[URL]https://www.wsj.com/articles/m...-interesting-team-in-baseball-11606752603?mod[/URL]=hp_lead_pos12
Sandy Alderson stepped in as general manager of the New York Mets at one of the bleakest points in the history of a franchise filled with disappointments: the revelation that Bernie Madoff’s fraud had ravaged the personal finances of the team’s owners, the Wilpon family.
The Wilpons don’t own the Mets anymore. Hedge-fund manager Steve Cohen does, and his net worth of more than $14 billion immediately transforms the Mets into the most fascinating team in the sport. While the rest of the industry retrenches in the wake of significant losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Mets have brought Alderson back as team president and appear ready to act aggressively.
That has cast the Mets in an unfamiliar role: not a punchline, but an economic force primed to shake up an otherwise stagnant employment market.
“It’s not about how much less we can get somebody for. It’s more about getting that somebody,” Alderson said. “We can now emphasize the acquisition rather than the cost.”
That sentiment didn’t apply during Alderson’s previous stint with the Mets, when budgetary restrictions left them unable to compete for talent befitting an organization that plays in MLB’s largest market. Prominent agent Scott Boras used the Wilpons’ austerity as the inspiration for an annual comedy routine at the winter meetings, mocking the Mets for shopping in the “fruits and nuts” department or the “freezer section.”
Under Cohen, the wealthiest owner in baseball history, “we’re going to be shopping in the gourmet section,” Alderson said—joking that he must locate it first after so many years wandering the clearance aisles.
A lifelong Mets fan from Long Island, Cohen bought his favorite team for about $2.4 billion, officially closing the deal in early November. He quickly brought back Alderson, who promptly purged most of the front office, including his own replacement, Brodie Van Wagenen. Soon, Alderson will hire a new GM to help oversee the process of trying to build a roster capable of winning the Mets’ first championship since 1986.
“I do believe this is a major-market team,” Cohen said recently, “and it should have a budget commensurate with that.”
The Mets’ arrival as big spenders comes as most of their competitors want to cut costs. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred says the league sustained operating losses of about $3 billion while staging a shortened 2020 campaign almost entirely without fans in attendance. Further uncertainty remains as baseball attempts to restart next spring, prompting owners to find avenues to slash payroll.
That gives the Mets the opportunity to emerge as buyers in an ocean of sellers, and players already seem to appreciate Cohen’s presence. Pitcher Marcus Stroman declined a chance to become a free agent and instead accepted a one-year, $18.9 million qualifying offer to stay with the Mets. Stroman then tweeted that he was “beyond excited” to play for Cohen after seeing his “excitement and passion” in his introductory news conference.
“If I don’t win a World Series in the next three-to-five years—I’d like to make it sooner—I would consider that slightly disappointing,” Cohen said.
The Mets don’t need all that much help to put themselves in a position to contend. They already have perhaps the best pitcher in baseball in Jacob deGrom, with Noah Syndergaard due back from elbow surgery next season. Their lineup—led by Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith—led the majors in batting average in 2020 and ranked third in OPS.
The current crop of free agents lacks an obvious superstar, with no Gerrit Cole or Bryce Harper sitting there for the Mets to woo with their sudden influx of cash. But enough good players are available for the Mets to make a splash, including former Houston Astros outfielder George Springer, All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto and this season’s National League Cy Young winner, Trevor Bauer. Trade options exist as well, with the Cleveland Indians expected to dangle shortstop Francisco Lindor. In an offseason where few owners will open their wallets, Cohen’s money looms large.
But Cohen has already learned that his resources can’t solve everything. He recently admitted that hiring an executive to lead the Mets’ baseball operations department has been more difficult than he expected, since opposing teams haven’t let potential candidates interview for the position. So even with his lofty aspirations and stuffed bank account, Cohen is still searching.
“Baseball is kind of funny where you have to ask for permission and all that stuff, and we’re not getting a lot of permission,” Cohen told SNY, the Mets’ television station.
Meanwhile, Cohen has already encountered an issue with one of his players. Second baseman Robinson Canó tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug for the second time in his career, resulting in a suspension for the entire 2021 campaign. In the near term, Canó’s absence eliminates about $20 million from the Mets’ payroll, and Cohen quickly posted on Twitter that he intends to “spend it on players.”
When Canó returns from his ban, however, the Mets still owe him more than $40 million through 2023, raising the question of how Cohen will handle the thorny problem of owing huge sums to a tainted star.
Cohen’s resources will benefit the Mets whether or not they immediately use them on high-end players. The Mets have lagged behind their opposition from an infrastructure standpoint, failing to invest in the technological and analytical innovations that define the modern game. Cohen also vowed to stay out of baseball decisions and avoid the “micromanager” label that so often described his predecessors.
“I played Little League once, but that’s about it,” Cohen said. “I’m going to let the professionals, Sandy and the people we bring in, let them run baseball.”
Alderson, 73, took a leave of absence from the Mets in July 2018 due to a recurrence of cancer and never resumed his post. He worked as a senior adviser for the Oakland Athletics—the team he guided to a title as GM in 1989—and his time in New York appeared to be over for good.
When Cohen began exploring the possibility of purchasing the Mets, he targeted Alderson, meeting him for breakfast last December. That sparked a relationship that led to Alderson taking on the responsibilities of president. Several months ago, he sent Cohen a memo that doubled as a mission statement, saying, “A vision for new ownership: to create an iconic major-league franchise respected for its success—competitive and financial success—and how it achieves that success, and for its commitment to fans and community.”
Asked why he accepted the job, Alderson responded quickly: “It was Steve Cohen.”
In his introductory news conference, Cohen cited the Los Angeles Dodgers as an organization he admired. They spend loads of money on players, but also boast one of the most sophisticated front offices and deepest farm systems in baseball, indicating that they don’t just spend, but spend smartly. The Dodgers just won their first World Series since 1988.
Cohen gives the Mets a pathway toward developing into the East Coast version of the Dodgers, combining a deep-pocketed owner with a savvy, progressive approach to building an organization. If things go well, they might even accomplish a goal that had long seemed impossible: finally competing with their neighbors in the Bronx, the Yankees.
“I’m essentially doing it for the fans,” Cohen said. “When I really thought about this, I could make millions of people happy, and what an incredible opportunity that is.”