Steve Cohen Brings More Than Money to Mets

Late Friday afternoon, fans of the New York Mets received the news they’d been waiting to hear for ages. The Wilpon era in Queens had finally run its beleaguered course.

Mirages of contention – for division championships, meaningful September games, and free agents, alike – and the free-falling spiral they took this proud franchise down over their final years at the helm became synonymous with the Mets as an organization.

That’s just how it works. That’s what leadership is; setting the bar. And this outgoing ownership group dropped that bar off the docks of Flushing Bay.

Sure, there were plenty of high times over the last few decades, but the disappointment-to-championships ratio was much higher than it ever should have been.

Then just like that, it was over. Steve Cohen, billionaire hedge fund manager and lifelong Mets fan, has entered the ring and his gloves appear to be stuffed with gold coins.

An owner or owners willing to dedicate their full support – financial, moral, etc – to winning a championship is a luxury many of us have never enjoyed. That’s about to change.

The string of team options not being picked up around baseball and the expected wave of non-tenders next month will leave the free-agent market flooded with mid-to-high-end talent at overwhelmingly below-market value.

At a time when the rest of the league is crying poverty (kinda tough to believe a $10 billion per year industry can’t absorb this economic downturn, but whatever you say, MLB), the Mets now have the richest owner in the sport with an All-Star core already in place.

And don’t think for a second the irony of the Wilpons just missing out on the cheap offseason of their dreams is being lost in this equation, because it most certainly is not.

To be honest, they brought this upon themselves. But that’s neither here nor there at this point in the conversation. The Wilpons’ time has passed. 

Now, the time has come to bask in the glory of an exciting new direction and the beautiful energy that’s been coursing its way through this long-suffering, tough-as-nails fan base over the last few weeks, culminating with Friday’s announcement that had half of Mets Twitter half in the bag by 9pm.

This fan base has waited long enough for the tide to turn. And the turnaround from pumpkin to perennial powerhouse could very well be a short-term transition.

Cohen coming in and taking advantage of this bordering-on-collusion situation (just calling it how I see it), building a winner quickly, and showing the Wilpons exactly how to run a ball club in New York would be the welcome party he never got to have after his first bid for the team fell through.

Cohen’s already put forth more goodwill than we’ve seen from the executive offices at 41 Seaver Way in a long time.

Per his statement on Friday, Cohen plans to donate $17.5 million toward NYC-developed programs and local small businesses, expand the footprint of the Mets Foundation to local non-profit causes, and reinstate full pre-COVID salaries to all Mets employees beginning November 1.

Impending on-field success aside, that’s a heartwarming, wholly encouraging statement to make in your initial correspondence as owner of the New York Mets.

Get your popcorn, peanuts, and Cracker Jack ready. The Amazin’ Mets reboot is about to begin. And it seems the new executive producer of the show is ready to do whatever it takes to change the culture in Queens and bring home another World Series title. 

Thank you, Mr. Cohen. Here’s to a very bright future.