In classic New York Mets fashion, the search for a new majority owner was, like many other aspects of the organization, chaotic and ugly. There were plenty of candidates’ names that circled around the rumor mill, from Barstool founder Dave Portnoy, to Vitamin Water’s Mike Repole, to Arod and JLo. But in the end, multi-billionaire hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen, whose net worth as of the beginning of 2020 is $14 billion, was the man who entered into negotiations to become the majority owner of the New York Mets, taking over for the controversial Wilpon family. With his $14 billion, Steve Cohen will be the richest owner in baseball, and by all reports, will be confirmed by his future peers.
So the question remains: what will Steve Cohen’s Mets look like once he takes over before the 2021 season? Well, for starters, he will reportedly have to handle an obscene amount of debt. However, this is a man who was fined nearly $2 billion for his alleged involvement in an insider trading charge in 2013. While $2 billion is not a drop in the bucket, it’s made easier when the man is worth eight times that amount. Regardless, it is uncertain whether or not the amount of debt that the Mets have currently will impede their spending. One recent sign that it will not is that the employees of the Mets will be getting their full salaries in November, a sign of a changing tide with new ownership.
Another rumored change under the Cohen ownership is the expansion of the analytics department. It is rumored that the return of Sandy Alderson as team president will occur once the new group is voted in. He will also attempt to bring along Oakland’s assistant general manager Billy Owens as the GM of the team, replacing Brodie Van Wagonen. The expansion of the Mets analytics department is a long time coming for many fans, as it is known that the team has the smallest one in the league. This is one of the keys for turning the team from perennial underachiever to a consistent playoff team, like the Cardinals, Rays, Yankees, Dodgers, and the aforementioned Athletics. This also suggests that the Mets won’t be heavy spenders in free agency like many fans are eager for. However, this also doesn’t fully mean that the Mets will be bargain bin shoppers as they were under the Wilpon ownership. Rather, when the team’s depth is called on to get the job done, it won’t fall apart as it has in year’s past.
For Mets fans, September 14th, 2020, the day Steve Cohen agreed to buy full ownership, can be seen as a holiday. While the spending sprees for Bauer, Realmuto, and Springer will probably not occur, there is hope across the fanbase that the team will become a perennial playoff team, fulfilling the big market aspirations of their crosstown rival. In the eyes of many Mets fans, the best is yet to come at Citi Field.
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