Reese Kaplan -- Has Steve Cohen Reached a Breaking Point Yet?

So let´s see if we have this situation right...

First new Mets owner Steve Cohen assumed leadership of the club by having a bit of an adjustment year.  Some changes were made but nothing earth shattering one way or another was implemented.  

Then came time to flex his muscles a bit and the addition of Max Scherzer didn´t hurt a bit.  The team landed in triple digits in wins and that certainly had everyone feeling good about putting the Wilpons in the rear view mirror.

Then came 2023 and you can start with health, poor performances and somehow giving blame to Buck Showalter who was everyone´s hero just a year earlier.  Somehow it became Buck´s fault that Edwin Diaz missed the year, that Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer both had IL stints, that Starling Marte was operating on perhaps just 2 cylinders due to injuries, that Eduardo Escobar, most of the catchers, Jeff McNeil and the DH wannabes all performed poorly. 

As a result, then GM Billy Eppler conducted the Mets´ first fire sale since the 2017 housecleaning which saw them rid themselves of major assets to replenish a fairly barren farm system.  Given how poorly the club was performing no one really blamed the team management for making this strategic change as it was clear they were not headed to play October baseball.

Come the end of the season the Mets began their next clean sweep, making Buck Showalter take the blame for the injured players and lackluster performances of others.  Then came Eppler´s alleged resignation over IL manipulation of the roster, though a new POBO in David Stearns likely wanted to call his own shots on player personnel. 

Interestingly, there were no fully healthy and in their prime players brought onto the team during the off season.  Luis Severino was coming off a horrific season.  

Adrian Houser and Tyrone Taylor were fringe players.  Harrison Bader would indeed improve center field defense but never showed much of a bat.  Sean Manaea was a better than average pitcher but not a regular All Star.  Joey Wendle and a bunch of reclamation relievers were not difference makers.  Somehow people felt that the 2024 season was gong to be more than one of learning and transition.

As it has unfolded, that assessment appears to be on target.  The club rallied after a poor start to pass the .500 mark but then collectively fell apart on the mound and at the plate.  This streak of handing out an unconscionable number of walks and struggling to score more than 2 runs per game suggested it was time to shake things up.

The arrival of Joey Lucchesi for a surprise starting assignment on Wednesday started off fairly well before the roof caved in midway through the game.  Mark Vientos went 2-4 in his plate appearances including an RBI, but showed defensively with skill and judgment he was not going to remind anyone of Brooks Robinson. 

Then late in the day on Wednesday apparently Steve Cohen reached the near breaking point and was forced to delete a tweet in which he said if things didn´t improve dramatically very quickly then it would be time to have a true fire sale.  While no one can say that this opinion is unreasonable, it calls to mind another team owner in New York baseball history — George Steinbrenner.  He was a man known for his temper, his unreasonable expectations and his bizarre hiring practices.  

No one suggests Cohen has dipped his toe into his style of megalomania, but if we believe that Cohen was after a long term legacy then perhaps his real fire sale thought is not necessarily a bad one.

For several years the Mets have not hit the upper stratosphere with first and second tier players on their team.  They were never a single player away from winning it all.  The question now becomes whether you keep putting band aids on what is not working or do you rip them off and start again with fresh faces (and fresh blood). 

Yesterday we talked about blowing things up per Mack´s suggestion.  

Now we are left to wonder to what extent that would truly look like.  Does it mean you give it all over to the kids and sell low on some of your long term contracts?  Do you do a true Steinbrenner and outbid the world for whomever it is you want as a free agent?  Do you supplement again in the hopes that another year older for the core all that is required is one or two supplemental pieces? 

So which approach would you take?