2. The Crowd
Steve Cohen has voiced his frustration with the Mets finishing 18th in attendance despite having a strong season in 2024. Earlier this week Cohen said, "That really bothered me, 18th in attendance when we’re right in the middle of a pennant race...I’ve said this before, the series against the Nationals, right before the final Philly series. I think there were 18,000 fans in the stadium during a great pennant race".
Even during a Pennant race, Citi Field failed to attract the crowds Cohen had hoped for, and he considered that when pursuing free agents. Attendance was already set to increase following a magical season and after inking Juan Soto and resigning Pete Alonso fans are not going to be able to resist attending games, even in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Fans flooded Clover Park to catch the first glimpse of their team in 2025, with the 7,394 fans in attendance creating an atmosphere that felt like Opening Day had arrived a month early.
If the excitement meter for spring training wasn’t already at an all-time high, it certainly is now. If this game proved anything, it's that Citi Field is going to be rocking all summer long. With Steve Cohen investing this much money into a team with the 18th best attendance, fans can only imagine what he will do with a team that is consistently top five in attendance.