Mets Fans: Your Owner Sent A Message

[IMPORTANT: Make this 4 times longer with much more detail]

Baseball Mets Fans: Your Owner Sent A Message by Rich Mancuso February 19, 2025 Steve Cohen sent a message to Mets fans during his latest open session to the media in Spring Training – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports NEW YORK, NY — Steve Cohen has become accessible to the media, a billionaire owner of the Mets with that reputation of spending. He has developed that rapport with a fan base New York market starving for a World Series championship. Five years now and Cohen is a free wheeling spender, though cautious and using a proper approach that propelled his empire hedge fund corporation. He conducts his business of baseball with a similar approach to his corporation and speaks freely which has scored points with the fan base. Juan Soto signing of 15-years, $765 million, outbidding the crosstown Yankees, retaining Pete Alonso and appeasing a fan base. He wants to bring a World Series championship to Citi Field and envisioned a three-to-five year timeline when he purchased rights to the Mets. Two months ago, Juan Soto signed a 15-year/$765 million deal with the Mets, which includes escalators that can make the overall value of the contract reach over $800 million – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports And there is no doubt that the richest owner in baseball can spend and get his player, leaving the final decision to second in command, David Stearns, president of baseball operations. Only the Dodgers and Yankees can be his rival as the other top spending teams in baseball and Cohen is insistent on continuing to spend wisely, building a Mets minor league system of young prospects that has proved to be a winning formula for other teams in their economic structure. However when Cohen speaks, we tend to listen. The media is all ears, his chain of personnel, manager Carlos Mendoza, coaches, and the players. And the fans also listen to their owner and pay attention. Carlos Mendoza and the Mets reached the NLCS in his first year as a MLB manager – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports But when this owner loses money, as he claimed Tuesday at the Mets’ spring training complex in Port St, Lucie Florida, you have to pay attention. Cohen is not content that his franchise lagged in attendance last season, 18th in the league. The Mets may have beat the crosstown Yankees on the field last year during their inter-league series borough rivalry. The Yankees, though, with a rabid fan base and starving also for a World Series championship, easily won their battle at the box office, second to the Dodgers in league attendance figures. So the owner spoke freely. He was not content with minimal Citi Field attendance figures. The Mets during their second half resurgence were two games short of their first World Series since 2015 in the NLCS to the Dodgers. Mets fan in September of 2024 regular season contest at Citi Field – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports Cohen saw minimal support in the stands. Just shy of over 18,000 in key September games at Citi Field, Mets versus the Reds and Nationals as his team strived to the third National League Wild Card. To Cohen, that was disappointing and attendance figures lagged prior to those series. I can vouch watching and covering games from the press box. I mentioned numerous times to peers and reporters, Citi Field was a morgue in September, whereas across a bridge and in the Bronx the Yankees continued to play baseball before capacity crowds in their run and quest to another championship. So Cohen sent a message to his fan base, basically saying I spend to win. I will give you what you want. Now, I am saying the owner is correct because Mets fans for one reason or another, whether it be a rabid or casual fan, need to listen. Steve Cohen during the Mets’ 2024 NLDS clinching celebration at Citi Field – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports Whether it be a school night or affordability of a ticket purchase, Mets fans you need to listen. Because over the years of a Wilpon owned team there were enough excuses to stay home with losing teams and ownership not willing to exceed that luxury tax threshold and spend on high profiled free agents, Yes, the access to watching from comforts of home and various streaming platforms can be more affordable than attending a game at Citi Field with ticket purchases, parking, concessions, and other factors. That is certainly understood with the state of our economy, and I don’t want to go into a political forum here even though I am always on top of current events. But Mets fans do support their team, I am fully aware, though at specific times I question when? In the Bronx its capacity and standing room for giveaway bobbleheads, ceremonial moments. But it’s the standard average of a Yankees home game in excess of 40,000 in early April, mid-season, the hot months of July and August. The pennant stretches in September. The Yankees remain top-three in MLB team attendance year-on-year – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports Citi Field, quite a contrast and Mets sell-outs are rare even with promotional giveaways and retired uniform numbers. Heck, both Doc Gooden and Darryl Strawberry the home grown Mets had ceremonial retirement number days last season and nowhere near capacity. So the owner has noticed, even though he spends. Cohen does not want to lose money and claims it shows at the gate, certainly not a good look, Juan Soto apparently has spiked ticket sales and there could definitely be a different look, a Mets ticket in demand when the team begins their home portion of the season in early April. Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto in the same lineup will for sure increase ticket demand – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports Cohen cites performance and the roster, the Mets certainly have the tools for a winning season and playing winning baseball in October, the lone glitch is a starting pitching rotation that can be suspect, another one or two roster moves could leave room for improvement. “I think there’s more than hope here,” Cohen said. “I think we’ve built a pretty strong team. Eighteenth in attendance when we’re right in the pennant race. I didn’t like it. I’m really hopeful this year. I’m really looking forward to this year being a year when the fans come out.” Said Cohen, an avid fan before assuming his role as a big spending owner “I think there has always been a little bit of skepticism with the Mets and believing that we’re going to be sustainable winners. One of my goals is to break that negativity perception of the Mets and have them believe that we’re going to be sustainable winner year in and year out.” Starling Marte gives Francisco Lindor a big hug after his monumental grand slam in Game 4 of the 2024 NLDS – Image Credit: George Napolitano/Latino Sports Certainly the owner is not holding back. And no denying he wants to win and will spend. The results though will be played out on the field, the Mets success of course will draw capacity crowds to Citi Field and the Soto acquisition indeed will draw attention to the heavily populated New York City Dominican fan base. If it’s affordable, the Mets have various ticket options for purchase. If it’s Citi Field accessibility, the ballpark is an easy travel destination with public transportation. Citi Field has been rated one of the best ballparks in baseball and Cohen is finding various solutions to a parking the car situation that is costly and fans say difficult to handle. The Mets will most definitely see an increase in ticket sales this season, but to what degree? – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports But there is no room for an excuse about putting a winning team on the field, Cohen has accomplished that during his tenure or attempted with some bad free agent signings. Need I mention a few? So Mets fans listen to your owner. He is all for building towards that long and starved World Series championship. Rich Mancuso is a senior writer and contributor at LatinoSports.com – X: @Ring786, Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso Follow us on Social Media for updates and exclusive content Instagram: @latinosportsoficial Facebook: Latino Sports Twitter: @latinosports Related Topics Carlos Mendoza Citi Field David Stearns Dodgers featured Francisco Lindor Juan Soto Major League Baseball Mets MLB New York New York Mets New York Yankees Spring Training Starling Marte Steve Cohen Tickets Yankee Stadium Yankees Click to comment Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. 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