Mateo Vazquez ’21
Sports Editor
The New York Mets have officially come under new ownership of Steve Cohen who purchased the franchise for $2.6 billion. Because of this steep price, the Mets have now become the most expensive team purchased in sports history (previously held by the LA Dodgers at $2.12 billion).
After months of negotiations, the deal was finally approved by NYC Law Department and many others, and is a great advantage for the team to have as they enter the offseason. The financial stability that Cohen brings to the team has numerous advantages that will no doubt be showcased very soon. Cohen is definitely taking a different direction with the team. Within hours of the sale of the team Cohen parted ways with the general manager, assistant manager, and director of player development. This is just the beginning of Cohen cleaning house for the team’s new beginning. The process was described by Sandy Alderson “Family business Corleone-style” as Cohen is going through the ranks to ensure that he has one of the best teams at the start of next season.
The franchise released statements that although they were making these changes, the managers and the staff that they let go have demonstrated what they have done for the Mets. They wanted to take a new direction and with that new direction, new management, essentially a new team in the making.
A particular focus for Cohen in a number of new ambitions that he is bringing to the team is that he is restructuring the analytics staff that is considerably smaller than many other franchises within the MLB league. Cohen’s focus on analytics will be by far one of the biggest, and hopefully most notable, improvements to the team in the upcoming season. His focus that he is bringing to the team is working off the data stating that there should be no worry to think that the team will be operating any differently. They are set to be one of the most active teams this offseason and are already getting started on implementing new strategies and changes to their style of play. One of the many advantages for the Mets this season is that Steve Cohen’s business and wealth was not affected in any way, unlike many other franchises, and the team is set to hit the same numbers if not higher without any cuts to payroll as other teams are currently facing at the moment.
The Mets are willing to spend $18.7 million this upcoming off season and with the luxury tax threshold set at $210 million, there is a lot of room for the franchise to spend and acquire new talent. With other teams facing potential payroll cuts, the Mets are in a very advantageous situation to acquire new talent at a discounted price. The team is also able to make some progress where they have struggled defensively in the past. In essence, they are doing exactly what the Yankees did a few years ago, preying on teams that have the resources they need to stack their roster and come out into the upcoming season with a more effective lineup.
While he is still working out many of the logistics with the front office, there’s a lot of work to be done and while this will definitely be reflected in the upcoming season, the full effects will probably not be seen until later. After the closure, Cohen stated that his pruchase of the team “is a significant milestone in the history of this franchise” and it is this ambition and drive that will surely be demonstrated very soon. The Mets are back in the MLB spotlight, and all eyes are upon the new franchise owner to see how he will be able to turn the team around.
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