So far, the bold new era inaugurated by hedge fund manager Steve Cohen’s purchase of the Mets in 2020 has been found wanting.
New York spent extended periods of time in first place in both 2021 and ’22, but advanced no further than the NL wild-card round of the playoffs last year. This year, the bottom has fallen out, and Cohen implied in a press conference Wednesday afternoon that he is prepared to make some difficult choices.
Interestingly, Cohen didn’t shut down the idea that right-handed aces Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander could be traded if the team doesn’t turn its season around.
“These are great pitchers. We brought them in for a reason. I don’t want to approach that topic. I haven’t gotten that far yet,” Cohen said when asked about the potential status of Scherzer and Verlander as trade candidates. “They have contracts, by the way.”
Steve Cohen when asked about potentially trading Justin Verlander or Max Scherzer:
— Dan Bartels (@DanBartels2) June 28, 2023
“These are great pitchers. We brought them in for a reason. I don’t want to approach that topic, I haven’t gotten that far yet.
“Plus, they have contracts by the way.” #LGM pic.twitter.com/1J9YtST0cX
Scherzer is signed through the end of this season and holds a $43 million player option for 2024. Verlander is inked through ’24, with a $35 million option that kicks in if he pitches 140 innings next season.
Meanwhile, the Mets are 36-43—16 1/2 games behind the first-place Braves in the NL East—a reality that has Cohen “open to all ideas.”
“It’s been incredibly frustrating,” Cohen said. “If we don’t get better, we have decisions to make at the trade deadline. It’s on the players.”
