Phillies owner has a Steve Cohen attitude that’ll remain a threat to the NY Mets

It’s easy to grade the year David Stearns has had. Maybe only slightly tougher is to hand out a mark for what Carlos Mendoza has done. Hardest is to truly understand the impact Steve Cohen had on the New York Mets. Sure, he signs the checks. He greenlights the expenses. He gets credit when deserved. Criticism is tougher.

The beloved owner of the Mets has stayed relatively quiet this year with his “Fab Four” tweet being his most memorable moment. He has stayed out of the spotlight, allowing Stearns and Mendoza to do the bulk of the talking.

Stearns spoke on Tuesday, noting how the Mets could use a right-handed reliever for high-leverage spots late in games. Hours earlier, Philadelphia Phillies owner John Middleton spoke about the midseason acquisition of David Robertson. His take was exactly what we’d expect from Cohen.

“Of course, Dave, [Dombrowski] there’s no prospects we’re giving up. There’s no draft picks we’re giving up. Of course, we’re going to do it. Money’s easy. That’s the easy part.” (Matt Gelb)

John Middleton is taking on the attitude Mets fans expect from Steve Cohen

Spending freely is nothing new for the Mets. Since they signed Bryce Harper prior to 2019, all bets have been off for them in free agency. They’ve continually added to the payroll and been among the highest spenders. They gave Zack Wheeler a monster contract. Trea Turner received over $300 million. They’ve been rewarded with playoff appearances in four straight seasons (including their NL East title already clinched in 2025). Sans championships, fans should be satisfied with how competitive they’ve been and how in the mix ownership has been with many of the game’s top unsigned stars.

Robertson was a perfect match to return to the Mets. The doubt was how he could perform with no games logged since the end of last year and late July when the Phillies finally did sign him. With money being the only factor standing in the way, Philadelphia made the deal happen.

In hindsight, which fans have an abundance of, it was the necessary move to make. Robertson has an ERA of 3.07 since joining the Phillies. Shaky at times but mostly reliable, he’s a superb addition for late innings and even as a closer alternative when Jhoan Duran isn’t available. When the Mets don’t have Edwin Diaz, it’s a hold your breath situation.

Failure to sign Robertson looks worse with how the Mets bullpen has performed for several weeks. Most notably, Robertson would have been a “no prospect given up” alternative to Ryan Helsley.

The Phillies won that battle, but the Mets gain some solace knowing they do have options. The trio of Clay Holmes, Brandon Sproat, and Kodai Senga as noted by Andy Martino are all intriguing. At least one should slot in with an opportunity to solve the ongoing roster hole. An abundance of choices in the last two weeks with the rotation and bullpen and then hopefully into the postseason, it’s a matter of selecting which pegs fit in each role best.