As Mets’ Struggles Continue, Owner Steve Cohen Takes Responsibility

In a rare press conference Wednesday, New York Mets owner Steve Cohen took responsibility for the team’s struggles in 2023. Despite entering the season with the highest payroll in baseball, the Mets are currently fourth in the NL East with a 36-44 record.

“All is not lost yet, but it’s getting late,” Cohen said before New York’s game Wednesday, a 5-2 loss to the Brewers. “I’m preparing my management team for all possibilities. If they don’t get better, we have decisions to make at the trade deadline. That’s not my preferred end result. We’re preparing all contingencies.”

In a historic spending spree following the 2022 season, the Mets signed Justin Verlander, Kodai Senga, David Robertson and Jose Quintana while extending stars like Edwin Diaz and Brandon Nimmo. Now, the team is considering investments.

Cohen’s decision to speak to reporters is likely the result of his personal frustration, as he has already spent hundreds of millions of dollars in his short tenure as owner. He joins countless fans who are similarly upset with the team’s performance.

“It’s been incredibly frustrating,” Cohen said. “I watch every game, I watch what’s going on. Would I have expected us to be in this position at the beginning of the season? No. But here we are. It’s kind of weird. It’s kind of strange to me. I don’t know if the players are anxious. I don’t know if they’re pressing.”

The Mets’ last series win came on June 1 against the Phillies, and they have lost several since by blowing leads or pulling starters early. Though Cohen took responsibility as the owner, he also said that the players ultimately have to be the ones to overcome their struggles.

“It’s on the players. They are veterans,” Cohen said. “They have been there before … we will see if they can get their act together and string together some wins.”

For years, New York has leaned heavily on its starting pitching due to consistent woes on offense. This season, however, the offense has been generally competent, with young players like Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez complementing more established stars, but the pitching has fallen apart.

The Mets’ starting rotation is star-studded but ranks near the bottom of the league in nearly every significant category. Starters have struggled to reach six innings consistently, which has taken its toll on a bullpen that was already missing closer Diaz following his WBC injury. Relief pitcher Adam Ottavino, who allowed the Brewers to score two runs late in Wednesday’s game, agreed with Cohen that the players could do more.

“You gotta overcome stuff. Good teams overcome stuff. We’re not overcoming stuff,” Ottavino said.

Cohen went on to say that he would not fire manager Buck Showalter or general manager Billy Eppler during the season and also plans to eventually add a president of baseball operations, long rumored to be the Brewers’ David Stearns. He also said that the team could take a number of approaches at the trade deadline, however. If the team were to sell aging stars like Max Scherzer or Verlander, Cohen would likely have to eat a significant portion of the contract, as he did when he traded catcher James McCann to the Orioles earlier this year.