Mets owner Steve Cohen says prospects are bright for the future
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen during spring training last month. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Steve Cohen is a busy man. Not just being the owner of the Mets, but also with what he calls “this other thing,” which is his billion-dollar hedge fund business.
So it took Cohen until Sunday — 11 days from Opening Day — to hold a spring training state-of-the-Mets Q&A with the media.
The state of the Mets’ union under new president of baseball operations David Stearns and manager Carlos Mendoza is good, Cohen said.
He said he is looking for the club to contend for a playoff spot in 2024, and he thinks the future is bright with all the prospects the Mets are featuring in spring training, especially in Friday’s inaugural Spring Breakout prospects game.
Oh, and Cohen is not going to try to sign Pete Alonso to an extension before he becomes a free agent.
“I’m looking forward to great baseball,” Cohen said during a 19-minute dugout chat with reporters before the Mets hosted the Marlins at Clover Park. “I mean, I think this team’s going to really excite . . . I think diving for baseballs, great catches, watching our young players develop, watching new players come up from the farm system. I mean, the fans talk about it — they love prospects. Well, guess what? They’re going to see them.”
Not so much in the early part of 2024, unless you count Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos. That trio likely will start the season with the big-league club, but the more intriguing prospects are below.
The younger prospects Cohen is talking about include those who might make their big-league debuts later this summer, and those who might need a few more years to get to Flushing. Neophytes such as position players Drew Gilbert and Luisangel Acuna and Jett Williams and pitchers Mike Vasil and Dominic Hamel and Brandon Sproat, to name-drop a few, which Cohen did with great excitement.
“This is turning into a world-class organization,” he said. “My hope, my goal would be that over time that creates sustainable winning . . . I’ve always said I want to sustain the farm system. Well, they don’t grow on trees. So that takes time.
“Obviously, made a major decision last year to make trades at the deadline that certainly boosted and accelerated the depth of the farm system, and we’re starting to see the fruits of that . . . I mean, for the first time, I would say that we’re starting to look stacked. I don’t think I’ve ever used that term.”
The owner echoed the sentiments expressed by his president of baseball operations earlier in spring training.
“I still think it’s important for us to give young players who have consistently succeeded at the minor-league level chances to contribute in the major leagues,” Stearns said. “I think that’s important.”
Cohen, who has reduced his social media presence from when he first took over the Mets in 2020, still seems to understand Mets fans. He spoke to them directly when pleading for patience with the prospect-building approach.
“I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again,” he said. “What I ask the fans is to give them a chance. It’s not easy breaking into the major leagues and I really would love to see the fans be highly supportive and not base it on just a few games or a few weeks. But I think they’re going to see some great young talent over the next few years. So that’s something to get excited by.”
That doesn’t mean Cohen is punting on 2024. He said he would consider it a successful season if the Mets made the playoffs. Most observers think they are a little short in talent for that.
“We’ve talked about being competitive and my expectation is we will be,” he said. “I think the club looks pretty good. I think the general expectations are pretty low, and I think we’re going to surprise to the upside.”
As for Alonso, Cohen said he doesn’t plan to approach the homegrown slugger about an extension. Cohen pointed out that the Mets let Edwin Diaz and Brandon Nimmo get to free agency before signing them to lucrative deals.
“We haven’t had any discussions,” he said. “At this point, I think it’s best for him to go have a great year and not be distracted. I think it’s best for the ballclub. We know how to do this, you know? We did it with Edwin, we did it with Brandon after the season. We’ll figure it out when we get there.”
Speaking of free agency . . . what are the odds of Cohen swooping in before the March 28 opener to sign a still-available marquee free agent such as J.D. Martinez, Blake Snell or Jordan Montgomery?
Not very high, apparently.
“The club looks good,” Cohen said. “We’re [11] days away from the first game. It’s getting a little late to add.”
Mets split pair
Jose Iglesias hit a walk-off solo homer in the ninth and Opening Day starter Jose Quintana was charged with six runs (four earned) in 4 1⁄3 innings in the Mets’ 7-6 split-squad win over the Marlins at Clover Park . . . Diaz needed just 10 pitches in a 1-2-3 inning in his second outing . . . Vientos went 2-for-4 with a three-run home run . . . In West Palm Beach, No. 5 starter candidate Tylor Megill allowed four runs in 3 2⁄3 innings in the Mets’ 9-8 loss to Washington.
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
