New York Mets Owner Deletes Tweet, Then Clarifies His Thought About Selling

Getting the New York Mets to pick a direction was a challenge Steve Cohen inherited when he became the team’s majority owner in Nov. 2020, and still just can’t seem to shake.

The team has won between 75 and 86 games every year since 2018 with two exceptions: the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, and the 101-win campaign of 2022, a season that ended in the first round of the playoffs. The Mets are typically not good enough to contend for a championship and not bad enough to rebuild — a source of endless frustration for many.

This season is turning out to be like most of the others in the franchise’s history. At 19-23, the Mets entered Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies in fourth place in the National League East. Absent a dramatic surge up or down between now and the trade deadline, the Mets are in danger of falling into no-man’s land in the standings once again.

Apparently fans aren’t alone in hoping the team will make a move fast. Cohen seemed to share this sentiment in a since-deleted post Wednesday night in response to a fan on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“All in the future, not much we can do until the trade deadline,” Cohen wrote.

Huh?

Andy Martino of SNY sought clarification from Cohen, who frequently interacts with fans on the social media platform. Martino reports that Cohen intended to send a direct message to the fan, but responded in a public post instead.

“I believe in this team. 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.”

— New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, via SNY.tv

The Mets seem more interested in racing to the bottom of the standings than the top. They have lost five of six games through Wednesday, and have so far been outscored 19-9 in the last three games against the NL East-leading Phillies.

If the Mets end up selling, there are plenty of talented players that contending teams could choose from. If they end up as buyers, Cohen’s coffers are large enough to inherit just about any contract in baseball.

Despite their recent results, the Mets are still only one game back of the NL’s third wild card berth. Picking a direction on May 16 is a fool’s errand. But if the Mets ever intend to become deadline buyers, they’ll need to reverse their current trend in a hurry.