The New York Mets’ general manager David Stearns claimed the team won’t be looking to replace injured ace Kodai Senga with a free agent pickup Thursday morning despite the fact there are numerous available options and they boast the richest owner in baseball.
When billionaire hedge fund owner Steve Cohen bought the Mets in 2020 he told us Mets fans “I want a team that’s built to be great every year.”
And credit where it’s due, he put his money where his mouth is early on. He immediately went out and pushed for aggressive moves in trading for star shortstop Francisco Lindor and promptly offered him a 10-year, $341 million contract, at the time the highest ever for a shortstop.
He followed it up by offering starting pitcher Max Scherzer a two-year, $86.6 million contract, again breaking a record for the highest-paid contract in terms of average annual value. The next year he signed Justin Verlander with virtually the same deal.
But when those moves didn’t pan out, and Cohen’s Mets rightfully pivoted and traded Verlander and Scherzer in the middle of the 2023 season, it appears something broke inside Steve Cohen’s brain.
Cohen has gone from a guy who spent so much money that other MLB owners were getting pissed off to a dude operating a team in New York like how they play in Minnesota. (RELATED: MLB’s Richest Owner Steve Cohen Pinching Pennies As Competitors Swoop Up Free Agent Targets)
After bringing in small-town Milwaukee Brewers front office man David Stearns to be the team’s new general manager, the Mets have taken a markedly different approach to free agency than in previous offseasons. While they did reportedly offer Japanese phenom pitching Yoshinobu Yamamoto a similarly massive deal to the $325 million he got from the Dodgers, other than him they’ve been virtually out on every big ticket item on the market.
Now, with news breaking Thursday that their ace Kodai Senga will likely miss the beginning of the season with a shoulder injury, the Mets have a prime opportunity to add one of the premier arms remaining on the market like two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Apparently not.
David Stearns says that Kodai Senga’s injury doesn’t change the Mets’ approach when it comes to potentially adding more starting pitching: pic.twitter.com/kyShJFwiYw
— SNY (@SNYtv) February 22, 2024
Stearns told reporters the injury is unlikely to change their approach to free agency. “I don’t think so,” he said replying to a question about adding someone before opening day.
COME ON MAN.
Some people may look at the Mets’ $283 million payroll and say it’s ridiculous that I’m complaining about their spending, but those people would be wrong. First of all, over $50 million of that money is going to players who aren’t even on the roster anymore as the Mets ate large chunks of Scherzer and Verlander’s salaries in their trades to get a better prospect haul in return.
Second, and most importantly, Steve Cohen is filthy rich. His $19.8 billion net worth makes him the richest owner in baseball by far and the fifth-richest owner in North American professional sports, per Front Office Sports.
I don’t care that you’re over the luxury tax buddy. Should have thought about that before you promised us championships. Cohen pulled our fanbase out of mediocrity and gave us hope for the first time in a long time. But, like Barack Obama in 2008, Cohen’s sales pitch of hope is looking increasingly like an empty promise.
His rotation is a travesty full of reclamation projects. With no Scherzer, Verlander and now no Senga to start, the Mets’ options for opening-day starters include failed former Yankee Luis Severino, Sean Manaea and Tylor Megill, all middle-tier guys at best.
Meanwhile, there’s a pair of aces just sitting on the market in Snell and left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who’s fresh off winning a championship with the Texas Rangers. (RELATED: REPORT: MLB Owners Are Complaining About Steve Cohen’s Massive Spending Spree For New York Mets)
With the improvements division rivals in Atlanta and Philadelphia made in the offseason, the Mets needed to get A LOT better to keep pace, and they just didn’t. Like Cohen said in 2020 “no one remembers if you came in second or third place.”