Mets: Steve Cohen, Trevor Bauer are the most powerful people this offseason

Nobody has more control over how this offseason goes than New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and free agent pitcher Trevor Bauer.

No owner in Major League Baseball can outspend what Steve Cohen can. This puts the New York Mets in an unfamiliar position to outbid the rest of the league—although we shouldn’t expect things to get too crazy.

Almost equally as powerful is free agent pitcher Trevor Bauer. By far the best pitcher on the open market, where he chooses to play baseball next year is ultimately up to him.

Two very different men at very different points in their respective lives are the most powerful ones this offseason. The question remains: will they team up?

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I’m not sure I will ever get fatigued over writing about Bauer to the Mets. One day soon, I hope it’s an actual headline that comes across my phone.

Whether you like him or not as a person, Bauer is an interesting character. He brings tenacity to the game on and off the field. It would be a joy to watch him flourish in Flushing as a member of the Cohen-led Mets.

Superheroes don’t always team up together. How many Marvel movies did it take for the Avengers to all assemble? As much of a dream scenario as it would be for many to see Bauer pitching behind Jacob deGrom next year, Cohen doesn’t have any more power to make it happen.

Bauer will get paid a lot of money by someone this winter and can even set himself up to earn an opt-out to get more in the future. His destiny is in his own hands more than any other free agent this winter. As a starting pitcher, he should be a guy every single team considers.

Cohen, as powerful as he is and will remain for years, cannot do anything more than create a great culture around the Mets and offer the most money. This should be enough to convince some free agents to sign with the team. Others could still look elsewhere.

Professional athletes and owners are often at war when it comes to money. Nothing is different now or will it ever likely change. Cohen does, however, seem to break the mold of what we typically expect from an owner. He is transparent in his love of the team. Could this lead to a match between him and Bauer?

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Unity in sports between two super-powerful people is nothing incredibly unique. We see it happen all of the time in the NBA with coaches and players. Getting an owner involved is a different story. With some luck, the tale ends with the pair representing the same organization.