Steve Cohen Interview with Howie Rose

Steve Cohen sat down with Howie Rose in an annual interview posted by the New York Mets to discuss why he is excited by this new Mets team and why he believes they are a playoff contender. He said the Mets have not won enough World Series and he wants to bring another to Queens.

On Players Who Left

He discussed how he can understand when fans get upset when fan favorite players leave the team. Those players were with the team when he first took ownership of the team and he developed relationships with them. He said it creates anxiety when player leave and you have not replaced them yet.

Howie described the Brandon Nimmo and Jeff McNeil trades as, “strictly baseball decisions,” compared to deciding not to bring back players who were free agents. On Pete Alonso, Cohen said that under certain circumstances he could have seen a reunion but bluntly stated, “we weren’t going to go five years.” He said Pete got a great offer that would not have worked for the Mets. Every move they made this offseason was not thinking only about 2026, but for the future as well.

On Edwin Díaz, Cohen stated he felt the Mets offer was better than the Dodgers’ offer because their offer did not include the fourth-year conditional club option. He said he found the Díaz negotiations perplexing and that he still does not know how Edwin came to his decision, but Díaz made the decision he felt was best for him. He also said he felt Stearns was very clever to sign Devin Williams when he did and not hedge everything on Díaz returning.

On the New Mets Players

Cohen used the word “disciplined” to describe the New York Mets this offseason. He also said it was rollercoaster and said he is routinely reminded by president of baseball operations David Stearns that the offseason does not end in December and can continue well into February.

Cohen described the front office as preparing for all possibilities throughout the offseason and that they were talking with Bo Bichette throughout the Kyle Tucker negotiations. They understood there was no guarantee Tucker would come to Queens and once the roster was completed he said he feels now that Bichette fits the roster better than Tucker would have. Similar to Díaz, he felt the Mets’ bid was superior to the Dodgers’ but the player made a decision based on personal preference.

Cohen described the new Mets’ roster as fun to watch with a hitters that bring better defense and a lot of contact. He is excited for the young players coming up from the minors as well as the players acquired through free agency and trades. Nolan McLean is one prospect he said he is excited to watch pitch in 2026. He described new starter Freddy Peralta as an established veteran that is great in the clubhouse and brings a great personality.

Cohen said he always wanted the Mets’ roster to have a balance of young players and veterans and what they are building here can over the next few years create sustainable success.

On the State of the Mets’ Organization

Cohen stated he is excited by the 2026 Mets roster and described the new faces as “gamers” that are playoff tested and playoff performers. Cohen said he is excited by the energy these new players have brought to spring training and said he thinks fans are going to be excited by the type of ball the Mets are going to play.

Cohen added he has a great relationship with manager Carlos Mendoza and that he will talk and text Mendoza when he has an idea. He said he and Stearns are in constant contact and he loves that whenever he has a question Stearns always knows the answer. “It takes a lot of anxiety away from me that I know things are run the way they are supposed to be run,” Cohen explained. He described the front office as very strong.

He also said that while he is heavily involved in the team as a whole, he usually does not interfere with baseball decisions. He will make suggestions, but in the end David Stearns and his staff have the final say. He says he tried to ask the right questions and hold his staff accountable, but they are far more knowledgeable than he is on what the best baseball decisions are. He is not going to step in and override David Stearns.

We saw that process work well in 2025 when they followed Stearns’ plan to wait out the Alonso market. Stearns then brought Cohen in at the end of the process when they signed Alonso to his two-year contract with an opt out.

On the Mets Hall of Fame

On the inductions of Carlos Beltrán, Bobby Valentine, and Lee Mazzilli Cohen described those discussions and phone calls. Cohen gets the final say on who is inducted and described the process as something he looks forward to. He loves getting to have that phone call to notify them they have been selected and said all three of them are still heavily involved in the organization. He said all three of them do not shy away from giving their advice or view of the current Mets.

Carlos Beltrán is a special advisor to the Mets currently and was just voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame with a Mets cap. He described Beltran as a resource that communicates well with players and develops strong relationships and trust with them. He also provides a viewpoint and expertise that helps the front office and the team think about all aspects of what they are trying to accomplish. Beltran is only the third player to go in with a Mets cap on and Cohen wants to see more players reach the Hall of Fame as Mets.

On the 1986 Mets

Howie described the 1986 Mets as their contemporaries. Howie turned 72 soon after recording the interview and Cohen is turning 70 in June. Cohen has gotten to know Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling well through their work at SNY. He got to know Darryl Strawberry and Dwight Gooden through their number retirement process. He touched on how he has gotten to know those members as well as Mookie Wilson and had dinners with them hearing them talk about how much they love baseball and love to share their stories and experiences. He said his discussions with these former Mets stars also impacts how he views the team now. 2026 will be the 40th anniversary of that World Series season.

On Metropolitan Park

Howie described that vision as finally becoming reality. When Cohen bought this team he kept hearing about how there is nothing to do before or after the game. He became dedicated to make Citi Field a destination that people will want to spend the whole day at. Their goal is to make the community and fans proud with this project. It is complex and they are continually spending a lot of time thinking about it and how they can improve the area.

On the Upcoming CBA Negotiations

Cohen described himself as just one of 30 owners and that a lot can happen over the course of the 2026 season before he needs to worry about the CBA negotiations. He will let central baseball handle that and he will stay focused on the 2026 season and bringing a championship to Queens. It is hard to predict the future so he will figure it out when they get there.

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