department. Her focus will be player evaluation, roster construction, technological advancement and health and performance.” https://t.co/wZS0gzoEnO
— Craig Calcaterra (@craigcalcaterra) July 29, 2019

Of course, this is more than speculation. While neither Mendoza nor Rodriguez are making high-level solo decisions for their franchises, both have likely been privy to chatter, or at least know what they're doing when they go public with their own thoughts, assuming the front office will hear them.

Neither comment represents tampering, interference, or anything in between, but with ESPN's booth taking plenty of enemy fire this year for their overall malaise and lack of chemistry, these conflicts of interest coming to a head might be an easier path to a shakeup in the long run.