- Cohen said the Mets made the same offer to Yamamoto as the Dodgers
- He added that the team will try to rebuild the team slowly and carefully
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New York Mets owner Steve Cohen isn't letting hurt feelings get in the way of rebuilding his team, especially after missing out on the free agent of a generation.
The Mets were one of three finalists in the race for Japanese pitching phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto – who signed a 12-year, $325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night.
Cohen told the New York Post that he has no regrets about his efforts to convince Yamamoto to move to Flushing.
“I think the whole organization gave it our best shot, and someone was going to win and someone was going to lose and that's how it goes,” Cohen said while vacationing in the Caribbean.
'I have a good feeling about our effort and left everything on the field. Life goes on.'
Mets owner Steve Cohen isn't worried after the team failed to land Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Yamamoto signed a massive 12-year deal worth $325 million to join the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday
Cohen said the Mets offered Yamamoto the same term and price as LA
Cohen's efforts included a trip to Japan with David Stearns, his president of baseball operations, to meet with the pitcher just before the winter meetings.
Cohen also hosted Yamamoto for dinner at his home in Connecticut last weekend, giving the player time to get acquainted with manager Carlos Mendoza and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner.
The owner says his team's offer was exactly the same term and price as the Dodgers'.
Although Cohen did not discuss details, sources told the Post that New York was one of the first to offer Yamamoto and that they were never given the opportunity to increase their offer.
Yamamoto was also heavily pursued by the New York Yankees – who similarly rolled out the red carpet for the 25-year-old.
Now the Mets say they won't look for weapons to put in their bullpen by offering top free agents like Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.
“We're going to be thoughtful and not impulsive and think about medium-term sustainability, but not focused on winning headlines in the coming week,” Cohen said. “I think there are a number of ways to build a team.”
Cohen added, “Last time I checked, there's never one player that's going to make or break your team.
'We're going to build it. It will happen. Slowly but surely you will see changes and improvements. We have the right management with a shared vision.'