After the Mets’ eventful 2023 trade deadline that saw that ship away several players including Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, owner Steve Cohen met with both the team and reporters on Wednesday in Kansas City.
In typical fashion, Cohen provided some intriguing insight on his and the front office’s mindset regarding the decision to sell this season, as well as a plethora of other subjects.
When asked about the Mets’ decision to sell, Cohen said he was “surprised you’d be surprised” at the team’s decision, saying that he hinted at the team’s direction during his press conference several weeks ago. Cohen noted that “hope is not a strategy” and said that the team having only a 12 percent chance of making the playoffs led him to his decision.
"If you're gonna have a 12% of getting into the playoffs, those are pretty crummy odds. I wouldn't want to be betting any money on that, and I don't think anybody else would, either. Hope's not a strategy."
– Steve Cohen pic.twitter.com/ih5XuLqNvc
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 2, 2023
When asked directly if he had final word on what transpired at the deadline, Cohen said curtly “I can turn it down if I want. I own the club, right? Don’t forget that.”
Steve Cohen was asked if he has the final word on baseball decisions:
"I can turn it down if I want. I own the club, right? Don't forget that." pic.twitter.com/pdgnv7fkbU
— SNY (@SNYtv) August 2, 2023
In regards to the future of Mets’ manager Buck Showalter, Cohen indicated that he would be retained, although he stopped short of fully guaranteeing it. Cohen said that he “didn’t put it on Buck. I put it on the players.”
Cohen also spoke about his conversation with Max Scherzer before he was traded to the Texas Rangers. Scherzer indicated that the Mets told him they were focusing on 2025 and beyond and did not plan to be active on the free agent market this offseason, which Cohen confirmed, saying “Max asked me straight up if I’d be all-in on free agents, and I couldn’t give him that promise.”
Steve Cohen on his conversation with Max Scherzer prior to the trade deadline: pic.twitter.com/hPgvma7XMT
— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) August 3, 2023
However, Cohen indicated that he still felt as though the team would be “competitive” next season and “opportunistic” this offseason saying he didn’t plan on rolling out a team they would be embarrassed by.
However, Cohen noted that the amount of dead money he was paying to Verlander and Scherzer would stop them from being as aggressive in free agency as they were in the past.
More Cohen: "It doesn’t mean we’re not going to bring in free agents. It may not be to the extent that we did in the past because I’m carrying a lot of dead money. But trading Justin and Max creates a lot of dead money." https://t.co/OAgrsx1Wls
— Tim Britton (@TimBritton) August 3, 2023
Cohen also touched on the future of Pete Alonso, who is set to be a free agent after the 2024 season. Cohen said “we love Pete as a Met” and that he “hoped we could work things out,” mentioning the team eventually re-signing Brandon Nimmo even without inking him to an extension before he hit free agency.
Steve Cohen on Alonso: "Listen, we love Pete as a Met. He's an integral part of the Mets. He's still with us for another year. We hope we work things out. Even with (Nimmo), we worked things out in free agency. Hopefully we get a few shots at the apple and try to figure it out."
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) August 2, 2023
Cohen and the Mets managed to add four top-100 prospects before the deadline expired, completely revamping their farm system. However, it came at the cost of competitiveness for the rest of this season, and a much steeper path to competitiveness next season. For Cohen and co., they’ll have to hope the gamble to aim for long-term sustainability in lieu of chasing a World Series in the short term pays off.