Only Steve Cohen can save the NY Mets from their Kodai Senga disaster

The next time we see Kodai Senga pitch for the New York Mets it will be as a relief pitcher. A guy who rarely ever went on 4 days of rest will now need to readjust further and be available on-call.

The third starting pitcher this season who has been relegated to bullpen duties, Sean Manaea to begin the year and David Peterson throughout, this was the one demotion no one has ever had much faith in seeing work out well. Whether physical or mental or both, there’s something seriously wrong with him.

Immediate doubts he’ll translate well into a relief pitcher, the likely outcome seems to be paying Senga to go away. Or maybe not. Steve Cohen is the only person who can save the Mets from this disaster. It’s a matter of him deciding how much he wants to pay.

The Mets can pay Kodai Senga if they release him

Senga is owed the remainder of $15 million this year and next. A considerable amount for your Average Joe, it’s an easy amount for Cohen to pay up to clear up the roster spot for someone better.

The Mets are holding out hope Senga either reinvents himself as a reliever or figures it out when needed in the rotation, possibly after a trade deadline sell-off. Their resistance to releasing him so abruptly after his continued failures on the mound does leave open one more scenario that, if Cohen was so bold, might satisfy us more.

The Mets can trade Kodai Senga in a deal for another/other bad contracts

Why wouldn’t someone take a chance on Senga if they could also shed some salary in the process? Hypothetically, if the Mets were to trade Senga for a player making significantly more money, wouldn’t that be beneficial for a shorter-pocketed MLB owner?

The hard part here is the Mets have a President of Baseball Operations who has avoided those lofty contracts. The Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Semien deal was explained as a way to get out from under long-term contracts. Swapping Senga for Willy Adames or Rafael Devers for instance, would just add a new one back onto the payroll.

Surely there are shorter contracts than those to seek.

A trade for Trevor Story was something SNY’s Chelsea Janes pitched earlier this year. It would save the Boston Red Sox $10 million and give the Mets a replacement for Bo Bichette, possibly, at third base if he opts out. This is more of an offseason type of move than one to make in July as both clubs are expected to sell.

Far more complicated and maybe even less appealing would be a deal with the San Diego Padres. They have multiple long-term contracts they’d probably like to get out from under. Unless the trade involves buying low on Fernando Tatis Jr., you’ll have a hard time selling this to Mets fans. That seems far too unlikely to occur in a deal involving Senga.

Seattle Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo is much closer to free agency and in the midst of having a down year, would be someone the Mets might want to take. However, a direct Castillo for Senga trade doesn’t seem to give the Mariners all that much. Unless the Mets pay all of Senga’s contract or close to it, there aren’t too many great matches.

Red Sox outfielder Masataka Yoshida, who is more of a DH than an actual outfielder, is owed $18.6 million next season and would be someone else who could use a change of scenery. It’s not so much to re-find himself as much as it would to get some actual playing time. The Red Sox have little use for him.

Whatever happens, the almighty dollar will decide. Cohen, as the one who decides what the Mets do with those greenbacks, will be the one to make that call.

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