Steve Cohen as Spring Training Starts “The Best Vibe I’ve Felt”

Mets owner Steve Cohen was in Port St. Lucie for day six of Mets spring training. He spent a few minutes speaking with the media over the railing of the Mets dugout at Clover Park.

Cohen spoke on various topics, including the vibe and goals of the team, team spending and fulfilling promises to the fans, connecting with players and fans, as well as Shohei Ohtani’s anticipated free agency at the end of the season.

Spring Training and Player Engagement:

Cohen spoke on the free agency market during the off-season and expressed his surprise that prices for players had gone up during the offseason. “Listen, it’s a fluid situation. We had some ideas of what we wanted to do, and you always have contingency plans because you never know how it’s going to work out,” stated Cohen.

Cohen said it turned out well considering the price hike for players, stating that many of the free agents were placed.

“I’m really excited about this team,” he said. “I feel an incredible vibe here. I think this is the best vibe I’ve felt since I’ve started thing, being an owner. I’m excited, this is a good-looking team.”

Cohen was asked about building a family atmosphere culture with the team.

“They’re people. And I care about my people,” said Cohen. “I think it’s important to have a personal touch, I think that matters, it shows you care,” he said.

Offseason Spending:

Along with placing a lot of players during the offseason, a good amount of money was spent. Cohen said he had conversations with other owners at the winter meetings and comments were made that he’s playing by the rules and following them.

“In the end, when I measure my success as an owner, obviously you want to win a world series, but I’m also going to measure my success on building a farm system so we can create sustainability year in and year out. That’s really important to me,” noted Cohen.

Cohen noted that the amount of money he spent during the offseason was to fulfill his commitment to the fans. “It wasn’t a short-term commitment,” he stated. “When I do something, I don’t do it halfway. When I’m in, I’m all in. I don’t accept mediocrity well and have high expectations. If that means me investing into this club, then I’m going to do it.”

Expectations and Goals for 2023 and Beyond:

Cohen touched on the 2023 goals for the team. He was asked about if the expectation was nothing less than the world series. His response was how hard it is to get there and that yes, it’s a goal, but there’s ways to get there.

“The only thing you can do is put yourself in position where good things can happen,” said Cohen. Have to make the playoffs, the team has to be healthy, rested, it has to be rearing to go, and you let the chips fall where they may.”

Cohen noted that he’d love to get there, but he can’t control making the World Series. “If you keep making that happen, one day we’ll get there.”

In terms of long-term (three to five year) goals, Cohen noted that it’s important to set goals that are high. “There’s nothing wrong with putting out really stretch goals. You may get there, you may not. But it’s important to set goals that are high and try to achieve them,” said Cohen.

Fan Engagement:

“I’ve always tried to find ways to engage with the fans,” said Cohen. He noted taking selfies, engaging on twitter, his wife giving away tickets in the upper deck as ways they’ve tried to engage with fans. He said it doesn’t take a lot to make your fans feel important. “It’s back to realizing that without the fans, their excitement, and engagement, there’s no Mets. They’re important to us,” he said.

Cohen said he doesn’t view feeling like a “celebrity” as important. “My job is to build a great ballclub and interact with the fans. It’s not about me, it’s about them,” he said.

Shohei Ohtani Upcoming Free Agency:

Cohen was of course asked about Ohtani’s free agency. He said that’s for next year and that he’s focused on this season. “That’s next year. Let’s worry about this year,” he said.