FanSided

Mets: How Steve Cohen can build a sustained winner from the inside out

By Michael Calascione |
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 10: Point72 Asset Management and Gala Chair Steven A. Cohen speaks on stage the Lincoln Center Alternative Investment Gala at The Rainbow Room on April 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Lincoln Center)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - APRIL 10: Point72 Asset Management and Gala Chair Steven A. Cohen speaks on stage the Lincoln Center Alternative Investment Gala at The Rainbow Room on April 10, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for Lincoln Center)
3 of 3
Next
Joel Youngblood is one of the best players acquired in a June New York Mets trade. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
Joel Youngblood is one of the best players acquired in a June New York Mets trade. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Now that Steve Cohen is going to be the new owner of the New York Mets he should use his money to build a sustained winner from the inside out.

The dream all New York Mets fans have had for decades has finally come true. The Wilpons are no longer going to own the franchise in a majority capacity.

October 30, 2020, will go down as one of the most important days in franchise history. The owners approved Steve Cohen as the new owner of the New York Mets with a 26-4 vote and Mayor Bill DeBlasio has approved the transfer of lease for Citi Field.

In the coming days, the ownership will fully transfer and Steve Cohen and presumably Sandy Alderson will be able to get started on rebuilding this franchise into a respectable winner.

All Mets fans know how much money Cohen has and we are all salivating at the idea of being in on and potentially signing some of the biggest names in free agency but that is just one layer of this rebranding.

The real work to be done is not so much on the field team but the infrastructure of the team. This franchise has been behind the curve in so many areas from a baseball operations perspective and now the team can finally enter the modern era and put money towards the infrastructure of this team.

How can this be achieved?

Well, it was reported by Mike Puma of the NY Post that the Mets will likely have a President of Baseball Operation in addition to a General Manager working under presumed Team President Sandy Alderson.

What this means potentially is that the candidates that were counted out for the GM role if Brodie Van Wagenen is to be fired due to them already being presidents could be back in play. People like Theo Epstein, David Stearns, and Erik Neander.

However, that is just one slice of this infrastructure pie.

The ultimate goal should be to build a sustained winner like the Los Angeles Dodgers are. What they have been able to build both on the field and in the front office should be the model for the other 29 other clubs and hopefully, Cohen recognizes that and tries to follow their example.

The next several slides will go through areas the Mets can strengthen to try and follow the Dodgers model.

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 17: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) General manager Sandy Alderson of the New York Mets speaks to the media before a game against the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field on September 17, 2013 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Giants defeated the Mets 8-5. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 17: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) General manager Sandy Alderson of the New York Mets speaks to the media before a game against the San Francisco Giants at Citi Field on September 17, 2013 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. The Giants defeated the Mets 8-5. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Expanding  the Mets Analytics Department

It is no secret that the Mets have one of the smallest analytics departments in Major League Baseball. The department consists of two people whose titles are Baseball Research and Development Analyst and Pitching Data and Movement Analyst.

One could venture to guess what those two people’s daily tasks are by their titles and I am sure they are good at what they do but nevertheless, it is not sufficient.

For comparison, the Dodgers have at least twelve people in their analytics department. I will not list all of the titles but the biggest differences between the Mets and the Dodgers are that the Dodgers have positions like Quantitative Analyst and Baseball Operations Analyst in addition to having young members in the department like Junior Data Engineers.

This helps the front office and the coaching staff put together comprehensive reports regarding players to acquire or how to put players already on the team in the best positions to succeed.

The Mets do not really have this level of analytics and Steve Cohen should heavily invest in this area on day one.

It is crucial that the Mets do not play the game at a disadvantage. It was very clear this World Series that analytics more often than not help you win.

The Dodgers and Rays are two of the most heavily invested teams in analytics and they have been highly successful the several years.

By investing in a larger analytics department, the Mets will be able to better identify value in players like bullpen arms.

One of the most difficult things to do in baseball is to build a formidable bullpen that consistently performs well. Due to the volatility of relievers, it is better from a value perspective to find the diamonds in the ruff like the Dodgers do than spend lots of money on big relief arms like Craig Kimbrel or Aroldis Chapman who are really good but may not live up to the contract that was given to them.

Now, this isn’t to say that a team should never give out big contracts to relievers but the analytics will help the front office better identify when it is better from a value perspective and when you should steer clear.

Whether you agree with analytics or not this is the way the game is going and ultimately the smart teams and the successful teams are getting on the train. The Mets can no longer stand by and watch the train go by as they get held back in the past.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 27: A general view after the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins walk off the field prior to the start of the game at Citi Field on August 27, 2020 in New York City. Several sporting leagues across the nation are postponing their schedules as players protest the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha, Wisconsin police. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – AUGUST 27: A general view after the New York Mets and the Miami Marlins walk off the field prior to the start of the game at Citi Field on August 27, 2020 in New York City. Several sporting leagues across the nation are postponing their schedules as players protest the shooting of Jacob Blake by Kenosha, Wisconsin police. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

Expanding the Mets Scouting Department Internationally

The Mets have done a fantastic job with scouting from an amateur perspective such as the MLB draft, but they have done a very poor job in Major League Scouting and International Scouting specifically the international players that require bidding and posting fees.

Omar Minaya was hired back at the end of 2017 to be a special advisor to then-GM Sandy Alderson. His role was to focus primarily on the international market.

When Minaya was the GM of the Mets he was always trying to be involved in the international market, but the Mets have kind of walked away from that since he was fired back in 2010.

The Mets do a good job for the most part at the teenage international market like signing Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez, and Ronny Mauricio to name a few, but they lack the results in the Cuban and Asian markets.

Over the past several years players have defected from Cuba or have been posted by Japanese or Korean teams and the Mets were never a team that was connected to anyone.

The likes of Masahiro Tanaka, Yuli Guriel, and more recently Yusei Kikuchi were posted and signed and the Mets were a complete non-factor.

This must change under Steve Cohen.

One way this can be changed is by setting up a scouting department solely for the Asian market. The goal of this would be to devote resources to better attacking that market which has yielded many good MLB players.

The Mets should also devote significant resources to the Cuban market. Many good players have come out of there as well in recent years. No longer should the Mets be out on any player because they do not have the proper personnel to evaluate whether it is worth it or not.

The Mets should initially be in on every player and investing in these new departments will help the Mets better analyze these markets.

As it stands right now the Mets currently have a handful of scouts in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela with a couple in Panama and Mexico. This is great but they have no scouts assigned to Japan, Korea, or China. This is a market the Mets need to get in on and it starts with scouting. If they can tap into these markets who knows where this team can go.

Steve Cohen the hedge fund manager invested the right money in the right places to make himself and his firm successful. Hopefully, Steve Cohen, the owner will do the same and invest the right money in the right markets and departments to create a sustained winner in Flushing.

Next. Replacements for Brodie Van Wagenen

Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!

Write for us!

All Mets fans deserve it.

Next
Home / New York Mets News

Schedule