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.