New York Mets: How Steve Cohen can build a dynasty
There’s a new George Steinbrenner in the big apple with Steve Cohen having purchased the New York Mets.
October 30th, 2020. Save the date. That day is a turning point in New York Mets’ history. That’s the day a new George Steinbrenner emerged in New York. That’s the day billionaire hedge-fund manager Steve Cohen purchased the New York Mets for $2.475 billion.
Cohen isn’t just any billionaire and he’s not just any owner. Cohen is a die-hard Mets fan, born and raised in Great Neck, New York, just 18 minutes from Queens. Before he was a wall-street mammoth, Cohen was just an ordinary kid, spending stuffy August afternoons on the train from Long Island to Shea Stadium, where he’d peer down on the Mets from the upper deck.
Cohen is New York’s new George Steinbrenner. With a net worth of $14 billion, he’s equipped to spend whatever it takes to haul in baseball’s top free agent talent. That’s precisely what Steinbrenner did as Yankees owner from 1973 until his death in 2010.
Willing to win at any cost, Steinbrenner shelled out a whopping $1.8 billion on free agents – which converts to about $2.15 billion in today’s dollars. Steinbrenner’s aggressive free-agent sprees led to seven World Series titles in his time as Yankees owner, and, if Cohen makes the right moves, a Steinbrenner-esque dynasty is feasible.
The Road Ahead
Cohen inherits a stable of top talent – a stable of talent, however, that has failed to produce wins. The New York Mets floundered under former majority owner Fred Wilpon, missing the playoffs 15 out of the last 18 years, plagued by inexplicable dysfunction in the front office.
However, you can’t attribute the team’s lack of success to a lack of talent. The Mets are a math equation that doesn’t add up. They’re loaded with talent up and down the roster, yet they perennially underachieve, missing the playoffs, while producing disheartening sub-.500 records.
Google the Mets roster. Look at the names. Look at the players. And tell me that isn’t a World-Series-level roster.
It starts with the pitching staff, and it starts with back-to-back Cy Young winner Jacob DeGrom. At 6’4, 180lbs, DeGrom is a walking stick with a whip attached to his right shoulder. When DeGrom’s on the mound, all you see is skin and bones, and all the batter sees is a white blur. DeGrom’s signature pitch is his lightning bolt of a fastball, which reached new heights this season, averaging 99 mph. DeGrom is the purest definition of an ace, on a Hall-Of-Fame pace, and he’s the Mets anchor, the biggest reason they stand a chance at a dynasty.
Next up: Noah Syndergaard. Nicknamed Thor, he’s a carbon copy of the Marvel superhero. Long, stringy blonde hair hangs past his shoulders, a scruffy dirty-blonde beard coats his jawline, and he sports a sinewy physique, thundering 100-mph fastballs to the plate. Although he’s returning from tommy john surgery, he posted a shirtless video of himself throwing a bullpen, with sweat gleaning from his pecs and the ball fuming towards the catcher. He’ll be back next year, ready to slot in behind DeGrom, forming one of the league’s best 1-2 punches.
Number three in the rotation: Marcus Stroman. Small in stature, standing just 5’8”, Stroman towers over hitters with a massive chip on his shoulder. Actually, forget a chip, it’s a family-size bag of Doritos. Stroman’s sinker moves like a left-handed pitcher’s slider, darting from left to right, inducing ground balls, ugly swings, and freezing batters. Stroman ranked in the 94th percentile in barrel percentage in 2019, which, in plain English, means hitters rarely squared him up.
The New York Mets are also stuffed with young sluggers. Outfielder Michael Conforto produced his best season in 2020, hitting .322 with 9 homers. Dominic Smith showcased his potential, walloping 10 homers while driving in 42 runs. Then there’s meaty first baseman Pete Alonso – who bashed his way to the 2019 NL Rookie of the Year award, with 53 homers. There’s contact machine Jeff McNeil, who broke onto the scene with a .318/23/75 slash-line last year, and backed it up with a .304 mark this year. As a team, the boys from Queens led Major League Baseball in hitting in 2020, with a .272 team batting average.
However, although the Mets are rich in talent, they’re bankrupt when it comes to caulking up wins. This is where Cohen comes in and can change everything. He’s infused the fanbase with hope, and a change in team morale is palpable. A smart, demanding, wealthy owner means everything is possible.
Building a Dynasty
If you study the New York Mets roster, you’ll see a couple of glaring holes. Catcher is one. And with Robinson Cano’s 162-game PED suspension, second base is another. Plugs for those holes lie in the free agent market: JT Realmuto and DJ LeMahieu. Realmuto is among the game’s best catchers. He ranked in the 95th percentile in pitch framing in 2020, which, in laymen’s terms, means he’s excellent at presenting pitches to the umpire, turning borderline pitches into surefire strikes. He’s also a model of consistency at the plate; he’s averaged a respectable .280/17/60 slash line since 2016.
LeMahieu might be the best contact-hitter in baseball. The Yankees signed him prior to the 2019 season, and he made an immediate impact, swatting .327 while producing an eye-popping 6.0 WAR. In 2020’s shortened Covid season, LeMahieu hit .364 and whacked 10 homers. In an era where it’s all-or-nothing, home-run-or-strikeout, LeMahieu employs a refreshing contact-oriented approach.
Something else to consider: you can never have too much good pitching. This year’s N.L. Cy Young Winner – the contentious Trevor Bauer – is a free agent, and he’d be the perfect augmentation to a rotation already flush with aces. Bauer is hungry, huge-work-ethic, do-anything-to-win type guy and that would spread a good message in the Mets under-performing clubhouse.
Bauer spins the ball like a record, using two great breaking balls, a slider and hard-biting knuckle-curve. Bauer’s showcased Cy-Young-like potential for years, but he finally put it all together in 2020, posting a 1.73 ERA while whiffing 100 batters in 73 innings. Imagine pairing Bauer with DeGrom, Syndergaard, and Stroman. You’re looking at rotation comparable to the 1990s Atlanta Braves.
Cohen’s bank account is his biggest asset as the Mets owner. He needs to take advantage of his deep pockets right away and dip into this year’s free agent market. Mets President Sandy Alderson said it best during a Nov. 10 press conference “We now can emphasize the acquisition rather than the cost.”
It’s time for Cohen and the New York Mets to emphasize those acquisitions, starting with Realmuto, LeMahieu, and Bauer.
Steinbrenner’s Example
George Steinbrenner built the Yankees dynasty with his checkbook. There’s no better example than the Yank’s last World Championship in 2009. Following a disappointing 2008 season where the team missed the playoffs, Steinbrenner shelled out 3 massive contracts: C.C. Sabathia for seven-years and $161 million, Mark Teixeria for 8-years and $180 million, and AJ Burnett for 5 years and $82.5 million. The result: the Yankees 27th World Series title.
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Cohen can do the same thing: make the obvious financial moves to bring in baseball’s best free agents. Cohen can ameliorate the New York Mets dysfunction by opening his pockets. And, as he opens his pockets, a window swings open, a window for a dynasty, and a window for the Mets to do something special.