In the current pantheon of baseball ownership, the New York Mets’ Steve Cohen might be a unicorn.
As various owners around the league try to keep their total payroll low — 11 teams are lower than $100 million, according to Spotrac — Cohen is going all out for the Mets.
After a flurry of a free agency spending period where the Mets added stalwarts like Justin Verlander and re-signed core pieces like Edwin Díaz and Brandon Nimmo, New York now has baseball’s highest payroll. In fact, at over $335 million, the next-closest team to the Mets is the crosstown Yankees, at roughly $68 million less.
In an interview with ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Cohen heartily acknowledged he might be outside the box when writing large checks to players compared to the thriftiness of his peers. In fact, Cohen even took it a step further — he essentially told them they should look inward if they’re bothered by how he spends.
Phew!
Steve Cohen is absolutely right about other owners whining about his spending, via ESPN. pic.twitter.com/GbofgqtYhI
— Michael Mayer (@mikemayer22) February 6, 2023
Nothing Cohen said there is a lie. Not one word. Cohen isn’t breaking any rules by opening his wallet more than others.
Here’s an additional thought. If other owners are really bothered by how Cohen’s Mets are using his resources to build a good team, perhaps they should be trying to spend to build a winner! It’s not a difficult concept.
MLB fans loved Cohen's shot at owners who would be upset about his high spending
I want a Steve Cohen https://t.co/k3C2snLoel
— Coach™️ (@Schmidtonit5) February 6, 2023
I love this guy https://t.co/pURve8UjvF
— Taylor Hitchcock (@t_hitch12) February 6, 2023
It’s a sad state of affairs when a group of extremely rich people are criticizing Steve Cohen for… trying to win. https://t.co/OrTQj9OxZz
— Keith Powers (@KeithPowersNYC) February 6, 2023
Told the other owners get your money up lmao https://t.co/ToGNVmaaPM
— Kennard Masters (@trowabeezy) February 6, 2023
I wish Steve cohen owned my team https://t.co/3P0DuUuP3s
— Max Klingshirn (@maxkling26) February 6, 2023
Steve. #mets https://t.co/MgRryuGG4B pic.twitter.com/5filS58R1t
— SCRO (@scrosheesh) February 6, 2023
Cohen is the model of owner that baseball deserves. https://t.co/Ip2JQHQGVZ
— Gustavo Silva (@GustavoSilvaV) February 6, 2023
https://t.co/EWRa0A51TS pic.twitter.com/WpRVzsBCRH
— Kyle Ellis (@K_Ellis75) February 6, 2023
steve cohen to other owners: https://t.co/e7yU6knbkd pic.twitter.com/kQodBquYFi
— james (@TacoBellTake) February 6, 2023
That's my owner https://t.co/gMbHeiB319
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarr88) February 6, 2023
— Tucker (@tuckxmvne) February 6, 2023
