10 worst NY Mets free agent signings of the Steve Cohen era

Money doesn't buy happiness. It can buy an underachieving free agent.
Apr 4, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets owner Steve Cohen on the field before the Mets home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Apr 4, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets owner Steve Cohen on the field before the Mets home opener against the Toronto Blue Jays at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
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This decade of New York Mets baseball will be best known for how we went from universally despised owners to one of the best fans could have hoped for. Steve Cohen’s presence changed the atmosphere around the Mets with his personal fandom and massive wealth. An attitude of “whatever it takes, at any cost” refreshed a thirsty fan base just hoping to have leadership that cared.

No owner has a flawless tenure. Since taking over control after the 2020 season, his front office has had its share of misses. These 10 free agent signings are the worst ones we’ve had to bear through.

10) Eduardo Escobar

If it wasn’t for one month of his time with the Mets, Eduardo Escobar would have been a much worse free agent signing. Likable and eventually September’s National League Player of the Month, it took Escobar a long time to start hitting consistently in 2022.

The Mets had just about everything go right for them in the regular season. Escobar was a rare outlier. For as well as Mark Canha and Starling Marte fit into their roles, Escobar seemed tame by comparison. It got to the point where they couldn’t even keep him around any longer. The Mets traded him on June 24, 2023 for a pair of Los Angeles Angels minor leaguers.

Escobar concluded his time with the Mets batting .240/.293/.426 with a 1.3 WAR. His contract wasn’t egregious but they needed more at $10 million in 2022 and about half of the $9.5 million he was due in 2023.

Heading out of August and into September, Escobar was batting .218/.269/.383. A beastly finish saved him from possibly getting shipped out of town even sooner.

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