New York Mets owner Steve Cohen’s ownership tenure has been defined by one thing: A willingness to spend in order to keep the Mets competitive. But following the free-agent departures of both Pete Alonso and Edwin Díaz, Mets fans have been left wondering whether that’s still Cohen’s goal.
Cohen attempted to commiserate with fans Wednesday, while also stressing that there’s still plenty of time for the Mets to build a playoff contender this winter, per the New York Post.
“I totally understand the fans’ reaction,” Mets owner Steve Cohen texted The Post. “There is lots of offseason left to put a playoff team on the field.”
After missing out on the playoffs last season, the Mets find themselves noticeably weaker following the departures of Alonso and Díaz.
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While the Mets can slide third baseman Mark Vientos over the first base to replace Alonso, it stretches the rest of the roster pretty thin. As currently constructed, the Mets could open the season starting two of Ronny Mauricio, Tyrone Taylor and Luisangel Acuña. All three players were below league-average with the bat last season and are better served as bench pieces on a championship-caliber roster.
Losing Díaz, who posted a 1.63 ERA in his walk year, will hurt, though the team already found a replacement in Devin Williams. The 31-year-old Williams is coming off a down season with the New York Yankees, in which he posted a 4.79 ERA, but his peripherals suggest a bounce-back year could be on tap.
Even if Williams is a downgrade, he should help. But the Williams addition alone isn’t enough to suddenly turn the Mets back into the contenders. That was the expectation last year, but the team collapsed down the stretch, going 28-37 in the second half to fall out of a playoff spot.
It was a highly-disappointing result, especially after the team splurged to sign outfielder Juan Soto to a massive 15-year, $765 million deal last winter.
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Avoiding that fate will be key for the Mets in 2026. But in order to do that, the team will need to add more talent before the offseason is over. Despite a few big names finding new homes, there are still a handful of talented players still available.
Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman and Bo Bichette, three of the four best free agents this offseason, are still out there. Other than Dylan Cease, virtually every pitcher is still available as well.
While the Mets haven’t been heavily involved in rumors just yet, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them jump into the bidding on a number of prominent players. That’s been Cohen’s modus operandi since buying the team. Despite a slow and disappointing start to the offseason, there’s still plenty of time for Cohen to still make a splash that immediately turns the Mets back into World Series contenders.
