As he enters his third full season as owner of the Mets, Steve Cohen is apparently still trying to reshape the organization from the Wilpon regime, which he criticized on Sunday.
Cohen, who took ownership of the team in September 2020, said at the time that it would be “a disappointment” if they didn’t win a World Series in three to five years.
That goal now seems lofty after the Mets won just 75 games last year and Cohen blamed his predecessors during a speech at spring training.
“I would have hoped we would have had more winning seasons, but that’s not easy,” Cohen said via the New York Post.
“In the end, I got what I got.”
Steve Cohen hopes to get the Mets back to the postseason after a disappointing 2023
Cohen succeeded Fred Wilpon, who owned the team in some capacity from 1986 to 2020
According to the Post, that line was a reference to the team’s farm system, which Cohen has tried to supplement since joining the franchise.
“For the first time we look stacked (on the farm) and I don’t think I would have ever used that term before, and that’s a good feeling,” he added.
Billionaire Cohen has also had several major successes in free agency, signing pitcher Max Scherzer to a three-year, $130 million contract in 2021 and Justin Verlander to a two-year, $86.6 million contract in 2022. Both players have since been traded for prospects.
According to the figures, Cohen is worth $19.8 billion Forbesand his high spending was often welcomed by fans after the Wilpons were considered cheap by many.
Fred Wilpon became a 50-50 owner of the club in 1986 and completed a full takeover of the franchise in 2002 (his son, Jeff, would eventually run day-to-day operations).
From 2002 to 2020, when the Mets were sold to Cohen, the team went just 1458-1516, with just one World Series run (2015) in that span.
Mets first baseman Pete Alonso will be key to the team’s hopes of reaching the postseason
After winning 101 games in the 2022 season, the Mets came crashing back down to earth last year when they finished fourth in the NL East and missed the postseason.
“Last year was a disappointment because of the high expectations,” Cohen said.
“This year I think we’ve built the foundation of what’s possible. I think there are some great teams in the National League, but other than that I think we are as competitive as any other team.”
The Mets will hope their core of Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Francisco Lindor can get them back to the postseason in 2024.