Mets owner Steve Cohen: 'I know the fan base is frustrated … I fully expect to make the playoffs'
Naturally, I called Mets owner Steve Cohen this morning to ask about the tweet that he posted and deleted last night during the Mets loss in Philadelphia.
Cohen was flabbergasted by the interpretation spreading online that he was hinting at the team becoming trade deadline sellers.
“All in the future, not much we can do until the trade deadline,” Cohen wrote in response to a fan last night.
Cohen told me that he had actually meant to send a direct message, which he occasionally does when interacting. More importantly, he said he was not in any way indicating that the Mets will become sellers.
“I believe in this team,” Cohen said. “I believe in the back of the baseball card. It’s way too early to speculate on anything. It’s May 16. I expect to make the playoffs. I know the fan base is frustrated, but it’s still early. We’re still very capable of making the playoffs. I fully expect to make the playoffs.”
Cohen wanted to emphasize the point about understanding fan frustration with the team’s recent play.
But it was also clearly important to him to convey that he sees upside for this season. He mentioned the returns of Kodai Senga and Francisco Alvarez, and the talent level of a few star players who have not yet heated up.
As of now, the Mets have absolutely no plans for a repeat of last season, when they pivoted from high expectations to a deadline sell-off. Cohen made clear that these next few months are by no means a march toward another dismal, depleted finish.
If the Mets are anywhere close to contention, a better analogy might be the 2021 season, when the front office felt a commitment to the fans and clubhouse to act as buyers.
Cohen’s Twitter response could have just as easily been interpreted as an intention to buy at the deadline.
I can tell you from spending time in the clubhouse that the players believe in the current team, too. In the expanded postseason era, that is the rational mindset. In fact, the Mets are just one game back of the third Wild Card.
One losing streak -- or one Twitter reply, for that matter -- has done nothing to change the organization's plan or expectations.
