Who won the offseason: NY Mets owner Steve Cohen or POBO David Stearns?

The word is seminal. The whimsical ride of these past 10 months will forever be a seminal point in New York baseball lore, from 0-5 to OMG, to the Soto Shuffle getting a 15-year residency in Queens. It is almost fictional how it all panned out surprising even the most optimistic members of the Mets faithful.

The combination of POBO David Stearns and owner Steven Cohen has created something unprecedented: smart money. The balance of an Ivy League, small market executive paired with a passionate owner with infinite funds. This is a team that traded for Jose Siri on a team-friendly deal to play center field and a month later signed Juan Soto to the biggest contract in the history of North American sports. So who was more impactful this off-season, Cohen or Stearns?

Steve Cohen dictated the market for every free agent he wanted

The Juan Soto mania started the second the World Series ended, offering all 30 teams his services if their price was right, and the Mets comically entered the Soto sweepstakes in 30th place. Jon Heyman of the NY Post reported that the Mets initially offered Juan Soto $492 million over 12 years and were informed they had the worst offer out of all the teams involved. In the weeks that followed, Cohen made it his mission to completely blow Soto and every other team out of the water, single-handedly dictating the market. During a time when every other team was scrambling to make sure they fiscally could match, Cohen was always one step ahead.

The same could be said about the conclusion of Pete Alonso's hectic free agency. Stearns and Cohen presented a united front at Amazin Day, indicating that fans should prepare for the possibility that Alonso may be leaving. Despite the drama surrounding the situation, Steve Cohen stepped up once again to give fans what they want. Due to the stipulations associated with the "Cohen Tax," the $30 million the Mets are giving Pete in 2025 will ultimately cost them almost $60 million. According to Statista.com, "The New York Mets reported an operating loss of $292 million [In 2023], the highest in Major League Baseball since 2002." Following the worst season an owner has had in 20 years, Steve Cohen has invested almost $2 billion into his team. Seminal.

In only one season, Steve Cohen and David Stearns restored more faith in Mets baseball than the previous ten seasons combined. This isn’t just about being aggressive with spending; it’s about blending analytic-based decisions with the kind of passion to do whatever it takes. Creating a perennial contender is all Cohen cares about, no matter the cost, no matter the profits, no matter what.