'Starting to look stacked': Steve Cohen touts Mets organizational strength as season nears

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — As Steve Cohen approaches the start of his fourth full season as the owner of the Mets, the richest owner in baseball is less involved in the day-to-day decisions of the franchise.

Cohen prefers it that way. The Mets owner would prefer David Stearns, the team's new president of baseball operations, to approach him with ideas about adding to the roster. But there is also a clear, less flashy plan in place ahead of the 2024 season.

After two years of paying top dollar to bring in the top pitchers on the market in an effort to bridge the gap and falling short, the Mets have been more calculated ahead of the 2024 season. After acquiring three Top 100 prospects at last season's trade deadline, they've shelled out shorter-term deals to players with upside, including Luis Severino, Harrison Bader and Sean Manaea, to give time for the next generation to develop.

The mission, which was potentially expedited last season, is to build a more sustainable foundation that can be supplemented with Cohen's financial might moving forward.

"It’s really hard to win a World Series," Cohen said when addressing the media for the first time ahead of the 2024 season on Sunday. "Some of the best teams in baseball that we've seen over the last 10 years have had a hard time winning the World Series. And so the whole point is to be competitive, be in the playoffs, be there every year and give yourself the best shot, and good things can happen."

A bright future

Ahead of the 2024 season, the ever-optimistic Cohen is encouraged most by the strength of the talent in the minor-league levels. The Mets traded away Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer for infielder Luisangel Acuña and outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford last season. Infielder Jett Williams, the team's 14th overall pick in 2022, skyrocketed to become the team's top prospect after an encouraging first full season in the minor leagues last season.

"Obviously, I made a major decision last year to make trades at the deadline that certainly boosted and accelerated the depth of the farm system, and we're starting to see the fruits of that," Cohen said. "We've got another draft coming up in a couple months. For the first time, I would say that we're starting to look stacked. I don't think I ever would have used that term, and that's a good feeling."

The Mets also have talented teenagers in Collin Houck, the team's 2023 first-round pick, and Marco Vargas, who was acquired from the Marlins for David Robertson last season.

And the Mets owner is particularly excited about the development in the pitching ranks, with whom he views as "six, seven or eight pitchers that could be our next future starters." Mike Vasil, Christian Scott and Dom Hamel appear on the precipice of the major leagues, while Brandon Sproat and Nolan McLean impressed Cohen during Friday's Spring Breakout game.

"To me, that’s exciting because pitching is so freaking expensive in baseball today," Cohen said. "If we can start building a team where we have some young, fresh blood, and then surround it with veteran talent, that’s a winning combination."

Steve Cohen's updated goal

After Cohen purchased the Mets for $2.4 billion in November 2020, he said that he would be "slightly disappointed" if the Mets did not win the World Series in three to five years.

Cohen admitted Sunday that he had hoped for more winning seasons — the Mets only winning season under the owner was 2022's 101-win campaign — but now understands that developing a strong foundation takes time. He still believes reaching the playoffs should be the goal on the heels of a disastrous 2023 campaign in which the Mets finished 75-87.

"Obviously last year was a real disappointment," Cohen said. 'We came in with high expectations and when you get there, I wasn't expecting what happened. I think this year we've built up sort of the floor of what's possible. Listen, there are a couple of great teams in the National League, but other than that, I think we're as competitive as any other team."

Cohen has been encouraged by the team's pitching this spring. lectively, the Mets have posted a x 2.98 ERA, with Michael Tonkin, Yohan Ramirez, Austin Adams and Sean Reid-Foley all holding opponents scoreless in relief.

Stearns also moved to shore up the team's defense with the additions of outfielders Harrison Bader and Tyrone Taylo

"Last year, we were giving four outs in an inning, and I think you can see it," Cohen said. "We're in almost every game in spring training and I suspect that's the way it's going to look during the season. If you have good defense and the relief pitching looks pretty strong, it looks like we have a lot of depth there, which means we're going to be in a lot of games."

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Steve Cohen touts Mets' organizational strength before season